In some ways, this year’s College Football Playoff will look very familiar. In other ways, it will feel entirely different from any we’ve seen before.

The four-team tournament kicks off Friday with the two semifinal games. The teams involved are no strangers to the CFP, now in its seventh season.

Alabama and Clemson are both making their sixth appearances, while Ohio State is in the event for the fourth time. Notre Dame is in the playoffs for just the second time, but the Fighting Irish were in it just two years ago.

But the impact of the coronavirus pandemic will be evident. For starters, the Rose Bowl, which will double as one of the semifinals, is not being played in its traditional home of Pasadena, California. After the state of California twice denied the Tournament of Roses’ requests to allow the families of coaches and players to attend the game, the Rose Bowl was moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. California has banned fans at sporting events due to surging COVID-19 numbers.

Top-seeded Alabama and No. 4 Notre Dame will meet in the Rose Bowl at 4 p.m. Eastern. No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State will square off in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans at 8 p.m. Eastern.

The semifinal winners will then play for the national championship Jan. 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Here’s a closer look at the matchups:

Rose Bowl: No. 1 Alabama (11-0) vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (10-1)

The Crimson Tide are trying to reach the national title game for the fifth time in six years. And Alabama coach Nick Saban is looking to win his seventh championship, which would break the record he now shares with the legendary Bear Bryant.

After missing the CFP last season, the Crimson Tide have bounced back, going 11-0 against an all-SEC schedule. 

Led by quarterback Mac Jones, wide receiver DeVonta Smith and running back Najee Harris, Alabama averaged 49.7 points per game this season and thrashed their opponents by an average margin of 30 points. Jones and Smith are Heisman Trophy finalists, and Harris leads the nation with 27 touchdowns.

“We know the challenges in front of us, but we welcome those challenges,” Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly told reporters Thursday. “That’s why we go to work each and every day: to put ourselves in this position.

Notre Dame won their first 10 games before being blown out by Clemson 34-10 in the ACC championship game on Dec. 19. The Irish are led by fifth-year senior Ian Book, who at 30-4 is the school’s all-time winningest QB.

Alabama is a 20-point favorite. Saban said he’s making sure his players aren’t overconfident.

“I always tell our players that they really shouldn't listen to what people say externally,” Saban said. “And really what other people think and say really doesn't have anything to do with the outcome of the game. So we want to stay focused on the things that we have to do to get the proper outcome for our team, but with great respect for the team that we have to play.”

The two storied programs last met in the 2012-13 national title game, then part of the Bowl Championship Series, which Bama won 42-14.

Attendance at AT&T Stadium is being limited to 16,000 for the game.

No. 2 Clemson (10-1) vs. No. 3 Ohio State (6-0)

The Tigers and Buckeyes are facing off in the semifinals for the third time in five years. Clemson won both of the previous matchups.

Tigers coach Dabo Swinney has given Ohio State some bulletin board material by ranking the Buckeyes No. 11 on his coaches poll ballot. Swinney explained this week that he didn’t rank any team in the top 10 that didn’t play at least nine games. Because of the pandemic, the Big Ten Conference got off to a late start and Ohio State had three games canceled, leaving the Buckeyes with just six games played. 

"I just don't think it's right that three teams have to play 13 games to be the champion and one team has to play eight," Swinney said, adding that he does believe the Buckeyes are good enough to beat his team.

The response from Ohio State coach Ryan Day? "I would say I'm glad he's not” on the CFP selection committee.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, widely expected to the top pick in the 2021 NFL draft, has passed for 30 touchdowns and just four interceptions this season. The Tigers’ lone loss — to Notre Dame in the regular season — came when he was out of the lineup after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Clemson, however, also has a bruising defense that has held seven of its 11 opponents to 17 or fewer points and has allowed the fifth fewest yards per game (298.5) in the country. 

If Clemson wins, they will be in the national championship game for the fifth time in six years — the Tigers have faced Alabama in three previous title games. Clemson won championships after the 2016-17 and 2018-19 seasons. Lawrence, a junior, is aiming for his third title game and second ring.

Ohio State last played for the title after the 2014-15 season, beating Oregon in the first year of the College Football Playoff.

This year's Buckeyes are led by Justin Field, a scrambling yet accurate quarterback. Running back Trey Sermon is coming off a school record-breaking 331-yard performance against Northwestern

The Mercedes-Benz Superdome will have a maximum crowd of 3,000 at the game.