The College Football Playoff field is set, and the best of the best will duke it out for the right to be crowned national champs.

Alabama, which opens against Washington in the Peach Bowl, is on a quest to repeat and earn Nick Saban his fifth national title with the Crimson Tide. To do so, it will have to battle its way past some of the best players in the country.

Here are the five best players Alabama could face in the Playoff.

Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson: Very few players have given Alabama’s defense as much trouble as Watson did in last year’s national title game. The Clemson quarterback accounted for 478 total yards and 4 touchdowns. Watson gained more yards than any team had against Alabama last season.

Watson, a Heisman finalist for the second consecutive season, has been equally excellent this season. He’s not running nearly as much, but his passing numbers are fairly similar, if not slightly better, than they were last year. He’s thrown for 3,914 yards with 37 touchdown passes.

Alabama will have the luxury of watching last year’s game film if it does indeed face Watson again, but stopping him will be no small feat.

The Crimson Tide ultimately beat Watson’s Tigers last season, but they would probably prefer not to see him again in the title game.

John Ross, WR, Washington: This 5-11, 190-pound speedster is one of the top receivers in the country. Ross has reportedly been clocked at a blistering 4.25 seconds in the 40-yard dash, and he has drawn favorable comparisons to DeSean Jackson, a former Pac-12 star from Cal.

Ross isn’t just a really fast one-trick pony, however, he is a true playmaker for the Huskies. The junior has caught 76 passes for 1,122 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. Washington also finds various ways to use Ross, and he is effective as a runner and kick returner.

Jake Browning threw 42 touchdown passes this season, but Ross is the Huskies’ greatest weapon.

Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State: Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers, a Heisman finalist, drew most of the attention among Big Ten defenders this season, but Hooker is just as dangerously versatile. The Ohio State safety has numbers that are comparable to Peppers’.

Hooker, 6-2, 205 pounds, led the Big Ten with six interceptions, and tied for the national lead by returning three for touchdowns.

He finished third on the Buckeyes with 67 tackles, showing he’s equally adept stopping the run.

Ohio State has a slew of talented linebackers and defensive linemen, who should by no means be overlooked. It’s Hooker’s ball skills in the secondary, however, that should truly frighten teams.

Ben Boulware, LB, Clemson: Clemson’s exuberant linebacker is the heart of its defense. Boulware is as vocal as he is tenacious.

He leads Clemson with 105 stops, including 4 sacks and 9 tackles for a loss. He also forced 3 fumbles and intercepted a pass. The linebacker’s statistics only tell half of the story, however, as Boulware’s style can cause an opponent to lose focus.

Jul 22, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Clemson Tigers linebacker Ben Boulware speaks with the media during the ACC Football Kickoff at Westin Charlotte. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

The Tigers’ linebacker has grown tired of being called a dirty player, but teams know that he will play through the whistle.

“It’s an intense game. I play the game how it’s supposed to be played,” Boulware told the Charleston Post and Courier in early November. “I think people are trying to make the game soft, and something that it’s not. I’m going to play it how I’ve grown up playing it, and I’m not changing for anybody.”

Curtis Samuel, Athlete, Ohio State: Samuel is one of the Big Ten’s most versatile offensive players. Listed as a running back, Samuel is essentially a running back-wide receiver hybrid. Due to his explosive ability, Ohio State looks to get Samuel the ball in a variety of ways.

Samuel has touched the ball 161 times this season and gained a team-high 1,546 yards. He’s scored 15 touchdowns. He averages nearly 10 yards per touch and 129 yards per game. The numbers are impressive, but not nearly as impressive as the way he earns them. Buckeyes fans know that anytime Samuel has the ball in his hands, something special could be about to happen.

William McFadden covers the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama for Saturday Down South. For insight on these two SEC powerhouses, follow him on Twitter @willmcfadden.