The Clemson Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide were the dominant teams in college football in the late 2010s, winning all four national championships from 2015 to 2018. In three of the four instances, both teams competed against each other in the national championship.
In 2015, Alabama defeated Clemson, but the Tigers emerged victorious against the Crimson Tide in 2016 and 2018. Following a close 45-40 loss in 2015, Deshaun Watson and his team were determined to seek redemption against Alabama in 2016. The Tigers achieved an 11-1 record in the regular season, secured the ACC championship and entered the College Football Playoff as the No. 3 seed.
Clemson dominated the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes, winning 31-0 to set up a rematch. The game lived up to the hype once again, and with just over two minutes remaining, Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts took off for a 30-yard touchdown run, giving the Crimson Tide a 31-28 lead.
© Mark J&period Rebilas-Imagn Images
Watson quickly led Clemson down the field before throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow with just one second left on a pick play. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum revealed on his show, the “Paul Finebaum Show,” that Clemson should never have won that game and that the officials should have called a penalty on the game-winning play. “Clemson should have never won that first national championship against Alabama,” Finebaum said. “That was a fraudulent officiating decision.”…