The game serves as the final of the College Football Playoff, a bracket tournament between the top four teams in the country as determined by a selection committee, which was established as a successor to the Bowl Championship Series and its similar BCS National Championship Game.

   The last four teams were Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and Notre Dame, But the last two were Alabama and Ohio State going against each other. The score was 52-24 and the scoring distance was pretty far for a championship playoffs but Alabama.