2016 College Football Playoff National Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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College Football Playoff | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date | January 11, 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Season | 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stadium | University of Phoenix Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Glendale, Arizona | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
MVP | Offensive: #88 TE O.J. Howard, Jr., Alabama Defensive: #4 SS Eddie Jackson, Jr. Alabama |
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Favorite | Alabama by 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
National anthem |
Ciara Eric Church (Championship Tailgate) Canaan Smith (America the Beautiful) |
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Referee | Terry Leyden (Pac-12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Attendance | 75,765 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Announcers |
ESPN:
Eduardo Varela (play-by-play) Pablo Viruega (analyst) ESPN Radio: Mike Tirico (play-by-play) Todd Blackledge (analyst) Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) Joe Schad (sideline reporter) |
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International TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Network | ESPN (Spanish and Portuguese) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Announcers |
Eduardo Varela Pablo Viruega |
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The 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship was a bowl game that determined the national champion of NCAA Division I FBS college football for the 2015 season. It was played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on January 11, 2016, and was the culminating game of the 2015–16 bowl season.
The game was played between the winners of two pre-designated semifinal bowls played on December 31, 2015: the No. 1 Clemson Tigers, who beat the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners 37-17 at the Orange Bowl, coached by Dabo Swinney in his 8th season, and the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide, who shut out the No. 3 Michigan State Spartans 38-0 at the Cotton Bowl Classic, coached by Nick Saban.
The 13-1 Alabama Crimson Tide won the game, holding off the undefeated Clemson Tigers 45–40 in the fourth quarter. Accompanied by a talented receiving corps, Clemson's Heisman Finalist quarterback Deshaun Watson had a historic performance, setting the record for most total yards in national championship game history, with 478 yards (405 passing / 73 rushing) against the nation's third-ranked defense in Alabama, breaking the record previously set by Vince Young in the 2006 Rose Bowl. Following the game, the AP Poll also named Alabama as its top team of the season, giving Alabama their fourth title in seven seasons. Both Clemson and Alabama finished the season 14-1.