2017 College Football Playoff national championship - wikipedia 2017 College Football Playoff national championship 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship College Football Playoff Clemson Tigers Alabama Crimson Tide ( 13 -- 1 ) ( 14 -- 0 ) ACC SEC 35 31 Head coach : Dabo Swinney Head coach : Nick Saban AP Coaches CFP AP Coaches CFP Total Clemson 0 7 7 21 35 Alabama 7 7 10 7 31 Date January 9, 2017 Season 2016 Stadium Raymond James Stadium Location Tampa, Florida MVP Offensive : # 4 Deshaun Watson Clemson Defensive : # 10 Ben Boulware Clemson Favorite Alabama by 6.5 National anthem Little Big Town Referee Mike Defee ( Big 12 ) Halftime show Million Dollar Band, Clemson University Tiger Band Attendance 74,512 United States TV coverage Network ESPN / ESPN Radio / ESPN Deportes Announcers ESPN : Chris Fowler ( play - by - play ) Kirk Herbstreit ( analyst ) Samantha Ponder ( sideline reporter ) Tom Rinaldi ( sideline reporter ) ESPN Deportes : Eduardo Varela ( play by play ) Pablo Viruega ( analyst ) ESPN Brazil : Everaldo Marques ( play by play ) Antony Curti ( analyst ) ESPN Radio : Sean McDonough ( play - by - play ) Todd Blackledge ( analyst ) Holly Rowe ( sideline reporter ) Ian Fitzsimmons ( sideline reporter ) Joe Tessitore, Barrett Jones, Adam Amin, and Tajh Boyd ( ESPN2 Homer 's Telecast ). Nielsen ratings 15.3 ( 26.0 million viewers ) International TV coverage Network ESPN Deportes College Football Playoff National Championship < 2016 2018 > The 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship was a bowl game that was used to determine a national champion of college football in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the 2016 season. The game was played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on January 9, 2017. It was the culminating game of the 2016 -- 17 bowl season. 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. 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. 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. Deshaun Watson and Ben Boulware were named the Offensive and Defensive Most Valuable Players respectively. Contents 1 Background 2 Teams 2.1 Alabama 2.2 Clemson 3 2017 College Football Playoff 4 Game summary 4.1 Scoring summary 4.2 Statistics 5 Broadcasting 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Background The 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship was played at Raymond James Stadium. Competing bids were placed to host the championship game by Tampa, Jacksonville, Minneapolis, San Antonio, San Francisco, and South Florida. Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, was announced as the host site for the third College Football Playoff ( CFP ) National Championship game on December 17, 2013. It became the first CFP championship game to not be held at the site of one of the `` New Year 's Six '' bowls. This championship game is part of the third annual CFP, constituted by four teams playing to decide the national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The four teams were originally selected by a 13 member - committee. Teams The championship game was a rematch of the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship, where Alabama defeated Clemson, 45 -- 40. Overall, the championship game marked the 17th meeting between the two schools ; however, prior to the previous championship game, the programs had only met once in the regular season since 1975. Alabama See also : 2016 Alabama Crimson Tide football team Alabama was led by head coach Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide were undefeated in the regular season and played the Washington Huskies in the 2016 Peach Bowl, winning 24 -- 7. Alabama 's defense was ranked first in the nation in points allowed ( 11.8 ) and yards per game ( 248 ). The defense was led by defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick, who had six interceptions and 62 total tackles. Jalen Hurts attempted to become the first t rue freshman quarterback since 1985 and only the second ever to win the National Championship. Alabama had four AP First - Team All - Americans on its roster and entered the game as a 6.5 - point favorite over Clemson. Clemson See also : 2016 Clemson Tigers football team Clemson was led by head coach Dabo Swinney. The Tigers entered the game with a 13 - 1 record, with their only loss being to Pittsburgh. Clemson played the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl and won, 31 -- 0. On offense, the Tigers were led by quarterback Deshaun Watson, who threw for 4,173 yards, 38 touchdowns and 17 interceptions on the season. Watson was also Clemson 's second - leading rusher, rushing for 586 yards and 8 touchdowns. Clemson had two Associated Press Second - Team All - Americans and three AP Third - Team All - Americans. Clemson 's cornerback Cordrea Tankersley and defensive end Christian Wilkins were First - team All - Americans with USA Today and the Football Writers Association ( FWAA ), respectively. 2017 College Football Playoff Semifinals 2017 Championship Game December 31 -- Fiesta Bowl 2 Clemson 31 3 Ohio State 0 January 9 -- National Championship 2 Clemson 35 1 Alabama 31 December 31 -- Peach Bowl 1 Alabama 24 4 Washington 7 This bracket : view talk edit Game Summary Total # 2 Clemson 0 7 7 21 35 # 1 Alabama 7 7 10 7 31 Alabama opened the game with a three - and - out, and Clemson failed to capitalize, turning the ball over on downs after failing to convert a 4th & 1. On Alabama 's ensuing drive, Bo Scarbrough opened the game 's scoring with a 25 - yard rushing touchdown. The first quarter ended with Alabama leading Clemson, 7 -- 0. Scarbrough scored again in the second quarter, on a 37 - yard rush to increase Alabama 's lead to 14 -- 0. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson scored the Tigers ' first touchdown of the game on an eight -- yard run with six minutes left in the second quarter. The game went to halftime with Alabama leading, 14 -- 7. The Tigers turned the ball over on their first drive in the second half ; their fumble was recovered by Ryan Anderson and returned to Clemson 's 16 yard line -- the Tide increased their lead to 10 after converting a 27 - yard field goal. Clemson cut the lead to three with seven minutes left in the third quarter after Watson found Hunter Renfrow over the middle for a 24 - yard touchdown pass. After an injury to Scarbrough, the Tide came out and scored on a 68 - yard pass from Jalen Hurts to O.J. Howard on the next play ; this put Alabama back up by ten points with 1 : 53 left in the third quarter, which ended with Alabama leading Clemson, 24 -- 14. Clemson scored just three plays into the final quarter as Watson threw a touchdown pass to Mike Williams ; this cut the lead down to 24 -- 21. With 4 : 38 to go in the game, Clemson took their first lead in the game after Wayne Gallman scored on a one - yard touchdown rush ; Alabama got the ball back on their own 32 yard line with 4 : 38 remaining in the game. The drive came to a 3rd & 16, on which Jalen Hurts found ArDarius Stewart for a 15 - yard pass to set up a 4th & 1, which the Tide converted via a Damien Harris 5 - yard rush. Hurts found the end zone on a 30 - yard rush just a few plays later to give Alabama the lead back, 31 -- 28. Clemson took possession of the ball with 2 : 01 on the clock and the ball on their own 36 yard line. After another long catch by Mike Williams, the drive came to a 3rd & 3 on the Alabama 32 yard line, which was converted on a pass to Renfrow to the Alabama 26 yard line with 0 : 19 left. The next play saw Watson find Jordan Leggett on a pass down to the Tide 9 yard line with 0 : 14 left. Watson threw to the end zone on 1st & goal ; the pass was overthrown and the clock stopped with 0 : 09. On 2nd & goal, Watson targeted Mike Williams, who was tripped in the end zone. The resulting pass interference call gave the Tigers 1st & goal with the ball placed on the 2 - yard line with 0 : 06 left. On the next play, Watson threw a touchdown pass to Renfrow with 0 : 01 left ; putting Clemson back in the lead, 35 -- 31. After Clemson recovered an onside kick attempting to run out the clock, the game ended with a kneel - down and Clemson won the National Championship Game. Watson, who went 36 - for - 56 ( 7001640000000000000 ♠ 64 % ) on pass attempts for 420 yards with three passing touchdowns, and ran for 43 yards and one rushing touchdown, was named the game 's Offensive Most Valuable Player. Ben Boulware, who recorded six tackles, including one for loss of yards, was named the Defensive Most Valuable Player. Scoring Summary Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Clemson Alabama 9 : 23 59 0 : 58 Alabama Bo Scarbrough 25 - yard touchdown run, Adam Griffith kick good 0 7 10 : 42 5 74 1 : 24 Alabama Bo Scarbrough 37 - yard touchdown run, Adam Griffith kick good 0 14 6 : 09 7 87 1 : 33 Clemson Deshaun Watson 8 - yard touchdown run, Greg Huegel kick good 7 14 12 : 25 7 1 : 29 Alabama 27 - yard field goal by Adam Griffith 7 17 7 : 10 42 1 : 03 Clemson Hunter Renfrow 24 - yard touchdown reception from Deshaun Watson, Greg Huegel kick good 14 17 1 : 53 79 1 : 01 Alabama O.J. Howard 68 - yard touchdown reception from Jalen Hurts, Adam Griffith kick good 14 24 14 : 00 9 72 2 : 47 Clemson Mike Williams 4 - yard touchdown reception from Deshaun Watson, Greg Huegel kick good 21 24 4 : 38 6 88 1 : 55 Clemson Wayne Gallman 1 - yard touchdown run, Greg Huegel kick good 28 24 2 : 07 6 68 2 : 31 Alabama Jalen Hurts 30 - yard touchdown run, Adam Griffith kick good 28 31 0 : 01 9 68 2 : 00 Clemson Hunter Renfrow 2 - yard touchdown reception from Deshaun Watson, Greg Huegel kick good 35 31 `` TOP '' = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 35 31 Source : Statistics Statistics Clemson Alabama First Downs 31 16 Plays - yards 99 -- 511 66 -- 376 Third down efficiency 7 -- 18 2 -- 15 Rushes - yards 42 -- 91 34 -- 221 Passing yards 420 155 Passing, Comp - Att - Int 36 -- 57 -- 0 14 -- 32 -- 0 Time of Possession 34 : 44 25 : 16 Source : ( 1 ) Team Player Statistics Clemson Passing Deshaun Watson 36 / 56, 420 yds, 3 TD Rushing Wayne Gallman 18 car, 46 yds, 1 TD Receiving Hunter Renfrow 10 rec, 92 yds, 2 TD Alabama Passing Jalen Hurts 13 / 31, 131 yds, 1 TD Rushing Bo Scarbrough 16 car, 93 yds, 2 TD Receiving O.J. Howard 4 rec, 106 yds, 1 TD Source : ( 2 ) Broadcasting The game was broadcast in the United States by ESPN, ESPN Deportes ( Spanish ), and ESPN Radio. As in past years, ESPN provided Megacast coverage of the game, which supplemented coverage with analysis and additional perspectives of the game on different ESPN channels and platforms. A 30 - second commercial cost up to $1 million to air. The game had a total of 26.03 million viewers, and earned a 15.3 overnight Nielsen rating, a 4 % increase from the 2016 championship game. ESPN reported that the game set records in online streaming with a 710,000 average audience, 2.41 million unique viewers, and 182.5 million overall minutes watched. However, according to USA Today `` the combined overnight rating fell well short of the record for a College Football Playoff title. '' This became the third - highest watched game by streaming on ESPN, after two games from the FIFA World Cup. See also College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS References Jump up ^ Johnson, Richard. `` Bama - Clemson is college football 's first - ever true title rematch ''. SBNation.com. Retrieved January 16, 2017. Jump up ^ Hutchins, Andy. `` How Deshaun Watson became a superstar ''. SBNation.com. Retrieved January 16, 2017. Jump up ^ Paine, Neil ( January 10, 2017 ). `` Deshaun Watson And Clemson Made History Against Alabama ''. FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved January 16, 2017. Jump up ^ English, Antonya ; Jamison, Peter ( December 16, 2013 ). `` Tampa to host 2017 college football national championship ''. Tampa Bay Times. Tampa, Florida : Times Publishing Company. Retrieved July 29, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Meet the College Football Playoff Selection Committee ''. USA Today. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Alabama beats Clemson 45 -- 40 to win national championship ''. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Alabama, Clemson square off in national championship rematch ''. CNN. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Jump up ^ Connelly, Bill. `` Bama vs. Clemson changed both programs last time ''. SBNation.com. Retrieved January 17, 2017. ^ Jump up to : College football playoff : Alabama vs. Clemson preview, how to watch, game time for national championship. NCAA.com. January 9, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2017. Jump up ^ Kirshner, Alex. `` Hurts : Second - ever true freshman national champ QB ? ''. SBNation.com. Retrieved January 21, 2017. Jump up ^ `` National championship, Alabama vs. Clemson predictions, picks, spread, line ''. Retrieved January 11, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Badenhausen, Kurt. `` College Football National Championship : Alabama Vs. Clemson By The Numbers ''. Retrieved January 11, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Clemson has 6 named to All - American Teams ''. CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 16, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Zimanek, Brad ( January 10, 2017 ). `` Alabama 's offensive deficiencies drag Tide down ''. Montgomery Advertiser. Tampa, Florida : Gannett Company. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Jump up ^ Keepfer, Scott ( January 10, 2017 ). `` Hunter Renfrow continues his playoff prowess ''. The Greenville News. Tampa, Florida : Gannett Company. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Jump up ^ Borden, Sam ( January 10, 2017 ). `` Clemson Upsets Alabama to Win the College Football Championship ''. The New York Times. Tampa, Florida : The New York Times Company. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Jump up ^ Bonnell, Rick ( January 10, 2017 ). `` Clemson rides a frantic 4th quarter to national championship ''. The Charlotte Observer. Tampa, Florida : The McClatchy Company. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Jump up ^ Hurt, Cecil ( January 10, 2017 ). `` Alabama ca n't complete perfect season ''. The Tuscaloosa News. Tampa, Florida : GateHouse Media. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Jump up ^ Auerbach, Nicole ( January 10, 2017 ). `` Clemson gets revenge vs. Alabama to win national championship ''. USA Today. Tampa, Florida : Gannett Company. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Jump up ^ Russo, Ralph ( January 10, 2017 ). `` Watson and Clemson dethrone top - ranked Tide, 35 -- 31 ''. Associated Press. Tampa, Florida : AP Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Jump up ^ Clements, Ron ( January 10, 2017 ). `` Clemson follows MVPs Deshaun Watson, Ben Boulware to national title ''. SportingNews.com. Sporting News. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Jump up ^ `` StatMonitr Stat Feed ''. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Jump up ^ `` ESPN Game Summary -- Clemson vs Alabama ''. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Jump up ^ `` 2017 College Football Playoff Championship Megacast : What 's on each ESPN network ''. SB Nation. Retrieved January 10, 2017. Jump up ^ Barrabi, Thomas ( January 10, 2017 ). `` Alabama - Clemson Football : Thrilling Upset, But TV Ratings Sink ''. Retrieved January 11, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Clemson - Alabama title game ratings better than last year, but far off record ''. Retrieved January 11, 2017. External links Official website 2016 -- 17 NCAA football bowl game season New Mexico ( Dec. 17 ) Las Vegas ( Dec. 17 ) Camellia ( Dec. 17 ) Cure ( Dec. 17 ) New Orleans ( Dec. 17 ) Miami Beach ( Dec. 19 ) Boca Raton ( Dec. 20 ) Poinsettia ( Dec. 21 ) Famous Idaho Potato ( Dec. 22 ) Armed Forces ( Dec. 23 ) Bahamas ( Dec. 23 ) Dollar General ( Dec. 23 ) Hawaii ( Dec. 24 ) Quick Lane ( Dec. 26 ) St. Petersburg ( Dec. 26 ) Independence ( Dec. 26 ) Heart of Dallas ( Dec. 27 ) Military ( Dec. 27 ) Cactus ( Dec. 27 ) Holiday ( Dec. 27 ) Russell Athletic ( Dec. 28 ) Pinstripe ( Dec. 28 ) Texas ( Dec. 28 ) Foster Farms ( Dec. 28 ) Alamo ( Dec. 29 ) Birmingham ( Dec. 29 ) Belk ( Dec. 29 ) Orange ( Dec. 30 ) Liberty ( Dec. 30 ) Arizona ( Dec. 30 ) Music City ( Dec. 30 ) Sun ( Dec. 30 ) TaxSlayer ( Dec. 31 ) Citrus ( Dec. 31 ) Outback ( Jan. 2 ) Rose ( Jan. 2 ) Sugar ( Jan. 2 ) Cotton ( Jan. 2 ) College Football Playoff games : Peach ( semifinal ) ( Dec. 31 ) Fiesta ( semifinal ) ( Dec. 31 ) National Championship Game ( Jan. 9 ) All - Star Games : 2017 East -- West Shrine Game ( Jan. 21 ) NFLPA Collegiate Bowl ( Jan. 21 ) Senior Bowl ( Jan. 28 ) College Football Playoff Championships Overview College Football Playoff National Championship Games 2014 ( Jan 2015 ) 2015 ( Jan 2016 ) 2016 ( Jan 2017 ) 2017 ( Jan 2018 ) 2018 2019 Semifinal Bowls Rose 2014 ( Jan 2015 ), 2017 ( Jan 2018 ) Sugar 2014 ( Jan 2015 ), 2017 ( Jan 2018 ) Orange 2015 ( Dec 2015 ), 2018 Cotton 2015 ( Dec 2015 ), 2018 Peach 2016 ( Dec 2016 ), 2019 Fiesta 2016 ( Dec 2016 ), 2019 Other List of College Football Playoff games New Year 's Six College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy NCAA Division I FBS champions Mythical national championship Plus - One system Power Five conferences Alabama Crimson Tide bowl games 1926 Rose Bowl 1927 Rose Bowl 1931 Rose Bowl 1935 Rose Bowl 1938 Rose Bowl 1942 Cotton Bowl Classic 1943 Orange Bowl 1945 Sugar Bowl 1946 Rose Bowl 1948 Sugar Bowl 1953 Orange Bowl 1954 Cotton Bowl Classic 1959 Liberty Bowl 1960 Bluebonnet Bowl 1962 Sugar Bowl 1963 Orange Bowl 1964 Sugar Bowl 1965 Orange Bowl 1966 Orange Bowl 1967 Sugar Bowl 1968 Cotton Bowl Classic 1968 Gator Bowl 1969 Liberty Bowl 1970 Astro - Bluebonnet Bowl 1972 Orange Bowl 1973 Cotton Bowl Classic 1973 Sugar Bowl 1975 Orange Bowl 1975 Sugar Bowl 1976 Liberty Bowl 1978 Sugar Bowl 1979 Sugar Bowl 1980 Sugar Bowl 1981 Cotton Bowl Classic 1982 Cotton Bowl Classic 1982 Liberty Bowl 1983 Sun Bowl 1985 Aloha Bowl 1986 Sun Bowl 1988 Hall of Fame Bowl 1988 Sun Bowl 1990 Sugar Bowl 1991 Fiesta Bowl 1991 Blockbuster Bowl 1993 Sugar Bowl # 1993 Gator Bowl 1995 Florida Citrus Bowl 1997 Outback Bowl 1998 Music City Bowl 2000 Orange Bowl 2001 Independence Bowl 2004 Music City Bowl 2006 Cotton Bowl Classic 2006 Independence Bowl 2007 Independence Bowl 2009 Sugar Bowl 2010 BCS National Championship Game # 2011 Capital One Bowl 2012 BCS National Championship Game # 2013 BCS National Championship Game # 2014 Sugar Bowl 2015 Sugar Bowl / 2015 Cotton Bowl Classic / 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship # 2016 Peach Bowl / 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship # Pound sign ( # ) denotes national championship game. Forward slash ( / ) denotes College Football Playoff semifinal game Clemson Tigers bowl games 1940 Cotton Bowl Classic 1949 Gator Bowl 1951 Orange Bowl 1952 Gator Bowl 1957 Orange Bowl 1959 Sugar Bowl 1959 Bluebonnet Bowl 1977 Gator Bowl 1978 Gator Bowl 1979 Peach Bowl 1982 Orange Bowl # 1985 Independence Bowl 1986 Gator Bowl 1988 Florida Citrus Bowl 1989 Florida Citrus Bowl 1989 Gator Bowl 1991 Hall of Fame Bowl 1992 Florida Citrus Bowl 1993 Peach Bowl 1996 Gator Bowl 1996 Peach Bowl 1998 Peach Bowl 1999 Peach Bowl 2001 Gator Bowl 2001 Humanitarian Bowl 2002 Tangerine Bowl 2004 Peach Bowl 2005 Champs Sports Bowl 2006 Music City Bowl 2007 Chick - fil - A Bowl 2009 Gator Bowl 2009 Music City Bowl 2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl 2012 Orange Bowl 2012 Chick - fil - A Bowl 2014 Orange Bowl 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl 2015 Orange Bowl 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship # 2016 Fiesta Bowl 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship # Pound sign ( # ) denotes national championship game. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2017_College_Football_Playoff_National_Championship&oldid=797268530 '' Categories : 2016 -- 17 NCAA football bowl games 2016 -- 17 College Football Playoff Alabama Crimson Tide football bowl games Clemson Tigers football bowl games 2017 in sports in Florida Sports competitions in Tampa, Florida American football in Florida 21st century in Tampa, Florida January 2017 sports events in the United States Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from January 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français Edit links This page was last edited on 25 August 2017, at 23 : 51. About Wikipedia

Question: who won the national championship in college football last year
Answer: Alabama