Last season, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson shredded Alabama through the air: 30-of-47 for 405 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception.

It still wasn’t enough, though. The Tigers came up short against the Crimson Tide, 45-40. Clemson failed to win its first national championship since 1981. ‘Bama, of course, captured its fourth in the last seven years.

The best two programs in the country for the majority of the 2016 campaign, the Tigers and Tide are scheduled for a rematch Monday in the College Football Playoff final. Coach Nick Saban and Co. have looked positively unbeatable at times, as only one team — Ole Miss back in Week 3 — hasn’t been taken down by at least two scores.

However, Clemson has a big advantage at the game’s most important position. Watson is light-years better than Jalen Hurts at this point.

A two-time Heisman Trophy finalist, Watson is arguably the premier playmaker in America. A 67.3-percent passer with a TD-to-INT ratio of 38-to-17, he’s also a devastating runner and has added 8 more scores on the ground.

At this time a year ago, Watson appeared to be a no-brainer for the No. 1 pick in the draft. The NFL has cooled on him to some degree — he’s not even the top prospect on his own team anymore — due to his propensity for INTs and slight frame. But make no mistake about it: At the collegiate level, he’s a special talent.

He and his Tigers teammates couldn’t say so during the regular season, but Watson (below) wanted another shot at Alabama in the worst way.

Dec 31, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) throws in the pocket against the Ohio State Buckeyes at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

“I have high standards for me and my teammates,” he said Wednesday via conference call, “and this is where we wanted to be. We weren’t going to sit there and say we’re not going to be in Tampa or in the National Championship. That was one of the things, we wanted to be in the front again and be one of the best teams. Just having that belief and that’s it, going into the year and putting in the work.”

The only certainties in life are death, taxes and the Crimson Tide defense. Once again, ‘Bama is nothing short of suffocating on that side of the ball. That being said, it isn’t the same D. Watson is preparing accordingly.

“Last year is last year,” he said. “You can’t go based off last year. They have maybe — I want to say seven new starters, eight new starters on this defense, and everyone else is in the NFL. So totally different defense, so you’ve got to go based off this previous year. You can’t live on last year’s success. You’ve got to keep moving forward and see what’s going on this year.”

Aside from the personnel, there is also a different coordinator pulling the strings. Last season, it was Kirby Smart, who’s since taken the head-coaching job at Georgia. Now, it’s Jeremy Pruitt. While the results have been relatively the same, stylistically — how often they decide to blitz, for example — they’re different coaches.

“They do a lot of similar things,” Watson said, “but they do a lot of different things, just disrupt the offense. We’re going to try to figure out tendencies to be able to execute whenever they do bring pressure.”

Watson’s leading receiver, Mike Williams (below), wasn’t on the field a year ago. He’s a potential Top 10 pick in the draft, too.

“That’s another weapon,” Watson said, “another guy that has experience and knowledge of his offense and just keeps everyone at that position doing the right things because he’s a leader. Just another weapon for the defense for them to worry about.”

December 31, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Clemson Tigers wide receiver Mike Williams (7) against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the the 2016 CFP semifinal at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Running the ball on the Tide just isn’t an option for most opponents. For the fourth time in the last six seasons, they feature the No. 1 rushing defense in the land. It would be a surprise if tailback Wayne Gallman had a big night.

Still, Clemson has the receiving threats necessary — especially with Watson at the controls — to be explosive through the air. Six different players on the roster have recorded at least 33 grabs. Hunter Renfroe caught 7 passes for 88 yards and 2 touchdowns against Alabama last January. Jordan Leggett went for 5, 78 and 1.

But Williams is the Alpha dog. A matchup nightmare at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, he’ll be the best wideout Alabama has faced this year.

“I don’t see why they wouldn’t move the ball and score points,” ESPN play-by-play man Chris Fowler said Wednesday via conference call. “Alabama came off a shutout in last year’s semifinal. Clemson lit them up. They didn’t have Mike Williams or Deon Cain in that game. When you look at Monday night, the two most dangerous receiving weapons potentially, Cain isn’t as productive or consistent as Leggett, but he certainly has the ability. Those guys weren’t even out there last year, especially Williams, who is a complete difference maker.”

Chad Kelly of Ole Miss and Austin Allen of Arkansas both threw for 400-plus yards on the Crimson Tide, albeit in defeat.

“If you’re going to attack Alabama in any way, you’re going to do it through the air,” ESPN color analyst Kirk Herbstreit said on the same conference call. “These guys have the quarterback and receiver to give them a chance to be effective with some downfield passes. The receivers against the secondary. Deshaun against Nick Saban I think is going to be a great matchup.

‘Bama can win with Hurts simply managing the game. The Tigers, conversely, need Watson to be dominant. He’s more than capable, though.

John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.