Alabama's school schedule allows for unlimited practice hours

For the second consecutive season, one team in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game will have more practice time than the other.

Alabama’s spring semester begins Jan 13, two days after the championship game, and consequently the Tide are not restricted by the NCAA’s 20-hour rule limiting countable athletic activities.

Clemson, on the other hand, begins its spring semester on Wednesday. Up until that point, the Tigers are not restricted on hours, but when Wednesday hits, the team will have practices, meetings, weight lifting and any other team-mandated functions for preparation of the game limited to a maximum of four hours per day. Even the game constitutes three hours.

Last year, Ohio State had the benefit of unlimited practice similar to Alabama. At the time, coach Urban Meyer said he told his coaches not to wear the team down with the temptation of extra practice hours.

“The 20-hour thing? Yeah, we were way below that. We didn’t touch that 20-hour rule because you’re nuts if you [do],” Meyer said last year. “It was all about get your work done. The term that I kept using with our staff is efficiency. Don’t re-practice things you don’t have to re-practice because you’re just wearing them out. “

Oregon coach Mark Helfrich noted Ohio State's extra time was an annoyance, but said it didn’t affect the way his team prepared.

For more Alabama news, visit TideSports.com.

For more Clemson news, visit TigerIllustrated.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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