Which Team in the National Championship Game Has More Overall Talent, Alabama or Ohio State?

The matchup between Alabama and Ohio State is an interesting one when it comes to overall talent. Even though they've had two very different seasons, with the Crimson Tide playing a full SEC schedule and Big Ten struggling to play games in the Big Ten, there are plenty of reasons why they're meeting the National Championship Game.

Overall, Alabama comes in ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff (CFP) Standings as well as in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls.

Ohio State was No. 3 in all three Alabama received all 62 first place votes in the AP ballot and all 61 in the coaches’ tab).

Past indicators show something similar. They're at the top when it comes to recent recruiting rankings.

In terms of the NFL draft, Ohio State has had 15 first-round picks since the 2016 NFL Draft. Alabama has had 16 over the same time period.

Here are some other barometers:

Offensive efficiency

In total yards, Alabama averages 535.0 yards per game, which is sixth overall, while Ohio State is fourth at 544.9 yards.

The Crimson Tide leads college football in completions percentage, average yards per passing attempt, passing efficiency and average yards per play.

The Buckeyes rely much more on the run, with 272.6 yards per game on the ground. They're fourth in average yards per play.

For the year, the Crimson Tide scored in 46 of 48 quarters (95.8 percent), while the Buckeyes scored in 27 of 28 (96.4 percent). Alabama failed to score in the third quarter against Mississippi State and Florida, while OSU was scoreless in the fourth against Indiana.

Defensively, Alabama’s opponents did not score in 20 quarters, OSU’s in eight. In addition, the two were among 12 teams (out of 50) to score in each quarter in their bowl game.

2020 Consensus All-American Team

Alabama dominated with six consensus selections (five unanimous*) compared to two for Ohio State.

Offense

WR *DeVonta Smith, Alabama

WR Elijah Moore, Mississippi

TE *Kyle Pitts, Florida

OL *Alex Leatherwood, Alabama

OL *Wyatt Davis, Ohio State

OL Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame

OL Brady Christensen, BYU

OL Aaron Banks, Notre Dame

OL Kenyon Green, Texas A&M

C *Landon Dickerson, Alabama

QB Mac Jones, Alabama

RB *Najee Harris, Alabama

RB *Breece Hall, Iowa State

Defense

DL *Daviyon Nixon, Iowa

DL Rashad Weaver, Pittsburgh

DL Tarron Jackson, Coastal Carolina

DL Darius Stills, West Virginia

DL Patrick Jones, Pittsburgh

LB *Zaven Collins, Tulsa

LB *Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame

LB Joseph Ossai, Texas

DB *Patrick Surtain II, Alabama

DB Shaun Wade, Ohio State

DB Brandon Joseph, Northwestern

DB Talanoa Hufanga, Southern California

Special Teams

PK *Jose Borregales, Miami-Fla.

P *Pressley Harvin, Georgia Tech

KR/AP Travis Entienne, Clemson

KR/AP Avery Williams, Boise State

2020-21 Associated Press All-Bowl Team

The Buckeyes had more selections, but also played in a closer semifinal.

Offense

QB Justin Fields, Ohio State

RB Camerun Peoples, Appalachian State

RB Trey Sermon, Ohio State

WR Brennan Presley, Oklahoma State

WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama

TE Isaac Rex, BYU

OL Sam Gerak, Northwestern

OL Royce Newman, Mississippi

OL Dylan Parham, Memphis

OL Erik Swenson, Oklahoma

OL Landon Young, Kentucky

AP Bijan Robinson, Texas

Defense

DL Christian Barmore, Alabama

DL Elijah James, Liberty

DL DeMarvin Leal, Texas A&M

LB Josh Chandler-Semedo, West Virginia

LB Azeez Ojulari, Georgia

LB Jack Sanborn, Wisconsin

LB O’Rien Vance, Iowa State

DB Justin Birdsong, Georgia Southern

DB Bryce Cosby, Ball State

DB Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State

DB Antavious Lane, George State

Special Teams

PK Jack Podlesny, Georgia

P Max Duffy, Kentucky

Heisman Trophy Winners in Title Game

Alabama had three of the top five vote getters for the Heisman.

*Mark Ingram, Alabama 2009 W 22-116, 2 TD

*Cam Newton, Auburn 2010 W 34-20-1, 265, 2 TD; 22-64 rush

^*Jameis Winston, Florida St. 2013 W 35-20-0, 237, 2 TD; 11-26 rush

^#Marcus Mariota, Oregon 2014 L 37-24-1, 333, 2 TD; 10-39 rush

#Derrick Henry, Alabama 2015 W 36-158, 3 TD rush

^#Joe Burrow, LSU 2019 W 49-31-0, 463, 5 TD; 14-58 rush

(^—denotes MVP in bowl/title game; *—BCS Championship games; #—CFP Championship games):