2016 College Football Playoff

The 2015 Cotton Bowl, played on December 31, 2015, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, served as a College Football Playoff semifinal and saw the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide overpower the No. 3 Michigan State Spartans 38-0 in a suffocating, wire-to-wire victory. With a dominant defensive performance and a breakout game from quarterback Jake Coker, Alabama punched its ticket to the national championship game and reminded the college football world that its dynasty was still very much alive.

The 2015 Orange Bowl, played on December 31, 2015, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, served as a College Football Playoff semifinal and featured a dominant second-half performance by the No. 1 Clemson Tigers, who defeated the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners 37-17 to earn their first national championship game berth since the 1981 season. In a matchup filled with offensive firepower and future NFL talent, it was Clemson’s defense, physicality, and dual-threat quarterback Deshaun Watson that made the difference.

The 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship, played on January 11, 2016, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, was an instant classic that saw the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide outlast the No. 1 Clemson Tigers 45-40 in a back-and-forth thriller filled with explosive plays, elite quarterback play, and momentum-shifting special teams. In a game that featured five lead changes and over 1,000 yards of combined offense, Alabama captured its fourth national title in seven seasons under Nick Saban and cemented its dynasty in the College Football Playoff era.