Alabama trounces Clemson in Sugar Bowl, will play Georgia for national college football title

Alabama rolled over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl — (Image credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

The Jan. 8 NCAA college football championship will be between two Southeastern Conference teams, after No. 4 Alabama rolled over top-ranked Clemson in the Sugar Bowl Monday night, earning the right to face Rose Bowl champion Georgia. Unlike the double-overtime thriller in Pasadena, Alabama dominated the Tigers in New Orleans, with two Crimson Tide defensive players — lineman Da'Ron Payne and linebacker Mack Wilson — sealing Clemson's fate with third-quarter touchdowns just 13 seconds apart, including this Wilson interception off a throw by Kelly Bryant.

Clemson and Alabama played each other in the past two national championships, with Clemson winning in 2017 and the Crimson Tide in 2016. This year's College Football Playoff National Championship will be the first time two SEC teams face each other in the new college football playoff system, and Alabama coach Nick Saban will be playing for a record sixth national title.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.