150 Greatest National Champions: Top 7
2016 Clemson (14-1)
All-Time Season Score: 31.8633
Key Season Score Element: 11 Quality Wins
Best Win: Clemson 35, Alabama 31 (CFP National Championship)
Worst Game: Pitt 43, at Clemson 42
Remember that year when the ACC got all chirpy about being the best conference in college football? This was it – eight of the ACC teams on the slate finished with a winning record – and it helped build up Clemson’s resumé in one of the five greatest national championship seasons of all-time.
The Tigers started out on the road against a good Auburn team, and then had to get by a Troy squad that went 10-3 and pushed Clemson in a 30-24 loss.
There was a 42-36 struggle against Lamar Jackson and Louisville – at least in the final score -and it took a 24-17 overtime minor-miracle to get past NC State. Pitt – led by that Nathan Peterman’s five touchdown passes – pulled off a thrilling 43-42 win in Death Valley, and all of a sudden, Clemson didn’t appear to be ready for the big show.
And then it all kicked in.
Virginia Tech showed up in the ACC Championship, but after the Pitt loss, Clemson came up with three blowouts in the next four games, including a 31-0 stomping of Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Just when it seemed like Alabama was going to win yet another national title, Deshaun Watson led Clemson on a drive for the ages to pull out a 35-31 win.
Wins (14): at Auburn (19-13), Troy (30-24), South Carolina State (59-0), at Georgia Tech (26-7), Louisville (42-36), at Boston College (56-10), at Florida State (37-34), Syracuse (54-0), at Wake Forest (35-13), South Carolina (56-7), Virginia Tech (42-35, ACC Championship), Ohio State (31-0, Fiesta Bowl), Alabama (35-31, CFP National Championship)
Losses (1): Pitt (43-42)
Quality Wins (11): at Auburn, Troy, at Georgia Tech, Louisville, at Boston College, NC State, at Florida State, at Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Alabama
Elite Wins (3): at Florida State, Virginia Tech, Ohio State
Bad Wins (1): South Carolina State
Points For: 588
Points Against: 270
150 Greatest College Football National Champions
CFN 2022 Final Rankings | No. 1 | No. 2 | No. 3 | No. 4
No. 5 | No. 6 | No. 7 | No. 8 | No. 9 | No. 10 | 11-25 | 26-50
51-75 | 76-100 | 101-125 | 126-150 | Just Missed
CFN Season Formula Criteria | @ColFootballNews