After all the discussion and analysis about whether or not the College Football Playoff committee got it right this year when it came to at least two of the four teams vying for the national championship, in the end, it turns out the top two teams in the land will be battling for the title, anyway.

No. 1 Alabama, which disposed of No. 4 Washington in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and No. 2 Clemson, which blanked Ohio State in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl, will go head-to-head on Monday in the College Football Playoff championship game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

By the way both teams played in their respective CFP semifinal matchups, there’s no arguing the validity of this title game matchup — a rematch of last year’s final game.

The Crimson Tide (14-0), as they have done so many times in the past, simply wore down the Huskies (12-2) on Saturday in Atlanta, scoring 10 points off of turnovers — including yet another defensive touchdown late in the second quarter — and using a run-heavy attack on offense in their 24-7 victory.

Washington quarterback Jake Browning was able to lead the Huskies on what looked to be a statement early scoring drive, putting the underdogs up 7-0, but from there it was all Alabama, which scored 24 unanswered points to earn the right to play for its fifth national title under head coach Nick Saban.

That aforementioned defensive touchdown? It was a 26-yard interception return by Ryan Anderson, and it was the Crimson Tide’s 11th — yes, 11th — defensive touchdown of the season:

PICK. SIX.

RYAN ANDERSON ... TOUCHDOWN @AlabamaFTBL!!!!! #RollTide pic.twitter.com/Dh0VLcSSLm

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 31, 2016

Alabama’s running game, meanwhile, was led by No. 2 running back Bo Scarbrough, who had 19 carries for 180 yards and two scores — including a 68-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter — to give Clemson plenty to prepare for heading into Monday’s National Championship game.

But despite holding Washington to a season-low 194 total yards and being dominant at the line of scrimmage, Saban, per usual, won’t be happy until he sees his team holding up the trophy next week.

“We’ve got more miles to go,” the legendary coach said.

To get that trophy, Alabama will have to get by a hot Clemson team in a rematch of last year’s CFP National Championship game, which the Crimson Tide won in a thriller, 45-40.

The Tigers (13-1) stunned the Buckeyes (11-2) on Saturday by way of a shutout, 31-0, representing the first time an Urban Meyer-coached team had ever been blanked. That’s 194 total games in all.

After starting the season with Alabama and Clemson as the top two teams in the country, it only seems fitting that they’d meet up once again in this year’s final game.

"If you're going to be the best, you've got to beat 'em," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.

The Tigers were able to knock off the Buckeyes by using lots of quarterback Deshaun Watson — who, despite throwing two interceptions, ran for two scores and threw for another — and with a dominating defensive performance that included just 215 yards and nine first downs allowed.

Clemson scored 10 points in the first quarter and cruised from there, notching a touchdown each in the second, third and fourth quarters.

Watson, the Heisman Trophy Award runner-up, completed 23 of 36 passes for 259 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed 15 times for 57 yards and two scores.

The Tigers’ defense picked off Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett twice — plays by Van Smith and Cordrea Tankersly — and displayed a very even stat line overall, as at least seven Clemson players had four or more tackles in the game, led by Kendall Joseph’s eight tackles. Freshman Clelin Ferrell had tackles — three for a loss — and a sack on the night.

Barrett completed 19 of 33 passes for just 127 yards and two picks for Ohio State, while Raekwon McMillan had an impressive night with 15 total tackles (two for a loss) and a sack. Gareon Conley and Malik Hooker each had interceptions for the Buckeyes, who were shut out for the first time since the 1993 season.

“I’m not used to it. We’re not used to it,” Meyer said. “It’s not going to happen again.”

What will happen again is an Alabama-Clemson national title matchup, and it should be a good one down in Tampa.

What. A. Game.

Those thinking No. 9 USC was just going to run away with the Rose Bowl title on Monday night after jumping out to a 13-0 first quarter lead over Penn State were sorely mistaken

By halftime, the fifth-ranked Nittany Lions proved they weren’t going anywhere, and trailed by only six points, 27-21, going into the break.

That set up an incredibly entertaining second half that featured lots of offense — and not much defense.

But in the end, it was special teams that made the difference, as Trojans kicker Matt Boermeester, who had missed two field goals earlier in the night, nailed a 46-yard field goal as time expired to give USC a 52-49 victory in the highest-scoring game in Rose Bowl history:

nickr83: Matt Boermeester delivers the #RoseBowl winner. Area around Co… ESPN Sugar Bowl: A… https://t.co/vVRsE9fpaz pic.twitter.com/YFLPX25tQu

— FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) January 3, 2017

Trojans head coach Clay Helton said the game was “what fairy tales are made of.”

"It was just two really good football teams playing at the highest level and competing until the absolute, very end," Helton said. "The greatest players shined brightest on the biggest stage.”

Helton wasn’t lying.

Freshman Sam Darnold cemented his status as a top future professional quarterback prospect by throwing for 453 yards and five touchdowns, three of which were caught by Deontay Burnett, including a game-tying 27-yard scoring play that tied the game at 49-all with 1:20 left in the fourth quarter. The play was the exclamation point to the Trojans’ 14-point comeback in the final nine minutes of the ballgame.

On Penn State’s ensuing drive, Leon McQuay III intercepted Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley — who threw into double coverage for a second straight play — and returned it to the Penn State 33-yard line with 27 seconds left, setting up Boermeester’s game winner.

The Nittany Lions finish their season with an 11-3 record and should be one of the top teams in the nation again next season.

“"That game doesn't really define us," Penn State coach James Franklin said. "I wouldn't be any more proud tonight sitting here with a win ... after what might have been the most exciting Rose Bowl game ever."

He’s human after all

We’ve touted Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson’s Heisman candidacy all season long here at Hash Marks & Hashtags. When it came down to it, while Clemson’s Watson was certainly a viable candidate, Jackson’s record-breaking résumé just screamed Heisman Trophy.

LSU, apparently, didn’t get too caught up in all the Jackson hype.

The 20th-ranked Tigers used a dominant second quarter — as well as an impressive defensive effort against Jackson — to top the 13th-ranked Cardinals, 29-9, on Saturday in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

In all, LSU (8-4) sacked Jackson eight times, including once for a safety, and held Jackson to just 153 passing yards and a season-low 33 rushing yards.

To put that in perspective, Jackson on the season averaged 273 yards passing and 121 yards rushing per game.

Accordingly, the Cardinals (9-4) couldn’t do squat on offense. They had season lows in points, total yards (220) and converted just 2 of 17 third down attempts.

LSU’s Arden Key was particularly dominant against Louisville, notching two sacks, including a safety in the second quarter. His sack in the third quarter was his 12th of the season — establishing a school record:

That moment you break the @LSUfootball single-season sack record.

Congrats, Arden Key! pic.twitter.com/hWqcTTpzOy

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 31, 2016

Perhaps just about as impressive in LSU’s Citrus Bowl victory over Louisville was the play of running back Derrius Guice.

Now, Guice has certainly shown flashes this season when starter Leonard Fournette went down with various injuries, but with Fournette deciding to skip the game to focus on preparing for the NFL Draft, Guice claimed game MVP honors by running for 138 yards and a touchdown on the ground — a 70-yard scoring play in the third quarter — while also catching a one-yard touchdown pass.

In his first official game as head coach of the Tigers, Ed Orgeron said he’s always been impressed with Guice, who “stepped in and didn’t blink an eye” when Fournette went down earlier in the year.

Now Orgeron believes he’s coaching “one of the best players in America.”

“I totally expect him to be the best player in American next year,” Orgeron said. “And we’re fortunate to have him.”

Full bowl game results

Miss any of the bowl game action these past few weeks? Here’s a full look at each score heading into Monday night’s National Championship game:

• Dec. 17: New Mexico Bowl — New Mexico 23, Texas-San Antonio 20
• Dec . 17: Las Vegas Bowl — San Diego State 34, Houston 10
• Dec. 17: Camellia Bowl — Appalachian State 31, Toledo 28
• Dec. 17: Cure Bowl — Arkansas State 31, Central Florida 13
• Dec. 17: New Orleans Bowl — Southern Mississippi 28, Louisiana-Lafayette 21
• Dec. 19: Miami Beach Bowl — Tulsa 55, Central Michigan 10
• Dec. 20: Boca Raton Bowl — Western Kentucky 51, Memphis 31
• Dec. 21: Poinsettia Bowl — BYU 24, Wyoming 21
• Dec. 22: Famous Idaho Potato Bowl — Idaho 61, Colorado State 50
• Dec. 23: Bahamas Bowl — Old Dominion 24,  Eastern Michigan 20
• Dec. 23: Armed Forces Bowl — Louisiana Tech 48, Navy 45.
• Dec. 23: Dollar General Bowl — Troy 28, Ohio 23
• Dec. 24: Hawaii Bowl — Hawaii 52, Middle Tennessee 35
• Dec. 26: St. Petersburg Bowl — Mississippi State 17, Miami (Ohio) 16
• Dec. 26: Quick Lane Bowl — Boston College 36, Maryland 30
• Dec. 26: Independence Bowl — North Carolina State 42, Vanderbilt 17
• Dec. 27: Heart of Dallas Bowl — Army 38, North Texas 31 (OT)
• Dec. 27: Military Bowl — Wake Forest 34, Temple 26
• Dec. 27: Holiday Bowl — Minnesota 17, Washington State 12
• Dec. 27: Cactus Bowl — Baylor 31, Boise State 12
• Dec. 28: Pinstripe Bowl — Northwestern 31, Pittsburgh 24
• Dec. 28: Russell Athletic Bowl — Miami (Fla.) 31, West Virginia 14
• Dec. 28: Foster Farms Bowl — Utah 26, Indiana 24
• Dec. 28: Texas Bowl — Kansas State 33, Texas A&M 28
• Dec. 29: Birmingham Bowl — South Florida 46, South Carolina 39 (OT)
• Dec. 29: Belk Bowl — Virginia Tech 35, Arkansas 24
• Dec. 29: Alamo Bowl — Oklahoma State 38, Colorado 8
• Dec. 30: Liberty Bowl — Georgia 31, TCU 23
• Dec. 30: Sun Bowl — Stanford 25, North Carolina 23
• Dec. 30: Music City Bowl — Tennessee 38, Nebraska 24
• Dec. 30: Arizona Bowl — Air Force 45, South Alabama 21
• Dec. 30: Orange Bowl — Florida State 33, Michigan 32
• Dec. 31: Citrus Bowl — LSU 29, Louisville 9
• Dec. 31: TaxSlayer Bowl — Georgia Tech 35, Kentucky 18
• Dec. 31: CFP Semifinal: Peach Bowl — Alabama 24, Washington 7
• Dec. 31: CFP Semifinal: Fiesta Bowl — Clemson 31, Ohio State 0
• Jan. 2: Outback Bowl — Florida 30, Iowa 3
• Jan. 2: Cotton Bowl Classic, Wisconsin 24, Western Michigan 16
• Jan. 2: Rose Bowl Game, Southern California 52, Penn State 49
• Jan. 2: Sugar Bowl — Oklahoma 35, Auburn 19

U.S. National Team alumni spotlight

Each week at Hash Marks and Hashtags, we put the spotlight on an alum of the U.S. National Team.

This week’s spotlight is on Oklahoma junior running back Samaje Perine, a member of the U.S. team in 2015.

On Monday, Perine ran the ball 17 times for 86 yards in the Sooners’ 35-19 victory over Auburn in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, passing former Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims to become the school’s all-time leading rusher with 4,121 yards.

Perine on Monday also passed the likes of former Sooner stars Joe Washington, Adrian Peterson and Steve Owens. He announced after the game that he will forego his senior season to become eligible for the 2017 NFL Draft.

Best of luck to Perine and all of the U.S. National Team alumni this season and in the future.

Noteable quotables:

• “We have so much fight and so much integrity in our football team. They do things right on and off the field. You can't win close games like this if you don't do things right on and off the field.” — Appalachian State head coach Scott Satterfield, on the Mountaineers’ 31-28 victory over Toledo in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl.
• "It was a tough day for our football team. Our team really had a good month, they practiced and prepared well. I'm not sure there's a thing I'd go back and change. Ultimately, we didn't play well enough to come up with a victory." — Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, whose Hawkeyes fell to No. 17 Florida, 30-3, in the Outback Bowl.
• "Told them I was very proud of them, how much I love them, and the effort they gave. We will continue to learn from this. We will embrace our past to create our future, and it just wasn't enough tonight." — Western Michigan head coach P.J. Fleck, whose 15th-ranked Broncos lost for the first time all season, 24-16, to eighth-ranked Wisconsin in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
• "The character on this team … I’ve said it before. I'm as proud of this team as any I've coached." — Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, whose 11th-ranked Seminoles used a 12-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds left to defeat No. 6 Michigan, 33-32, in the Capital One Orange Bowl.
• “They (the seniors) truly rose this program from the ashes. It was a burnt house when these seniors got here." — Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre, whose Buffaloes had a resurgent season in 2016, but fell to Oklahoma State, 38-8, in the Valero Alamo Bowl.