Take Two: Is it Alabama, Clemson - and everyone else?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com national recruiting director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites or a regional analyst.
MORE: Does Nebraska merit the hype for 2019? | Has Clemson taken over as the CFB superpower?
THE STORYLINE
Alabama and Clemson have won the last four national championships and heading into this season it sure looks like the Tigers and the Crimson Tide are on a collision course to possibly meet again in the College Football Playoff.
The train does not seem to be slowing down at all in the recruiting game, either, since Alabama currently has the second-best class in the 2020 rankings and Clemson is fourth, with five five-stars committed, the most in the country.
There is a very real possibility that the current top four prospects in the 2020 class – D.J. Uiagalelei, Justin Flowe, Jordan Burch and Bryan Bresee – end up in Clemson’s recruiting class. Uiagalelei and Bresee are already committed.
After a stunning defeat in the national championship game last season, it seems Alabama coach Nick Saban has refocused his group (with a bunch of new assistant coaches) for another run at the title and the offense should be one of the best in the country.
Clemson has a fantastic team all around and the Tigers could be taking the mantle as college football’s best program.
Is the story of college football at the top over the next few years one of only Alabama and Clemson, or will Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State and others have a serious say as well?
FIRST TAKE: TONY TSOUKALAS, BAMAINSIDER.COM
“We really have two teams in college football that set themselves above the rest. It’s really a toss-up over who is better, and given both team’s schedule we likely won’t know who the best team is until the College Football Playoff.
“For now, Clemson should be considered as the nation’s best team because they are defending champions. However, Alabama isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It’s going to be really interesting watching these two teams continue to duke it out.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM
“It’s not just those two. I do agree that there is a changing of the guard that’s going on here, where Clemson has won two out of three and it can win a few more national championships over the next four or five years. Recruiting has gone that way, the coaching is excellent and the ACC isn’t as strong, so there is a window of opportunity for the Tigers to dominate as Alabama did.
“But Georgia is going to be in there. There’s no doubt in my mind. Florida under Dan Mullen is going to be dangerous in the East as well and that’s going to be a really competitive division. Then there is Ohio State. I know Urban Meyer is gone but Ohio State is always going to be competing for national championships. Then we will see who USC hires. If the Trojans get rid of Clay Helton and hire Urban or somebody that’s a terrific coach or a big-named guy or a great recruiter, USC can be in there, too. It’s not just going to be those two. The last four have been those two, and that’s pretty much a long streak in college football.”