All eyes will be on no. 1 seed Alabama and 4th seed Ohio State when the two teams collide on January 1, 2015, 7:30 p.m. CST at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Fourth seeded Alabama Crimson Tide will be making its record 15th appearance while the Ohio State Buckeyes will be making their 5th.

At stake is the chance to advance to the College Football Playoff Championship which will be held on January 12, 2015, Monday at Arlington, Texas. The winner of the 81st Sugar Bowl Classic will face off against the winner of the Rose Bowl match between Oregon and Florida State.

Ohio has lost only one game this season against Viriginia Tech back in September. But since then, the Buckeyes have amassed a total of 500 yards on total offense in eight of their last 11 games that led to them being one of the second highest rated teams.

On the other side, the no. 1 seed Alabama Crimson Tide boasts of the one of the best defensive lines today, allowing only 88.7 rushes per game. That alone should be a cause for concern for the Buckeyes, especially Cardale Jones who is expected to carry the cause of the Buckeyes through a passing game.

Jones was successful against Wisconsin but the story may be different against the Crimson Tide who ranks fifth on defense. Wisconsin was ranked 31st.

The Crimson Tide owns a 3-0 series lead over the Buckeyes with two of the games taking place in the postseason.

On the coaching side, Urban Meyer of Ohio State tries to outwit his Alabama counterpart, Nick Saban.

Meyer has so far been 36-3 in three seasons and 140-26 for over 13 seasons as a head coach. Saban on the other hand is 86-16 in eight seasons while holding a 177—58-1 overall.

The Sugar Bowl will be televised at 8:30 p.m. ET via ESPN. You can also watch it live here.