Alabama vs. Clemson 2019: TV Schedule, Start Time for CFP Championship

One of the best current rivalries in sports writes its latest chapter Monday night.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers are set to face off for the College Football Playoff national championship for the third time in four years. 

This year's clash at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, has new twists, as a pair of young quarterbacks have injected plenty of life into their respective programs. 

If Alabama wins, it would capture its sixth championship of the 12-year Nick Saban era, while Clemson is going after its third title in program history.

National Championship Information

Start Time: 8 p.m. ET 

TV: ESPN 

Live Stream: WatchESPN or ESPN app

Quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence will be the main stars on the stage of the CFP title game. 

Tagovailoa stole the spotlight a year ago against Georgia as a replacement for Jalen Hurts, and since then, he's been one of the stars of the college football world. 

Although he's faced plenty of tough tasks in the SEC, Tagovailoa takes on a new challenge against Clemson's experienced defense. 

The Tigers are led by a handful of players with NFL talent, including Clelin Ferrell and Christian Wilkins, who will try to make Tagovailoa uncomfortable in the pocket from the first snap.

Mike Comer/Getty Images

Ferrell, Wilkins and Austin Bryant are three-fourths of a defensive line that entered the regular season with a massive amount of hype; the fourth member, Dexter Lawrence, is missing the game due to a suspension stemming from a positive drug test. 

At most other schools, the loss of a potential first-round talent would be a crushing blow, but the Tigers have a wealth of 5-star talent ready to fill in for Lawrence. 

But the defensive line isn't the only area of the field where the Tigers hold experience against Alabama, as wide receiver Hunter Renfrow was the star of the 2017 national championship game. 

Renfrow isn't the top playmaker in the Clemson offense, but he'll play an important role around a collection of talented underclassmen. 

Justyn Ross, Amari Rodgers and Tee Higgins are among the targets Lawrence will try to pick out in order to exploit the Alabama secondary.

Alabama's wide receiver depth is as impressive, as Jaylen Waddle, Henry Ruggs, DeVonta Smith and Jerry Jeudy will be tasked with finding holes in Clemson's secondary. 

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

While a majority of the offensive plays will come through the air, the real difference could be made on the ground.

Although the Crimson Tide are going up against a vaunted defensive line, they have a trio of talented running backs capable of grinding through the Clemson front seven to gain critical yards.

Damien Harris, Najee Harris and Josh Jacobs will also be used at times in the passing game, as they work into the gaps open 10 yards or fewer from Tagovailoa. 

Clemson doesn't have the same diversity in its ground game, but running back Travis Etienne is one of the best college players at his position. 

If Etienne is able to complement Lawrence in the Clemson offense, the Tigers have a chance of earning their second title-game victory over the Crimson Tide. 

Regardless of which team comes out on top, the national championship game is expected to be a close affair, as the two previous title meetings between the Tide and Tigers were decided by one possession. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.