DeVonta Smith and Patrick Surtain Prepare for National Championship Against Ohio State

The wide receiver and defensive back spoke to the media on Monday concerning the Crimson Tide's upcoming matchup with the Buckeyes

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — As Alabama football gears up for its College Football Playoff National Championship matchup against No. 3 Ohio State next Monday night, senior wide receiver DeVonta Smith and junior defensive back Patrick Surtain opened the week by speaking with the media on Monday afternoon.

Alabama enters the national title game with a perfect 12-0 record after successfully completing all 10 of its SEC regular-season games, the SEC Championship Game and a win in the CFP Semifinal Game at the Rose Bowl over No. 4 Notre Dame.

Ohio State enters the CFP championship with a 7-0 record. The Buckeyes were only able to complete five regular-season games due to constant COVID-19 concerns with both their program and at opponents' programs. The sixth win was Ohio State's win over Northwestern in the Big Ten title game, and its seventh a convincing 49-28 CFP semifinal victory over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl.

Many fans and media members took issue with the Buckeyes being placed in the top four teams due to their lack of games played compared to other teams such as Texas A&M. To Smith, he doesn't care who he faces or how his opponent got there. All he cares about is preparing for them.

"I mean, I'm not part of the committee, so I have no say-so in who they put in and who they wanted to put in," Smith said. "At the end of the day, we just show up here, practice, and get ready for whoever the next opponent is."

Ohio State shocked the world last Friday night in New Orleans, dominating Clemson on both sides of the football. Despite being injured early in the game with potential bruised and/or broken ribs after taking a hit to his side, Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields had a phenomenal six-touchdown performance.

As a defensive back, Surtain has already been examining Fields and Ohio State's potency on offense.

"They were very dominant in the passing game, in the run game, very balanced, very efficient," Surtain said. "We know it's going to be a challenge. We're just going to have to go in the film room and prepare like we need to."

In addition to Fields, Ohio State has a solid group of wide receivers much like its Alabama counterparts. Chris Olave has had a successful season despite only having played seven games.

Against Clemson, Olave brought in six receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns, with his longest being a 56-yard reception.

To Surtain, the Buckeyes' receivers are something that he and his defense will need to prepare hard for.

"They're very finesse type of receivers," Surtain said. "They've got speed, vertical threats, but they also run great routes. It's going to be a challenge for us as a secondary and as a unit, so we go and watch film on them and prepare like we need to to focus on their concepts and what they like to do."

The last time Alabama played in a national championship was January of 2019, where the Crimson Tide was soundly defeated at the hands of Clemson. While the pain of the loss is still in the minds of Alabama fans, Smith said that his team is solely focused on closing out the 2020 season by bringing home an 18th national title.

"The past is the past," Smith said. "Nothing we can do about it now. We're just focusing on this week and how we can prepare for this game and just making sure that it doesn't happen again."