2017 CFP National Championship: Alabama vs. Georgia
The Tide were back in the title game the very next year, albeit in something of a reduced capacity. Kirby Smart seemed ascendant in college football after leaving Alabama two years prior for Georgia, and his Bulldogs held the number one ranking for most of the year.
That is, until they— as Alabama did two weeks afterwards— ran into the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. That team was an absolute buzzsaw, and they took down both the Dawgs and the Tide in convincing fashion.
However, the Bulldogs would take home the SEC crown in Atlanta after playing Auburn sans Kerryon Johnson, and roll into the playoff. Alabama’s inclusion was controversial over Ohio State, as the Tide hadn’t even played for a conference title, but they found themselves facing off against Smart and the Bulldogs for it all.
The long-awaited QB switch that Alabama fans had been clamoring for all season turned out to be what saved the Tide, as Tua Tagovailoa tossed a touchdown pass to Devonta Smith on 2nd and 26 in overtime to walk this game off. They thus staved off the eventual national title for the Bulldogs a couple more years.