College Football Championship Recap

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photo courtesy of fbschedules.com

Jordan Coley, Sports Editor

This past college football season was one for the books. Forty-one bowl games were played this year, but only one national champion was crowned. Alabama took home the national championship once again. While Alabama remained on top for another year, many other teams made notable strides this season.

While Clemson didn’t win the championship game, they still had a very impressive season. Brent Shishido (12) commented, “Although Clemson didn’t win, it was nice to see someone give Alabama a run for their money.” They won the ACC Championship and made a strong run at the title, just coming up short. According to espn.go.com, these are the top moments in Clemson’s season:

Oct. 3: A last-second stand on a two-point conversion holds off Notre Dame. Clemson’s 18-point, fourth-quarter lead shrunk, and Notre Dame scored a touchdown with seven seconds left to cut its deficit to 24-22.

Nov. 3: Clemson debuts at No. 1 in College Football Playoff rankings. The target arrived on the Tigers’ back through the first College Football Playoff selection committee rankings, which put Clemson atop and kept it there for each of its five subsequent rankings.

Dec. 6: Clemson tops UNC for ACC title … but not without controversy. Deshaun Watson had five total touchdowns to lift the Tigers to a 45-37 victory over North Carolina and clinch Clemson’s first ACC title since 2011, but much of the focus afterward was on an onside kick that the Tar Heels appeared to have recovered with 1:11 left.

Dec. 13: Watson finishes third in Heisman Trophy voting.

This offseason will surely change the dynamics of Alabama’s team greatly. Alabama is losing their star running back Derrick Henry. Heisman winner Henry announced that he will be entered into the 2016 National Football League draft. With this announcement comes great uncertainty for Alabama. With five other players available to fill the spot, there are certainly a lot of options for the coaching staff to choose from. However, filling Henry’s shoes as the reigning national champion’s running back is a tall order to fill.