Does Alabama or Clemson Face Tougher Test in 2016?

The one thing that can confidently be said about the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers as they come off the national championship game is neither reached their zenith.

The Crimson Tide won their fourth title under head coach Nick Saban. Reports of the dynasty's demise were premature, and there's every reason to believe Alabama will be back in a position to win another championship as long as Saban is around. 

Conversely, these are new heights for Clemson—at least in the modern era. Head coach Dabo Swinney has won at least 10 games every year since 2011, but this was by far the closest he's come to winning it all. With Swinney's track record and recruiting chops, though, Clemson doesn't figure to be a sudden flash among college football's perennial contenders. 

Both programs are set up to play for another national championship. Of course, so was Ohio State heading into the 2015 season, yet the Buckeyes missed the College Football Playoff by one game (a 17-14 loss to Michigan State). That tells you just how thin the margin can be between a great season and one never to be forgotten. 

A championship-caliber team can have all the talent in the world and an elite coach to boot, but a lot has to go right as well to make a run. Alabama and Clemson have those pieces in place, but which one faces a tougher road back to the title game in 2017?

With new success come new expectations. That's life now for the Clemson Tigers, who have to adjust to being treated as one of the upper-echelon teams in college football. That means the coaching staff and roster have to hold themselves to higher standards than ever before. "Bad weeks" are more costly. 

"You always learn and improve when you face adversity," defensive coordinator Brent Venables said after the loss to Alabama, via Aaron Brenner of the Post and Courier). "These guys will respond, see it for what it is and help it fuel us. The loss, the sting, the hurt, and how close we were will help motivate us."

Venables is right. If there's one thing Clemson won't be in 2016, it's complacent. Still, as Matt Brown of Sports on Earth opined, new expectations lead to different challenges: 

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Clemson will not sneak up on anybody next fall. It will have a target on its back every week, and given what is returning, the offense will expected to be a well-oiled machine when the season begins -- something that loaded, defending champion Ohio State and Florida State teams have not quite lived up to the last two years.

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Having the proverbial target on the back is something Alabama is a bit more used to right now. Go back two seasons, and Clemson wasn't even the top opponent on everyone's schedule in the ACC. That was Florida State.

Things are different now. In fact, the Seminoles will be gunning for Clemson in Tallahassee to avenge last season's 23-13 loss. The ACC Atlantic is very much developing a Pac-12 North (Oregon, Stanford) and Big Ten East (Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State) feel to it. Those divisional title races are typically fluid. 

Chemistry is always an interesting angle to watch for teams coming off national title runs. The Tigers should have one of college football's top offenses in '16. Quarterback and early Heisman odds leader Deshaun Watson is back, as are nearly all his top receiving targets and the group's leading rusher, Wayne Gallman.

But can they grow together, especially since so many will be preparing for the NFL this time next year? That's not to say Clemson won't be better on offense, but these are the distractions that will have to be put aside. 

And what about the defense? Venables isn't orchestrating a massive overhaul like he was last year, but the following underclassmen have declared for the NFL draft: defensive ends Kevin Dodd and Shaq Lawson, the team's best pass rushers, cornerback Mackensie Alexander, linebacker Travis Blanks and defensive backs T.J. Green and Jayron Kearse. 

By now, Venables deserves the benefit of the doubt when it comes to reloading, but those are some awfully good names with eligibility on the table that Clemson is losing. 

Alabama is going through similar attrition. The entire starting D-line will have to be replaced, plus linebacker Reggie Ragland and part of the secondary. As far as early declarations go, however, the Tide don't lose nearly as much defensively as Clemson. And Alabama was legitimately two-to-three players deep in its defensive front seven. 

When you add up the new expectations and the losses on defense, Clemson has a tougher road than you'd think getting back to the playoff, let alone the national title game. Will the Tigers offense have to carry the team next season? What if the offense doesn't take the next step like it's supposed to? What if Florida State surges and leapfrogs Clemson to atop the ACC Atlantic?

Clemson has every right to be an early favorite to return to the playoff. Who knows, Swinney's team may pick up exactly where it left off. 

"Where is this thing next year? Is it in Tampa? Is that where it's at? We'll see if we can reload, and go do it again," Swinney said, via Brown. 

But the combination of familiar and new roadblocks makes the journey a little tougher than it was before. Clemson is no longer the underachiever, nor is it catching anyone by surprise. Such ascensions command everyone's attention, which means all of Clemson's strengths, and weaknesses, are in full view. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand.