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Alabama dynasty rolls into another champ game with Clemson

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and Alabama head coach Nick Saban pose with the championship trophy during a news conference for the NCAA college football playoff championship game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and Alabama head coach Nick Saban pose with the championship trophy during a news conference for the NCAA college football playoff championship game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

By Associated Press January 8, 2017 1 min read

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Nick Saban and Alabama are on the verge of leaving college football history behind.

The top-ranked Crimson Tide face Clemson on Monday night in a College Football Playoff national championship game rematch. A victory would give Alabama five national championships in eight seasons, a feat never completed at the highest level of the sport during the poll era.

The Tide (14-0) can become the first FBS program to finish 15-0, along with the first to win four championships in span of six seasons, going back-to-back twice in that span.

Clemson stands in the way of an Alabama championship again. The Tigers have not won a national title since 1981.

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Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

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