They defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2019 Peach Bowl semifinal and the Clemson Tigers in the 2020 National Championship to finish the season as undefeated champions with a 15–0 record.

[4][11] On the day of the game, ESPN's Football Power Index gave Alabama a 71.8 percent chance of winning.

4 in the AP Poll before a September 14 home win against the Northwestern State Demons of the Football Championship Subdivision.

[15] Conference play for the Tigers began with their fourth game of the season, a road win against the Vanderbilt Commodores, during which Burrow threw six touchdown passes, setting a new school record.

[4] Prior to the game, Athlon Sports called Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, and Terrace Marshall Jr. arguably the best group of wide receivers besides Alabama's.

2 in both the AP and Coaches Poll, second only to the Clemson Tigers,[5][6] who had beat Alabama in last season's National Championship game.

[24] In Week 1, Alabama played the Duke Blue Devils in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, dominating them with a final score of 42–3.

[25] In their first home game the following week, the Crimson Tide beat the New Mexico State Aggies 62–10 before beginning conference play with a road win over the South Carolina Gamecocks.

[30] Alabama won the game, which saw Tagovailoa break the school record of 80 passing touchdowns in a career, previously held by A. J.

[30] Next week, the Crimson Tide hosted the Tennessee Volunteers in a winning effort, during which Tagovailoa suffered an ankle injury.

[31] Mac Jones served as the starting quarterback for the following game against the Arkansas Razorbacks, which Alabama won by 41 points.

[33] In the days leading up to the game, it was unsure if Tagovailoa would play due to his injury, with head coach Nick Saban saying that it would be a game-time decision.

[4] The team had what Athlon called "the nation's best receiving corps", consisting of Smith, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, and Jaylen Waddle, who had a combined 24 touchdown receptions that season.

[4] On defense, the Crimson Tide had held opposing teams to only 15.2 points per game and had allowed only one play that resulted in a gain of at least 40 yards.

[39] The Million Dollar Band performed a halftime show tribute to the United States Armed Forces, as the game took place over Veterans Day weekend.

[42] CBS’s pregame show, led by host Adam Zucker with analysts Rick Neuheisel and Brian Jones, also broadcast live from Tuscaloosa.

[44] LSU won the coin toss and elected to defer, giving Alabama possession of the ball to start the game.

[45] Avery Atkins performed a 65-yard kickoff that was received by Henry Ruggs, who returned it 29 yards to start the Crimson Tide's first series at their own 29-yard line.

[46] However, the Crimson Tide's positive momentum stalled and on third down, Tagovailoa fumbled, with Ray Thornton recovering the ball for LSU at their own 8-yard line.

[46] However, two incomplete passes and a 4-yard run from Harris put them at fourth down when Ty Perine fumbled and recovered for a loss of 19 yards, giving LSU possession at the Alabama 40-yard line.

[46] Following a false start penalty against Alex Leatherwood, the Crimson Tide were able to reach the first down with a Jeudy reception that put them on their own 36.

[46] After several plays and a delay of game penalty, they had not progressed by their fourth down and decided to punt, with Stingley returning the ball to the LSU 39.

[46] However, the Crimson Tide did not capitalize and after an incomplete pass and two runs, they punted on fourth down, resulting in the Tigers gaining possession at their own 20 following a touchback.

[46] Alabama started the fourth quarter with a 12-yard run that put them one yard from the end zone, with a rushing touchdown from Harris coming two plays later that brought the score to 33–27.

[46] Ruggs returned the kickoff to the Alabama 15-yard line and on the next play, Tagovailoa connected with Smith for an 85-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to five points with 1:21 remaining.

[51][52][53] The team finished their regular season with conference wins over the Ole Miss Rebels,[54] the Arkansas Razorbacks,[55] and the Texas A&M Aggies,[56] in the process securing a position in the SEC Championship Game against the Georgia Bulldogs.

[60] LSU finished their season by defeating the Clemson Tigers in the CFP Championship game on January 13, 2020, to claim the national title.

[61] The team is one of only three in the modern era of college football to complete a perfect 15-game season, joining the 2018 Clemson Tigers[62] and later being matched by the 2022 Georgia Bulldogs and the 2023 Michigan Wolverines.

[62][63][64] Joe Burrow's performance in the game helped to establish him as the main frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy,[65] which is awarded annually to the best overall player in college football.

[66] With the loss, Alabama's streak of 31 consecutive home game victories was snapped,[67] and the Crimson Tide dropped to No.