‘No doubt’ Dabo: Clemson among all-time best
Dabo Swinney says to beat Alabama, you have to matchup in the trenches and make plays. (1:02)
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney claimed “there’s no doubt” his 15-0 national championship team that routed No. 1 Alabama 44-16 on Monday night should be in the conversation for college football’s best team ever.
“There was a lot of talk about ‘best ever’ all year long,” said Swinney, who won his second national title. “We were never in that conversation. But tonight, there’s no doubt. First 15-0 team — to beat Notre Dame and to beat Alabama to do it. This team won 13 games by 20 points or more … led by an unbelievable group of seniors. Amazing group, and I’m just thankful to be a part of it.”
Although Clemson’s place among the sport’s greatest teams could be debated, it was undoubtedly a historic night for the Tigers, who became the first Division I/FBS team to finish 15-0 since Penn in 1897.
The Tigers dominated the Tide in every way, crushing any “best ever” talk for Alabama and resetting the balance of power in college football.
Nick Saban said Alabama thought a busted third-quarter play that proved momentous in a 28-point loss to Clemson was a “really, really good fake, and somebody didn’t block a guy they were supposed to block, and so it didn’t work.”
During Monday night’s title game, Alabama opened as the +150 favorite to bring home the championship in 2020 — but those odds shifted by the end of the night, with the Tigers emerging as +180 favorites following their dominant win over the Tide.
With the convincing win, Clemson also became the first undefeated national champion in the five seasons of the College Football Playoff.
Clemson’s senior class finishes 55-4, tied with the current Alabama senior class for the most wins by a class in FBS history.
“I feel like it’s not really up for debate,” Clemson cornerback Trayvon Mullen said. “I feel like we’re the best team ever — 15-0, most wins by a senior class and we beat the team that was considered the best team in the history of college football.”
Clemson outscored Notre Dame and Alabama by a combined margin of 55 points in its two playoff games — the highest scoring margin in the five years of the playoff.
Clemson’s 28-point margin was the largest against a Nick Saban-coached Alabama team. The Tide were held scoreless in the second half.