2016 College Football Playoff national championship - wikipedia 2016 College Football Playoff national championship 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship College Football Playoff Alabama Crimson Tide Clemson Tigers ( 13 -- 1 ) ( 14 -- 0 ) SEC ACC 45 40 Head coach : Nick Saban Head coach : Dabo Swinney AP Coaches CFP AP Coaches CFP Total Alabama 7 7 7 24 45 Clemson 14 0 10 16 40 Date January 11, 2016 Season 2015 Stadium University of Phoenix Stadium Location Glendale, Arizona MVP Offensive : # 88 TE O.J. Howard, Jr., Alabama Defensive : # 4 SS Eddie Jackson, Jr. Alabama Favorite Alabama by 7 National anthem Ciara Eric Church ( Championship Tailgate ) Canaan Smith ( America the Beautiful ) Referee Terry Leyden ( Pac - 12 ) Attendance 75,765 United States TV coverage Network ESPN Announcers ESPN : Chris Fowler ( play - by - play ) Kirk Herbstreit ( analyst ) Heather Cox ( sideline reporter ) Tom Rinaldi ( sideline reporter ) ESPN Deportes : Eduardo Varela ( play - by - play ) Pablo Viruega ( analyst ) ESPN Radio : Mike Tirico ( play - by - play ) Todd Blackledge ( analyst ) Holly Rowe ( sideline reporter ) Joe Schad ( sideline reporter ) International TV coverage Network ESPN ( Spanish and Portuguese ) Announcers Eduardo Varela Pablo Viruega College Football Playoff National Championship < 2015 2017 > The 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship was a bowl game that determined the national champion of NCAA Division I FBS college football for the 2015 season. It was played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on January 11, 2016, and was the culminating game of the 2015 -- 16 bowl season. 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. Following the game, the AP Poll also named Alabama as its top team of the season, giving Alabama their fourth title in seven seasons. Both Clemson and Alabama finished the season 14 -- 1. Contents 1 2016 College Football Playoff 2 Host selection 3 Starting lineups 4 Game summary 4.1 Scoring summary 4.2 Statistics 5 Broadcasting 5.1 Local Radio 6 See also 7 References 2016 College Football Playoff Semifinals 2016 Championship Game December 31 -- Orange Bowl 1 Clemson 37 4 Oklahoma 17 January 11 -- National Championship 1 Clemson 40 2 Alabama 45 December 31 -- Cotton Bowl Classic 2 Alabama 38 3 Michigan State 0 This bracket : view talk edit Host selection University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona was announced as the host site in December 2013, along with 2017 host Raymond James Stadium. The Arizona Organizing Committee, co-chaired by Brad Wright and Win Holden, hosted the game. Starting lineups Selected in an NFL Draft ( number corresponds to draft round ) † = 2015 All - American Alabama Position Position Clemson Offense Calvin Ridley WR Artavis Scott Cam Robinson 2 LT Mitch Hyatt Ross Pierschbacher LG Eric Mac Lain † Ryan Kelly 1 Jay Guillermo Alphonse Taylor RG Tyrone Crowder Jr. Dominick Jackson RT Joe Gore O.J. Howard 1 TE Jordan Leggett 5 ArDarius Stewart 3 WR Hunter Renfrow Jake Coker QB † Deshaun Watson 1 † Derrick Henry 2 RB Wayne Gallman 4 Defense † A'Shawn Robinson 2 DE DE † Shaq Lawson 1 Jonathan Allen 1 NG DT D.J. Reader 5 Jarran Reed 2 DE DT Carlos Watkins 4 Denzel Devall JLB DE Kevin Dodd 2 † Reggie Ragland 2 MLB SLB Travis Blanks Reuben Foster 1 WLB MLB B.J. Goodson 4 Minkah Fitzpatrick CB WLB Ben Boulware Cyrus Jones 2 CB Mackensie Alexander 2 Marlon Humphrey 1 CB Cordrea Tankersley 3 Eddie Jackson 4 bgcolor = `` # FFCC00 '' SS Jayron Kearse 7 Geno Matias - Smith FS T.J. Green 2 Game summary Alabama came off a stellar defensive performance in the semifinal game, and was looking to contain Clemson 's QB Deshaun Watson, but Alabama defense was quickly forced into conceding most of the field and stopping Clemson in the redzone. Alabama 's offense was stressed at the line of scrimmage by Clemson 's defensive line led by Shaq Lawson. Despite being statistically outplayed by Clemson ( 550 Clemson offensive yards to 473 Alabama ) offensively and statistically tied in other areas, Alabama was able to capitalize on three key plays : an interception of Deshaun Watson 's pass early in the second quarter, a surprise Alabama onside kick early in the fourth quarter, and an Alabama kickoff return for a touchdown in the middle of the fourth quarter. These plays accounted for 21 points, and Alabama won the game 45 to 40. Having won the coin toss to start the game, Clemson elected to defer to the second half. Characteristic of Alabama, the offensive opening drive was slow and cautious but notable for utilizing Derrick Henry four times, a change from the semifinal game against Michigan State. Alabama and Clemson would trade punting drives before, on the next Alabama possession, Derrick Henry was utilized three times. On the third run, Derrick found an opening for a 50 - yard touchdown run ( 7 - 0 ). However, on the next two Clemson possessions Deshaun Watson used his speed, agility, and elusiveness to sustain drives with a mixture of QB runs and fade routes against Alabama 's top - ranked defense. Both drives ended in TD throws to Hunter Renfrow ( 7 - 14 ), the latter of which ended the first quarter. On Alabama 's next possession to start the second quarter, despite a promising start in a 29 - yard pass to Richard Mullaney, Alabama 's offensive line conceded a sack by Kevin Dodd and a tackle for loss on Derrick Henry. Characteristic of Alabama, facing third and long offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin opted for extra field position on a punt with a short throw to Ridley rather than attempting a first down pass. On the ensuing Clemson drive Deshaun Watson was intercepted by Eddie Jackson at the Clemson 42 yard line. The resulting Alabama possession culminated in a 1 - yard TD run by Derrick Henry ( 14 - 14 ). After this flurry, both Clemson and Alabama played more cautiously as each of the three following possessions by both teams went no further than 40 yards. Clemson 's last possession of the half resulted in a blocked field goal. Going into the third quarter, Clemson opted to receive the ball but was forced into a quick three and out. On Alabama 's next possession, TE OJ Howard found himself open in space for a 53 - yard touchdown ( 21 - 14 ). Clemson responded with a mixture of QB runs, pass plays by Deshaun Watson, and key run plays by RB Wayne Gallman on its next two drives to get a 37 - yard field goal by Greg Hugel ( 21 - 17 ) and a 1 - yard touchdown run by Wayne Gallman ( 21 - 24 ). Both teams were then stalled for three and outs or near three and outs on their next two possessions to close the Third quarter. On Alabama 's first possession of the fourth quarter, Jake Coker found ArDarius Stewart in single man coverage for 38 yards. This gain, however, did not translate into a touchdown as the offense was stalled by good secondary play from Clemson. Alabama settled for a field goal from 33 yards to tie the game ( 24 - 24 ). On the ensuing kickoff Alabama gambled on a surprise onside kick, executed to perfection by Adam Griffith and caught by Marlon Humphrey. Alabama capitalized almost immediately with another 50 + touchdown pass to a wide open OJ Howard ( 31 - 24 ). Clemson pulled within 4 once again. However, Alabama 's defense held in the red zone and forced a field goal from Clemson ( 31 - 27 ). On the ensuing kickoff, Alabama RB Kenyan Drake stunned Clemson by taking the ball 95 yards for an Alabama touchdown ( 38 - 27 ). Deshaun Watson quickly answered with an 8 play 75 yard touchdown drive which culminated in a 15 - yard touchdown pass to WR Artavius Scott. In attempt to pull within three points of Alabama ( and thus within a field goal of tying the game ), Clemson attempted a two - point conversion with what morphed into a naked bootleg QB run by Deshaun Watson which was stopped short ( 38 - 33 ). On Alabama 's next possession QB Jake Coker passed the ball in a checkdown screen to OJ Howard who, getting good blocking, ran for 63 yards. With less than 3 minutes left in the game, ran the ball up the middle to convert downs. After a key third down scramble for a first down by Jake Coker, Derrick Henry, on third down, broke the touchdown plane with the nose of the ball over the top of the goal line pile of players for a 1 - yard TD run ( 45 - 33 ). A stellar performance by Deshaun Watson on a 55 - second drive culminated in a 24 - yard touchdown pass to Jordan Leggett with 12 seconds left on the clock ( 45 - 40 ). Clemson attempted an onside kick but the ball was recovered by Alabama sealing their victory. This was the fourth Alabama national championship win in seven years, first of the College Football Playoff era, and Head Coach Nick Saban 's fifth overall. Scoring summary Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP ALA CLEM 7 : 55 59 0 : 55 ALA Derrick Henry 50 - yard touchdown run, Adam Griffith kick good 7 0 5 : 18 6 59 2 : 37 CLEM Hunter Renfrow 31 - yard touchdown reception from Deshaun Watson, Greg Huegel kick good 7 7 0 : 00 7 73 2 : 17 CLEM Hunter Renfrow 11 - yard touchdown reception from Deshaun Watson, Greg Huegel kick good 7 14 9 : 35 7 42 2 : 23 ALA Derrick Henry 1 - yard touchdown run, Adam Griffith kick good 14 14 12 : 53 64 0 : 53 ALA O.J. Howard 53 - yard touchdown reception from Jake Coker, Adam Griffith kick good 21 14 10 : 10 9 55 2 : 43 CLEM 37 - yard field goal by Greg Huegel 21 17 4 : 48 9 60 3 : 38 CLEM Wayne Gallman 1 - yard touchdown run, Greg Huegel kick good 21 24 10 : 34 8 64 2 : 33 ALA 33 - yard field goal by Adam Griffith 24 24 9 : 45 50 0 : 49 ALA O.J. Howard 51 - yard touchdown reception from Jake Coker, Adam Griffith kick good 31 24 7 : 47 6 61 1 : 58 CLEM 31 - yard field goal by Greg Huegel 31 27 7 : 31 - - - ALA Kick returned 95 yards for touchdown by Kenyan Drake, Adam Griffith kick good 38 27 4 : 40 8 75 2 : 51 CLEM Artavis Scott 15 - yard touchdown reception from Deshaun Watson, 2 - point run failed 38 33 1 : 07 8 75 3 : 33 ALA Derrick Henry 1 - yard touchdown run, Adam Griffith kick good 45 33 0 : 12 6 68 0 : 55 CLEM Jordan Leggett 24 - yard touchdown reception from Deshaun Watson, Greg Huegel kick good 45 40 `` TOP '' = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 45 40 Statistics Statistics Alabama Clemson First Downs 18 31 Plays -- yards 71 -- 473 85 -- 550 Rushes -- yards 46 -- 138 38 -- 145 Passing yards 335 405 Passing : Comp -- Att -- Int 11 -- 25 -- 0 37 -- 47 -- 1 Time of possession 30 : 31 29 : 29 Broadcasting The game was broadcast in the United States by ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN Radio, with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit as English commentators on TV, and Eduardo Varela and Pablo Viruega as Spanish commentators. In Brazil, the game was broadcast on ESPN Brazil by Everaldo Marques ( play by play ) and Antony Curti ( color commentator ). As in 2015, ESPN provided Megacast coverage of the game, which supplemented coverage with analysis and additional perspectives of the game on different ESPN channels and platforms. An average of 23.6 million viewers watched the game, representing a 29 % decrease over the 2015 title game, which was seen by 33.4 million viewers. The game was the sixth - highest - rated broadcast in U.S. cable television history ( by contrast, the 2015 game was the highest - rated ), and ESPN reported that the game brought the network its third - highest overnight ratings ( behind the 2010 and 2015 title games ). Local Radio Network Play - by - play Color commentator ( s ) Sideline reporter ( s ) Studio Host ( s ) WFFN -- FM 95.3, WDGM - FM 99.1 and Crimson Tide Sports Network ( Alabama ) WCCP - FM 105.5 and Clemson Tigers Sports Network ( Clemson ) Eli Gold Don Munson Phil Savage Rodney Williams Chris Stewart Patrick Sapp See also College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS References Jump up ^ `` Alabama 61⁄2 - to 7 - point favorite in title game vs. Clemson ''. FoxSports. Retrieved September 7, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Vegas experts ' guide to betting Alabama - Clemson ''. ABC News. Retrieved September 7, 2016. Jump up ^ `` College Football Playoff Announces National Championship Pregame Entertainment '' ( Press release ). College Football Playoff. December 17, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Ciara To Sing National Anthem At College Football Playoff ''. dfw.cbslocal.com. CBS Local DFW. December 18, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015. Jump up ^ http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/22 Jump up ^ `` Deshaun Watson has record night in national championship loss ''. Retrieved November 17, 2016. Jump up ^ Hutchins, Andy. `` How Deshaun Watson became a superstar ''. SBNation.com. Retrieved November 17, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Final AP Poll : Alabama finishes No. 1 for 10th time ; Stanford, OSU move up ''. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 13, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Alabama claims it has 16 national titles, but several are disputed ''. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 13, 2016. Jump up ^ `` ESPN brings the Megacast back for the College Football Playoff National Championship ''. Awful Announcing. Retrieved January 8, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Details for ESPN 's Megacast of the College Football Playoff title game ''. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 8, 2016. Jump up ^ `` ESPN College Football Title Game Ratings Drop 19 % From 2015 Record ''. Broadcasting & Cable. NewBay Media. Retrieved January 13, 2016. Jump up ^ Chicago Tribune ( January 13, 2015 ). `` New college football playoff draws larger TV audience for title game ''. chicagotribune.com. Retrieved January 13, 2015. 2015 -- 16 NCAA football bowl game season New Mexico ( Dec. 19 ) Las Vegas ( Dec. 19 ) Camellia ( Dec. 19 ) Cure ( Dec. 19 ) New Orleans ( Dec. 19 ) Miami Beach ( Dec. 21 ) Famous Idaho Potato ( Dec. 22 ) Boca Raton ( Dec. 22 ) Poinsettia ( Dec. 23 ) GoDaddy ( Dec. 23 ) Bahamas ( Dec. 24 ) Hawaii ( Dec. 24 ) St. Petersburg ( Dec. 26 ) Sun ( Dec. 26 ) Heart of Dallas ( Dec. 26 ) Pinstripe ( Dec. 26 ) Independence ( Dec. 26 ) Foster Farms ( Dec. 26 ) Military ( Dec. 28 ) Quick Lane ( Dec. 28 ) Armed Forces ( Dec. 29 ) Russell Athletic ( Dec. 29 ) Arizona ( Dec. 29 ) Texas ( Dec. 29 ) Birmingham ( Dec. 30 ) Belk ( Dec. 30 ) Music City ( Dec. 30 ) Holiday ( Dec. 30 ) Peach ( Dec. 31 ) Outback ( Jan. 1 ) Citrus ( Jan. 1 ) Fiesta ( Jan. 1 ) Rose ( Jan. 1 ) Sugar ( Jan. 1 ) TaxSlayer ( Jan. 2 ) Liberty ( Jan. 2 ) Alamo ( Jan. 2 ) Cactus ( Jan. 2 ) College Football Playoff games : Orange ( semifinal ) ( Dec. 31 ) Cotton ( semifinal ) ( Dec. 31 ) National Championship Game ( Jan. 11 ) All - Star Games : 2016 East -- West Shrine Game ( Jan. 23 ) NFLPA Collegiate Bowl ( Jan. 23 ) Senior Bowl ( Jan. 30 ) 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. 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Question: who won the national college football championship in 2016
Answer: Alabama