Won the 2016 College Football Playoff: Clemson 35, Alabama 31. The 2016 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Dabo Swinney in his eighth full year and ninth overall since taking over midway through the 2008 season. They played their home games at Memorial Stadium, also known as "Death Valley", and competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tigers entered the 2016 season as the defending national runners-up after a 14–1 season that ended with a loss to Alabama in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship. After finishing the regular season with a record of 11–1, and then beating Coastal Division champion Virginia Tech in the 2016 ACC Championship game, the second-ranked Tigers advanced to the 2016 College Football Playoff semifinal played at the Fiesta Bowl, where they defeated third-ranked Ohio State 31–0. Clemson and Alabama met in the 2017 CFP National Championship in college football's first ever national championship game rematch. Clemson won by a score of 35 to 31, winning their first consensus national championship since 1981. Clemson subsequently finished first of the rankings in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll. The Clemson offense was led by junior quarterback Deshaun Watson, who led the ACC with 4,593 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns. Watson finished second in voting for the Heisman Trophy behind Louisville's Lamar Jackson and was awarded the Davey O'Brien Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and Manning Award. Wide receiver Mike Williams, tight end Jordan Leggett, and offensive linemen Mitch Hyatt, Tyrone Crowder, and Jay Guillermo were named first-team All-ACC on offense. Defensive first-team all-conference selections were defensive tackle Carlos Watkins, linebacker Ben Boulware, and defensive backs Cordrea Tankersley and Jadar Johnson. Wiki link