Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship Game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Alabama Crimson Tide proved to be quite a historic contest. Unfortunately for Ohio State, the Bucks made a bit of history in the title game for all the wrong reasons.

It was Alabama that emerged with a memorable 52-24 victory on Monday, which as it turns out, was an unflattering record for Ohio State for most points conceded in a bowl game (h/t ESPN Stats & Info on Twitter):

That's exactly the type of record any team would like to set in any game, let alone a championship match. Needless to say, it wasn't the best performance from a previously undefeated Ohio State side, who themselves clearly met their match in the Crimson Tide.

The same cannot be said for Alabama star DeVonta Smith, who only needed one half to set all sorts of records. The Heisman Trophy winner was forced to exit the game early in the third period due to a hand injury, but at that point, he had already put forth a tremendous performance. In the first half alone, the 22-year-old caught 12 passes for 215 yards against Ohio State, logging three touchdowns in what was a truly epic showing for the senior.

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Simply put, Smith dominated the entire Ohio State defense. He was playing at a different level. This was Smith's last game for the Crimson Tide, and it goes without saying that he absolutely ended his career with a bang.

Ohio State will have to deal with questions about whether it belonged on the same field as Alabama. Losing by 28 points will create the predictable but lazy blowback about a team's worthiness. Yet, Ohio State hammered Clemson and Trevor Lawrence in the playoff semifinals. The Buckeyes had players hurt — some soldiering through this game, some of them unable to play — against Alabama. Justin Fields had his rib injury to protect. This team was in a bad position. A great team was on the other side. It's not more complicated than that.