Alex Leatherwood just wants to strap it on and play some football.

That was the message from the Alabama offensive tackle on Wednesday during his media availability. No. 1 Alabama faces No. 3 Ohio State on Monday in the College Football Playoff Championship pitting the top two conferences in the game.

Sports Betting in Big Ten Country

Ohio sports betting apps are officially launching on January 1, 2023.

Pre-registration is now available at FanDuel Ohio for an extra $100 bonus. Go pre-register now.

21+ and present in OH. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Leatherwood threw down the gauntlet, saying Alabama wants to “see if they want to paly football.”

For Leatherwood and his Crimson Tide teammates, an emerging Ohio State defense is potentially problematic. Despite struggles early in 2020, the Buckeyes seem to be emerging defensively as the season has progressed. Come the postseason, they’ve taken their game to another level.

In the Big Ten Championship Game, they shut our Northwestern in the second half of a 22-10 win. Then last week, in beating No. 2 Clemson, Ohio State forced two turnovers and held the Tigers to a season-low point total in a 49-28 win to advance to the championship game.

Of course neither Northwestern nor Clemson are at the level of Alabama.

Leatherwood is one of the top offensive linemen in college football. He projects as a first round pick in a number of early mock drafts.