Which team can actually beat Alabama?

Clemson's Trevor Lawrence looks downfield against Boston College.

By Brandon Scalea

Alabama has been in Dynasty Mode since week 1 of the season, annihilating every team like this is some kind of video game. 

This is Nick Saban's world, we are all just living in it—that has been well-established. 

So, it is probably safe to say that the Crimson Tide are a lock to get into the College Football Playoff for the fifth straight year. They are the only team in the country to get into the four-team postseason tournament every year since its inception in 2014. There is also the small detail of them making the national title game the last three years, winning in 2016 and 2018. 

With Alabama seemingly locked at No. 1, that brings up the ultimate question: is there a team that can actually take down the Tide this year?

I would say the answer is yes, just one: Clemson. 

Is this good for college football? Probably not. The only reason the Tigers didn't make the national championship again last season is because fate set them up with Alabama in the national semifinal. 

I'm channeling my inner James Franklin here when I say that there are only two elite teams in college football: Alabama and Clemson. I would put Georgia in its own little category below them, but the gap separating the aforementioned teams from the rest of the country is absolutely tremendous. There are several great teams in college football, and several teams that are rightfully still in the playoff conversation. 

But only two have the clout of the ones led by Saban and his millennial foe, Dabo Swinney. 

So, here's why Clemson can actually go toe-to-toe with Alabama, assuming they would meet in the national championship game for the third time in four years. *Yawn*. 

The only team that can beat Alabama is one that can match it point for point. The Tigers have the offensive talent to get into an absolute shootout with the Crimson Tide, and that's what it's going to take. 

The defense of Michigan will not get it done against Alabama. A potential semifinal matchup between the two storied programs will draw a lot of attention and hype, but Alabama will turn that game into a snooze fest as it always does against a brand-name team. Look at the game against No. 3 (!!!!) LSU as a perfect example of how a game against Michigan would go. 

Jim Harbaugh can call himself an offensive guru all he wants, but let's face it—you're only going to score 42 points against Rutgers? Basic algebra tells you that you might not get a first down against Alabama. 

Trevor Lawrence looks like he should be surfing in Malibu or at the very least, gracing the cover of some men's fashion magazine. But truth is, he's a hell of a quarterback and he's got the weapons around him to match with Tua. 

There are still two weeks of regular season football remaining to shake up the final top four. But I'd say there's a really good chance the way it looks now is the way it's going to be come New Years Day. 

Brandon Scalea can be contacted at scaleasports@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @brandonscalea