College Football Playoff Championship 2016: Schedule, Dates and Projections

The 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship is slated for Monday, Jan. 11, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Two semifinals take place before then on New Year's Eve. After this weekend's marquee conference title games, the next CFP rankings reveal will lock in the Top Four in contention for the grand prize.

Check out the schedule of dates below for the College Football Playoff, along with projections as to who will square off in the grand finale.

Game	Date	Venue	Projected Matchup	Predicted Winner
Cotton Bowl (No. 2 vs. No. 3)	Thursday, Dec. 31	AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas	Alabama vs. Oklahoma	Alabama
Orange Bowl (No. 1 vs. No. 4)	Thursday, Dec. 31	Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida	Clemson vs. Iowa	Clemson
National Championship	Monday, Jan. 11	U. of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona	Clemson vs. Alabama	Alabama

Championship Game Projection: Clemson vs. Alabama

After losing to eventual national champion Ohio State in last year's postseason, Alabama will be out to prove it is still the class of the SEC and college football overall.

Adding more fuel to the fire to drive the Crimson Tide is the fact that some are questioning their merit as a Top Four team. Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd is among them, suggesting the Buckeyes should actually be ahead of coach Nick Saban's juggernaut:

Richard Shiro/Associated Press

The Tide's bad loss to Ole Miss earlier in the season still lingers, and they haven't really had a signature win since. For a team so accustomed to being the favorite, this is interesting territory. Expect it to bring out the best in Alabama in a run to the national final.

Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press hints how counting out such a formidable, consistently strong team as Saban's can be dangerous:

As for Clemson, quarterback Deshaun Watson has been arguably the best at his position. The dual-threat sophomore has run for over 100 yards in three of his past four games and averaged well over 300 yards passing per contest in that span.

Strength of schedule could also be a point of concern for the Tigers, but they've managed to stay perfect to date and should continue to do so in the ACC title game against North Carolina. In a prospective matchup with undefeated Iowa, Watson and the Clemson offense will be too much for the Hawkeyes to handle.

So in the prospective national title showdown, Alabama would have the ultimate test against the dynamic Watson. Having struggled with athletic QBs in the past, Saban appears to have solved that riddle, which will show if and when the Tide face Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma as well as versus Clemson.

Watson has a knack for keeping plays alive but would be facing an Alabama defensive line the likes of which he hasn't seen all year. If the Tide keep Watson in the pocket for the most part, he will likely struggle, and establishing the run is difficult against an Alabama defense that ranks No. 1 in allowing only 78.9 yards per contest.

The real edge comes from Alabama Heisman Trophy hopeful Derrick Henry. He's a bruising ball-carrier who sets the tone for the Tide and just ran for 271 yards on 46 carries in the 29-13 Iron Bowl win over Auburn. Henry's physicality would be tough for the Tigers' front seven to match.

Since the Tide have the tools to make Clemson largely one-dimensional between a stout run defense and Henry helping control possession, it's not too far-fetched to envision Saban and Co. sticking it to the doubters. The coach's epic tenure in Tuscaloosa may well bring a fourth national title in a little more than a month.