Ohio State vs. Alabama free live stream (1/11/21): How to watch College Football Playoff National Championship, live updates, odds. Justin Fields and Ohio State will face Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith and Alabama for the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship tonight. Kickoff in Miami is scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern on Monday night.

CFP National Championship Live: https://accessworldtv.live/ncaaf/

National Championship Live: https://accessworldtv.live/ncaaf/

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The Buckeyes reached their second CFP National Championship game by routing Clemson, 49-28, in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama defeated Notre Dame, 31-14, in the Rose Bowl to set up this matchup, which is a rematch of the 2015 Sugar Bowl. Ohio State won that game, 42-35, on its way to winning the first CFP national title.

Who: No. 3 Ohio State (7-0) vs. No. 1 Alabama (12-0).

When: Monday, Jan. 11, 2021.

Time: 8 p.m. Eastern.

Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.

TV: ESPN. There will also be numerous feeds of the game as part of ESPN’s MegaCast. See all the networks that will be involved and what you can find.

Cable channel finder: AT&T U-Verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Verizon Fios, WOW.

Live streams: Fubo.tv (FREE 7-day trial), Hulu + Live TV (FREE trial) or Sling TV (promotional offers).

Latest line: Alabama -8.

Announcers: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Maria Taylor and Allison Williams.

Chris Olave has been a crucial part of Ohio State’s offense all season. Read some of what Nathan Baird of cleveland.com wrote about how Olave’s journey this season has been symbolic of Ohio State’s, which included him missing the Big Ten title game due to testing positive for COVID-19.

The past month of Chris Olave’s life provides a look inside the mix of dread and triumph that defines the Ohio State football season.

The Buckeyes’ star receiver said he had never felt better than the week leading into the Big Ten championship game against Northwestern. Ohio State prepared to face a top-10 defense by some metrics. It needed a victory — and in some people’s estimation, a convincing one — to ensure a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Olave said he practiced especially hard early that week. Of course, prior to every practice, he also underwent a daily rapid antigen test for coronavirus. He was not naive to the process by then because he had seen it play out for other Buckeyes over the past three weeks.

“To get that tap on my shoulder was tough,” Olave said.

Buckeyes center Josh Myers opened up about that tap on the shoulder. Others received it sometime following the 49-28 victory over Clemson on Jan. 1. Ohio State coach Ryan Day confirmed some number of players will be unavailable for Monday’s national championship game against Alabama, as a positive test mandates 17 days out of competition per Big Ten protocols.

That combination of bad luck and bad timing is especially cruel for players who made it through upwards of 10 months without contracting the virus. That span included the start of the pandemic last winter, the shutdown of spring football, the long quarantine separation, the summer return to campus, the resumption of football, the shutdown, and then the restart and daily testing since September.

Olave can testify.

“It’s terrible timing, and I know mentally I was messed up — especially catching it towards the end of the season,” Olave said. “You can’t really control that. You just try to control what you can control and do what’s best for the team.

“That week I was just trying to hype my guys up. I’m just glad that we came out with a win that week.”

After Olave’s positive test was confirmed, he called his parents, then checked in to a hotel to live alone for his 10-day isolation period. His only physical exertion came through workout bands and sit-ups and push-ups. At the end of the isolation period he had to pass a cardiac exam to rejoin the team and resume workouts.

National championship 2021: Alabama vs. Ohio State live stream, watch online free, TV channel, kickoff time

Will Ohio State win its first title since 2014, or will Alabama win its third in the last six seasons?

Alabama or Ohio State have played in five of the six College Football Playoff National Championship games since the event’s inception in 2014, and one of the two has appeared in 10 of the past 14 national title games dating back into the Bowl Championship Series era. But through all that success, the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes have never faced each other with the sport’s ultimate title on the line. That will change Monday night when the two titans of college football square off for just the fifth time ever and battle for the 2021 CFP National Championship.