2017 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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3rd College Football Playoff National Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date | January 9, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Season | 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stadium | Raymond James Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Tampa, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
MVP | Offensive: #4 QB Deshaun Watson, Jr. Clemson Defensive: #10 LB Ben Boulware, Sr. Clemson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Favorite | Alabama by 6.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
National anthem | Little Big Town | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Referee | Mike Defee (Big 12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Halftime show | Clemson University Tiger Band Million Dollar Band | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Attendance | 74,512 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Network | ESPN and ESPN Radio | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Chris Fowler (play-by-play) Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) Samantha Ponder and Tom Rinaldi (sideline) (ESPN) Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe and Ian Fitzsimmons (ESPN Radio) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nielsen ratings | 15.3 (26.03 million viewers)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
International TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Network | ESPN Deportes ESPN Deportes Radio | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Eduardo Varela and Pablo Virugela (ESPN Deportes) Kenneth Garay and Sebastian M. Christensen (ESPN Deportes Radio) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship was a college football bowl game that was played on January 9, 2017, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The third College Football Playoff National Championship, the game determined a national champion for the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the 2016 season. It was the culminating game of the 2016–17 bowl season. Sponsored by telecommunications company AT&T, the game was officially known as the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T.[2]
The game was played between the winners of two pre-designated bowl games played on December 31, 2016: the Clemson Tigers, who defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl, and the Alabama Crimson Tide, who defeated the Washington Huskies in the Peach Bowl. Having met in the previous year's championship game, the resulting title game between Clemson and Alabama became college football's first rematch between #1 and #2 in national championship game history.[3]
The Tigers won the game 35–31 on a go-ahead touchdown with one second left, having come back from a 14–0 deficit earlier in the game. Watson threw to WR Hunter Renfrow for the game winner. Clemson quarterback and Heisman Finalist Deshaun Watson set the record for most passing yards in a championship game with 420, breaking his own record of 405 yards set in the 2016 National Championship Game.[4][5] Deshaun Watson and Ben Boulware were named the Offensive and Defensive Most Valuable Players, respectively. It was Clemson’s first national title since 1981.