Game Prediction: No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The BuckeyesNow staff makes our predictions for the Rose Bowl matchup between Alabama and Notre Dame.

In a year unlike any other, of course a tradition as sacred as the Rose Bowl would be played somewhere other than Pasadena. It's so par for the course for this season.

Nevertheless, No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Notre Dame are getting ready for their chance to compete in the College Football Playoff. No team has ever gone wire-to-wire as the nation's top-ranked program, a feat which Alabama has the chance to accomplish if they can win two more games.

You can follow along with our Notre Dame and Alabama team sites for great game coverage of the Rose Bowl.

If you missed our predictions for the Ohio State-Clemson game, you can check them out here.

Here's what a few of our BuckeyesNow staff members are expecting for this one:

Brendan Gulick, BuckeyesNow on SI Publisher

The largest spread in the history of the College Football Playoff (nearly three touchdowns) is both jarring and not terribly surprising.

I've thought all year that Notre Dame is a good team, but that they were pretty clearly not on the same level as College Football's three elite teams. They've had a very good season, they're one of the best teams in the country and I am not surprised they're in the playoff.

I also don't think that Alabama is that much more talented than Notre Dame. The Irish have some really good pieces and Ian Book is the most accomplished quarterback in program history. That's saying something when talking about the tradition and history of Notre Dame football.

But this Alabama team is so, so good offensively. I don't think Notre Dame can keep up with them. If anything, the Tide have had a few defensive flubs along the way this year, but they outscore their mistakes. They have three Heisman finalists on offense for a reason. Combine their offensive ability with a few-too-many head scratching coaching decisions I've seen from Notre Dame this year and I think this one will be all Tide in Jerry's World.

Final Score Prediction: Alabama 49, Notre Dame 31

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Jarrod Kilburn, BuckeyesNow on SI Football Analyst

Brian Kelly has done a great job this season with his Notre Dame squad, getting them back into the College Football Playoff for the second time in three seasons. But I think Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide just have too much firepower at the skill positions on both sides of the ball. 

Broyles Award winning offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian has been dialing up NFL route concepts for a talented group of backs and receivers all season, headlined by Heisman Trophy-favorite wide receiver Devonta Smith. And the talented Alabama secondary will make it difficult for the Fighting Irish skill players to shake loose and create separation for explosive plays down the field. 

X's and O's: Three Keys for the Buckeyes to Beat Clemson in the Sugar Bowl

After not making the College Football Playoff last season for the first time since it was instituted in 2014, I think Alabama is on a mission to reclaim the title as the most dominant program in college football.

Final Score Prediction: Alabama 45, Notre Dame 21

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Eddie Marotta, BuckeyesNow on SI Contributor

Notre Dame enters their second College Football Playoff in three years and has to face off with arguably the greatest coach in college football history. Tough break for them, but an extremely compelling matchup. 

Alabama has stayed true to their yearly expectations: championship or bust. This is their sixth appearance in the CFP in seven years. But, their defense has been rocky at times, especially early in the season when they gave up three straight games of 20 or more points, before stiffening against the easier portion of the schedule. That issue reared its head again in their SEC Championship victory over Florida, who they let hang around in a 52-46 victory that should have been sealed long before the final two minutes of the contest. 

Notre Dame comes in at 10-1 and has an impressive win over Trevor Lawrence-less Clemson, and an equally unimpressive loss against the Tigers in the ACC Championship game. They’ve had some great performances, and some not-so-great ones (12-7 over Louisville), but they did show an ability to contend blow-for-blow with one of the best teams in the nation in that 45-41 overtime thriller over Clemson. 

Notre Dame proved that they can put up the points needed to contend with the best in the nation in that first Clemson matchup, and Alabama’s defense has shown some cracks this year, so I do believe we will see more than 10 points put up by Notre Dame in this game. But, Alabama, at the end of the day, is the better coached school with more experience than anyone in this spot. They get the job done, even if it may not be as dominant as some would expect. 

Final Score Prediction: Alabama 34, Notre Dame 24

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