Just two seasons ago, Oregon played Ohio State for the national championship. Last year, Michigan State played Alabama in a playoff semifinal.
This season, the Ducks finished 4-8 and the Spartans 3-9. Alabama, meanwhile, is 13-0 and preparing for its third straight trip to the four-team playoff. Ohio State? 11-1 and a playoff participant for the second time in three seasons.
Want more of a sample size to differentiate the perennial contenders from the pretenders? Alabama has won four of the past seven national championships and is favored to make it five of eight. The Crimson Tide plays Washington in the Peach Bowl in the first of two semifinals on Dec.