Introduction (Clemson-Bama)

With the creation of the College Football Playoff in 2014, it was supposed to be the end-all of deciding who was going to be the National Champion. In a long story short, it wasn't. It created as many problems (if not more) as the previous system the BCS. Yes, it did give two more teams a chance at the national championship but it seems that only the Power 5 Conference teams have the opportunity to play for the title while the group of 5 Conference teams are left out. At least the Group of 5 teams had a chance in playing in a BCS Bowl though they were left out of the National Championship game during the BCS Era and two of the BCS busters are in major conferences (Utah in the Pac 12 and TCU Big 12). Also, the playoffs have lacked parity. Four of the schools since the Playoffs have been there at least four times including two of them have been there all but one year and that's been those teams have been the Clemson Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide who've played each other four times in the College Football Playoff (three for the National Championship including two of the best national championship games ever played). Actually, they played each other 15 times prior to them playing against each other especially four straight years with their legendary coaches (Bama with Bear Bryant and Clemson with Frank Howard) in the late 1960s. Surprised, they didn't play more times because the distance from Clemson to Tuscaloosa is only 324 miles. Yes, you can make the case of Clemson and Ohio State Buckeyes (one of the four with four appearances) who played each other three times in the playoffs and also Sugar Bowl matchup just a season prior to the playoffs starting but each of those three times happened during the semifinals but the Championship game. I thought about making a comment about Woody Hayes punching a Clemson linebacker in the 1978 Gator Bowl but I didn't think I would land the punch (OK I did). Also, it was Hayes' last game as Buckeye Head Coach because of that punch and Ohio State was tired of his shit. Maybe Dabo Swinney and Nick Saban would fight a boxing match for Charity, I bet that would sell a lot of tickets and get high TV ratings. From the looks of it we're going to see more Clemson-Alabama and Clemson-Ohio State matchups in the playoffs because those teams including the Oklahoma Sooners (also been in the Playoffs four times) have dominated their conferences since the Playoffs began especially Bama who started their dominance (again) during the last years of the BCS. Thanks to the playoff system, They've become College Football's version of the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers though at least with the Warriors and the Cavs, they need to get past three teams as opposed to one for Clemson and Alabama at least they play each other in the semifinals. Their conferences seem to have little to no answers for both teams especially Clemson in the ACC. Plus, it seems Bama doesn't really need to win their conference to win National Championships. Even if expansion happens in the playoffs (I suggest six teams with the top two teams having a Bye Week), it won't stop Clemson, Bama, Ohio State, and Oklahoma from dominating their conferences. Each program has the same amount of scholarships to give to student-athletes and as of now, all four schools doing well in recruiting especially Clemson and Alabama. It seems that Clemson and Alabama has seemed the title contenders year after year despite losing players to the NFL Draft and/or graduation and replace them with equally good talent. It helps when you got two of the greatest coaches in College Football History in Nick Saban for Alabama and Dabo Swinney for Clemson who actually played for Alabama and was a part of the 1992 National Championship Team. If only Shane Matthews didn't throw that interception. Also, don't be surprised when Saban retires that Alabama booster will do anything to get Dabo to come down to the University of Alabama and I mean anything. Actually, five of Clemson's coaches played for Alabama, two of them for the legendary coach Bear Bryant. They've toe to toe since 2015 and it seems like they're dominance (or redominance in Bama's case) started in the 2008 season where both teams opened the season against each other where the 24th ranked Crimson Tide beat the number nine Tigers 34-10 though it took the Tigers a few seasons to catch up to Bama though that season was the beginning of Dabo's head coaching career as he took over halfway through the season and we all know how that worked out for the Tigers. Yes, Bama has way more prestige than Clemson with about 18 National Championships give or take and Saban has more titles than Dabo though Dabo will have time to catch up to Saban. The BCS wasn't popular but it was better than College Football Division 1-A now the Football Bowl Subdivision had prior to 1998 (the first season of the BCS). Alabama won some of those championships even though they lost in their bowl games in 1964 and 1973 and in the 1926 season, they tied in their bowl game where they shared the title with Stanford who were 10-0-1. Of course, there's the LSU fans who will say that Alabama had no business in the 2011 Championship game and that should belong to them. Things were crazy back then. Believe or not, Bama tied Yale with their 18th title and Princeton has 15 (weird ain't it?). Clemson doesn't prestige as Bama (then again who does) however they did have a title back in 1981 though it came with a price as the NCAA came down hard on Clemson for Recruiting Violations. I hate Bama and Clemson well I like them. Maybe because of their orange jerseys though my sister went to a rival school in FSU. She's probably not going to like me too much. Also, it helps that Clemson recruited Deon Cain who went to my high school (different years). Now, for the tale of the dueling dynasties.