2016 College Football Playoff National Championship

2016 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T
2nd College Football Playoff National Championship
Alabama Crimson Tide Clemson Tigers
(13–1) (14–0)
SEC ACC
45 40
Head coach: 
Nick Saban		 Head coach: 
Dabo Swinney
APCoachesCFP
222
APCoachesCFP
111
1234 Total
Alabama 77724 45
Clemson 1401016 40
DateJanuary 11, 2016
Season2015
StadiumUniversity of Phoenix Stadium
LocationGlendale, Arizona
MVPOffensive: #88 TE O. J. Howard, Jr. Alabama
Defensive: #4 S Eddie Jackson, Jr. Alabama
FavoriteAlabama by 6.5[1]
National anthemCiara[2]
RefereeTerry Leyden (Pac-12)
Halftime showClemson University Tiger Band
Million Dollar Band
Attendance75,765
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN and ESPN Radio
AnnouncersChris Fowler (play-by-play)
Kirk Herbstreit (analyst)
Heather Cox and Tom Rinaldi (sideline) (ESPN)
Mike Tirico, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe and Joe Schad (ESPN Radio)
Nielsen ratings16.0 (26.18 million viewers)[3]
International TV coverage
NetworkESPN Deportes
AnnouncersLalo Varela, Pablo Viruega, Bernardo Osuna, and Carlos Nava
College Football Playoff National Championship
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The 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship was a college football bowl game played on January 11, 2016 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The second College Football Playoff National Championship, the game determined a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the 2015 season. This was the culminating game of the 2015–16 bowl season. Sponsored by telecommunications company AT&T, the game was officially known as the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T.

The game was played between the winners of two pre-designated semifinal bowls played on December 31, 2015: the No. 1 Clemson Tigers, who beat the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners 37–17 at the Orange Bowl, coached by Dabo Swinney in his 8th season, and the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide, who shut out the No. 3 Michigan State Spartans 38–0 at the Cotton Bowl Classic, coached by Nick Saban.

The 13–1 Alabama Crimson Tide won the game, holding off the undefeated Clemson Tigers 45–40 in the fourth quarter. Accompanied by a talented receiving corps, Clemson's Heisman Finalist quarterback Deshaun Watson had a historic performance, setting the record for most total yards in national championship game history, with 478 yards (405 passing / 73 rushing) against the nation's third-ranked defense in Alabama, breaking the record previously set by Vince Young in the 2006 Rose Bowl.[4][5][6] Following the game, the AP Poll also named Alabama as its top team of the season, giving Alabama their fourth title in seven seasons.[7][8] Both Clemson and Alabama finished the season 14–1.

  1. ^ "Alabama 6½- to 7-point favorite in title game vs. Clemson". FoxSports. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  2. ^ "College Football Playoff Announces National Championship Pregame Entertainment" (Press release). College Football Playoff. December 17, 2015. Archived from the original on January 2, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  3. ^ Volner, Derek (January 12, 2016). "College Football Playoff National Championship: ESPN's Third Highest Overnight Ever across All Sports; WatchESPN Sets New Records". espnmediazone.com. ESPN MediaZone. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  4. ^ "NCAA College Football FBS current team Stats | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  5. ^ "Deshaun Watson has record night in national championship loss". Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  6. ^ Hutchins, Andy. "How Deshaun Watson became a superstar". SBNation.com. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  7. ^ "Final AP Poll: Alabama finishes No. 1 for 10th time; Stanford, OSU move up". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  8. ^ "Alabama claims it has 16 national titles, but several are disputed". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 13, 2016.