How easy will it be for Alabama to bounce back from its loss in the national championship game to try to reclaim the trophy next season? For SEC teams, the record is mixed.
But for a successful model, the Crimson Tide need only look across the field.
Clemson’s victory in a gripping national title game in Tampa marked the first time in 17 season that the previous year’s runner-up went on to win the championship. The last team to pull off the feat was Florida State, which lost to Tennessee in the 1998 championship game, then came back to beat Virginia Tech the following season.