I know this might sound strange—especially because we don’t know for sure who is even suiting up on Monday night—but I am far less tense than I was before the semifinal against Clemson this year (and last year), and I am similarly far less tense than I was before both CFP games in 2015 and the three BCS games against Miami, Florida, and LSU.

I am trying to put my finger on exactly why that is.  I think it has to do because I feel the season has been an enormous success, everything considered, and Bama is the clear favorite (so it’s not as if there is this huge expectation of Ohio State winning).  

It was somewhat similar in the 2002 season I suppose but, in that instance, I so desperately wanted Ohio State to win a national title after not having witnessed one in 34 years.  

In any case, I wonder what the tension level is for others here compared to other big games in the past two decades.  (And I fully concede that the tension level for me might go up big-time as kickoff approaches.)