Alabama Football: Predicting the MVP of the National Championship
By Dakota Cox
Who might lead Alabama football to victory?
The end of a crazy college football season is finally here. On Monday, Alabama football and the Ohio State Buckeyes will determine who is the best team of the 2020 season. Both teams have explosive offenses, so this could be an exciting game.
Alabama’s offense has been balanced all season, and that is why they have been so successful. Najee Harris and Mac Jones won awards for being the best at their positions, and DeVonta Smith won the Heisman Trophy. While they all have achieved greatness together, there is room for an individual award on Monday. Who will win the National Championship MVP?
If Ohio State manages to upset Alabama football, the award will almost definitely go to Justin Fields or Trey Sermon. The real question is who wins if the Tide bring home the trophy. While Jaylen Waddle might surprise us, this seems like it would be a three-person race.
For context, Najee Harris won the SEC MVP award for his five-touchdown performance against the Florida Gators. DeVonta Smith followed suit with a three-touchdown game in the Rose Bowl, earning him Rose Bowl Offensive MVP honors. In these two games, Mac combined for 715 passing yards and 9 touchdowns.
You could make an argument for any of these players winning the award if Alabama beats Ohio State. However, I think it will all come down to the narrative. This game is expected to be a shootout. While that keeps Najee Harris in the running, it hurts his chances. Alabama likely won’t have the luxury of running the clock like they usually do. That stacks the deck in favor of the passing game, which is why I see DeVonta Smith winning the award.
The story writes itself. Smitty is coming off of an absolutely historic season filled with highlights in every game. He just won the Heisman Trophy, and this will be his final performance of his Heisman season. Ohio State doesn’t match up well with him, and I expect him to dominate for four quarters.
Prediction: DeVonta Smith
Next. 5 bold predictions for Tide vs. Ohio State. dark
At the end of the day, these individual accolades don’t matter to players. They would much rather end the season with a ring. We’ll see what happens on Monday.