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Clemson and Alabama are the supreme beings in college football based on the most recent evidence.

It's hard to predict what will happen with these two teams or with anyone in 2017. Stuff can change in a hurry, and at Clemson it's hard to ignore the change that has brought the search to replace a group of amazing offensive football players, including Deshaun Watson. It's also hard to ignore the ever-growing talent stockpiles that will include Trevor Lawrence and Xavier Thomas a year from now, but that's another story.

This is about right now, and right now the Tigers and Crimson Tide are coming off back-to-back national championship showdowns. These two programs should be the ones everyone else measures themselves by. Even Ohio State, which got its teeth kicked in courtesy of Clemson less than four months ago. Even Florida State, which has lost back-to-back games to the Tigers. Even Oklahoma, whose only claim of costing Clemson anything in two meetings is the money the Tigers had to shell out for two tombstones.