How to watch 2021 National Championship: FREE live stream for Ohio State vs. Alabama (1/11/21) | Time, TV, channel. Ohio State faces Alabama in the National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, on Monday, January 11, 2021 (1/11/21).

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Alabama vs. Ohio State: Date, time, TV channel for the 2021 National Championship Game

The College Football Playoff era has its seventh edition in the 2020-21 season. No. 1 Alabama will play No. 3 Ohio State in the National Championship Game at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. The game will be on ESPN.

Here’s what you need to know:

What: 2021 National Championship

Who: Ohio State vs. Alabama

When: Monday, January 11, 2021

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Where: Hard Rock Stadium

TV: ESPN

Channel finder: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Hulu, fuboTV, Sling.

Live stream: fuboTV (free trial).

Alabama breezed through the regular season and college football’s semifinals, surviving a solitary scare in the Southeastern Conference championship game to reach its expected destination.

Ohio State wasn’t exactly a shoo-in with its abbreviated schedule but resoundingly proved it belonged in the College Football Playoffs with a semifinal thrashing of Clemson.

The Buckeyes and Crimson Tide traveled different paths to get to Monday’s title game at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida, but both had to navigate the challenges of a pandemic-altered season

“I know this has been a little bit of a trying year for a lot of folks,” Nick Saban, the top-ranked Crimson Tide’s coach, said Monday.

It’s not a finale that could be taken for granted.

No. 3 Ohio State’s odyssey included an abbreviated Big Ten season with three games canceled because of COVID-19 issues, including the Buckeyes’ own outbreak.

“This team, this program, we persevered through so much,” Ohio State running back Trey Sermon said Monday. “To have the opportunity to play on such a big stage, it means a lot to us.

“We’ve been through a lot. I mean, we fought to just play, and just to be able to get the job done, to make it to this level, it just means a lot to us.”

The Tide (12-0) advanced with a 31-14 win over Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl, played in Arlington, Texas not southern California in yet another example of just how different this season has been.

Before that Alabama navigated 11 straight SEC games, including wins over three teams currently ranked among the top 11 before facing Notre Dame.

The Tide also won the Iron Bowl against Auburn with offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian — who takes over the Texas Longhorns program following the game — running the show while Saban was sidelined by COVID-19.

In addition to Sarkisian’s imminent departure, Alabama has to take care of some Heisman Trophy business while preparing for the matchup with Ohio State. Both wide receiver DeVonta Smith and quarterback Mac Jones are among the four Heisman finalists, along with quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence of Clemson and Kyle Trask of Florida.

Smith isn’t interested in talking about the award being handed out virtually on Tuesday, saying his focus is on preparing for the Buckeyes.

“Right now I’m not really worried about the Heisman Trophy,” he said.

Monday’s game is a rematch of a semifinal game in the first College Football Playoffs six years ago. Ohio State (7-0) won that meeting en route to the national title.

There were questions whether this Buckeyes team deserved to be in CFP, but Ohio State routed favored Clemson, erasing sentiments that another Tigers-Crimson Tide title showdown was all but inevitable.

If Smith shared those expectations, the Alabama wide receiver kept them to himself.

“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.”

The big question for Ohio State Monday was the health of quarterback Justin Fields, who took a vicious shot to the side in the first half against Clemson.

Buckeyes coach Ryan Day didn’t give details on the nature of provide any detailed updates Monday on the QB’s injury but said: “I definitely expect him to play.

Last season, LSU beat Oklahoma and Clemson beat Ohio State in the semifinals before LSU defeated defending champion Clemson to win the CFP national title.

Alabama vs. Ohio State: Preview, history, prediction for the CFP National Championship Game

Alabama vs. Ohio State: Preview, prediction

Either Alabama or Ohio State will add to the program’s CFP pile.

The Tide hope to win their third CFP national championship as OSU attempts for its second when the two meet on Monday, Jan. 11, 2021 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Both teams are also undefeated, though Alabama is 12-0 and the Buckeyes are 7-0. For much of the season, foes and struggled — and failed — to slow down these offenses. Ohio State RB Trey Sermon rushed for 331 yards to beat Northwestern and QB Justin Fields had 385 passing yards and six touchdowns in the blowout win against Clemson in the CFP semifinals.

Then there’s Alabama. QB Mac Jones has 4,036 passing yards and WR DeVonta Smith has 1,641 receiving yards with 20 touchdowns and the Heisman Trophy. Smith is the first receiver to win the Heisman since Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991.

One of the defenses hopes to slow down the efficient offenses, as this will probably be a high-scoring matchup.

The last time these two played, OSU upset No. 1 Alabama behind a huge game from star RB Ezekiel Elliott. Yet again, Ohio State gets a chance to shock the top-ranked Tide.

But could this meeting be different? Ohio State just saw Fields deliver with a big game against Clemson to knock out the Tigers. He may have to do that again, as Alabama will likely score plenty of points itself.

As has been the case all season long, Alabama will have Mac Jones throwing to DeVonta Smith a ton. That may be enough again.

How to watch the CFP national championship game

Alabama and Ohio State look to complete undefeated seasons when the two play in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Jan. 11.