2015–16 College Football Playoff
| 2015–16 College Football Playoff | |
|---|---|
| Season | 2015 |
| Semifinals |
|
| Championship |
|
| Teams invited |
|
| Champions | Alabama (1st CFP title, 16th overall title) |
The 2015–16 College Football Playoff was a single-elimination postseason tournament that determined the national champion of the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the second edition of the College Football Playoff (CFP) and involved the top four teams in the country as ranked by the College Football Playoff poll playing in two semifinals, with the winners of each advancing to the national championship game. Each participating team was the champion of its respective conference: No. 1 Clemson from the Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 2 Alabama from the Southeastern Conference, No. 3 Michigan State from the Big Ten Conference, and No. 4 Oklahoma from the Big 12 Conference.
The playoff bracket's semifinal games were held at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year's Eve, part of the season's slate of bowl games. In the Orange Bowl semifinal, Clemson defeated Oklahoma by twenty points. The second semifinal, at the Cotton Bowl, saw Alabama shutout Michigan State, 38–0. As a result of their victories, Clemson and Alabama faced each other in the national championship game, held on January 11 in Glendale, Arizona. In that game, Alabama won by five points, giving them their first CFP national championship and their sixteenth claimed national championship in school history.
The playoff set streaming viewership records for the CFP, with both semifinals besting those of the previous year and the championship doing the same. Despite an overall viewership drop of 23 percent from the 2015 championship, this year's championship set a record for unique viewers for an ESPN college football broadcast and ranked third among broadcasts of all sports in that category. The championship game received a Nielsen rating of 15.8.
Bracket
[edit]| Semifinals | Championship | |||||||
| December 31 – Orange Bowl Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens |
||||||||
| 1 | Clemson | 37 | ||||||
| 4 | Oklahoma | 17 | January 11 – National Championship University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale | |||||
| 1 | Clemson | 40 | ||||||
| December 31 – Cotton Bowl AT&T Stadium, Arlington |
2 | Alabama | 45 | |||||
| 2 | Alabama | 38 | ||||||
| 3 | Michigan State | 0 | ||||||
Selection and teams
[edit]The 2015–16 CFP selection committee was chaired by Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long. Its other members were Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez, former United States Air Force Academy superintendent Michael C. Gould, Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt, former NCAA executive vice president Tom Jernstedt, former head coach Bobby Johnson, former Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne, Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich, former United States secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, former Big East Conference commissioner Mike Tranghese, former USA Today reporter Steve Wieberg, and former college head coach Tyrone Willingham.[1]
The season's first College Football Playoff rankings were released on November 3, 2015. Clemson, from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), was ranked No. 1. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) was represented by No. 2 LSU and No. 4 Alabama, while No. 3 Ohio State represented the Big Ten Conference. Notre Dame, an FBS independent, and Baylor, from the Big 12 Conference, rounded out the top six.[2] Alabama rose to No. 2 the following week as a result of their win against LSU,[3] who dropped to No. 9.[4] The November 10 rankings also saw Notre Dame jump to No. 4 after beating Pittsburgh[5] and Iowa rise to No. 6 following an eight-point win at Indiana.[6] The top five teams kept their rankings through to week 11, though a loss by No. 6 Baylor to No. 12 Oklahoma saw them replaced in the top six by Oklahoma State.[7][8] Several upsets shook up the following week's rankings: No. 9 Michigan State defeated No. 3 Ohio State and No. 10 Baylor defeated No. 6 Oklahoma State.[9][10] As a result, Michigan State jumped to No. 5 and Baylor rose to No. 7.[11] Further, Oklahoma leapfrogged to No. 3 following a win over No. 18 TCU and Iowa rose one spot to No. 4 after a win against Purdue that saw the Hawkeyes clinch the Big Ten West Division.[12][11] The final week of the regular season saw only one change made to the top six, as No. 9 Stanford's win over No. 6 Notre Dame[13] and No. 8 Ohio State's win over No. 10 Michigan[14] were sufficient for the Buckeyes to replace the Fighting Irish in the No. 6 spot in the December 1 rankings.[15]
The following weekend saw many conferences play their championship games. No. 1 Clemson won the ACC Championship over No. 10 North Carolina to remain undefeated,[16] leading Sports Illustrated to declare them the "clear No. 1" entering the CFP. In Atlanta, No. 2 Alabama defeated No. 18 Florida for the SEC Championship, putting them at 12–1 and likely contenders for the playoff as well.[17] The Big Ten Championship saw No. 5 Michigan State defeat No. 4 Iowa on a touchdown with 27 seconds remaining.[18] In the Pac-12 Championship, No. 7 Stanford defeated No. 20 USC.[19]
Ultimately, Clemson and Alabama were selected in the top two spots, while Michigan State rose to No. 3 and Big 12 champion Oklahoma was ranked No. 4 in the final CFP rankings.[20][21] Clemson and Oklahoma were assigned to the Orange Bowl, while Alabama and Michigan State were scheduled to play in the Cotton Bowl Classic.[21] Iowa and Stanford, ranked No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, were slated to face each other in the Rose Bowl.[22]
| No. | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson (8–0) | Clemson (9–0) | Clemson (10–0) | Clemson (11–0) | Clemson (12–0) | Clemson (13–0) |
| 2 | LSU (7–0) | Alabama (8–1) | Alabama (9–1) | Alabama (10–1) | Alabama (11–1) | Alabama (12–1) |
| 3 | Ohio State (8–0) | Ohio State (9–0) | Ohio State (10–0) | Oklahoma (10–1) | Oklahoma (11–1) | Michigan State (12–1) |
| 4 | Alabama (7–1) | Notre Dame (8–1) | Notre Dame (9–1) | Iowa (11–0) | Iowa (12–0) | Oklahoma (11–1) |
| 5 | Notre Dame (7–1) | Iowa (9–0) | Iowa (10–0) | Michigan State (10–1) | Michigan State (11–1) | Iowa (12–1) |
| 6 | Baylor (7–0) | Baylor (8–0) | Oklahoma State (10–0) | Notre Dame (10–1) | Ohio State (11–1) | Stanford (11–2) |
Key: Team increased ranking from previous week Team decreased ranking from previous week Team selected to College Football Playoff
Playoff games
[edit]Semifinals
[edit]Orange Bowl
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Oklahoma | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| No. 1 Clemson | 3 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 37 |
at Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, Florida
- Date: December 31, 2015
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
A rematch of the Russell Athletic Bowl from the year before, the Orange Bowl semifinal was a matchup between No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 Oklahoma.[23] It was their fifth all-time meeting.[24] Each team scored once in the first quarter: Oklahoma capped their opening drive with a Samaje Perine touchdown rush, while Clemson's Greg Huegel kicked a field goal on the Tigers' second possession. Clemson took the lead with ten points from its next two possessions but a touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield to Mark Andrews late in the second quarter gave the Sooners a one-point halftime lead. In the second half, Oklahoma, who lost both Perine and Joe Mixon to injury, failed to score, and the Tigers added touchdowns by Wayne Gallman and Hunter Renfrow to recapture and keep the lead. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, was named MVP alongside linebacker Ben Boulware as the Tigers won by twenty to advance to the National Championship.[25]
Cotton Bowl Classic
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Michigan State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 2 Alabama | 0 | 10 | 21 | 7 | 38 |
at AT&T Stadium • Arlington, Texas
- Date: December 31, 2015
- Game time: 7:20 p.m. CST
The Cotton Bowl Classic semifinal matchup paired No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Michigan State in their first meeting since a Crimson Tide victory in the 2011 Capital One Bowl.[26] The game started scoreless through the first quarter, and Alabama struck first with a touchdown by running back Derrick Henry near the midpoint of the second quarter.[27] A field goal made the score 10–0 at halftime, but touchdowns from Calvin Ridley, Cyrus Jones, and Henry in the second half cemented a "blowout" win for the Crimson Tide, according to The Dothan Eagle.[28][29] The win was the ninth in nine attempts for Alabama head coach Nick Saban against his former assistants and saw Derrick Henry, the Heisman Trophy winner, break the SEC single-season rushing touchdowns record of twenty-three early in the game.[29][30] Alabama's 38–0 win was the first shutout in any Cotton Bowl Classic game since 1963.[28]
Championship game
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Alabama | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 45 |
| No. 1 Clemson | 14 | 0 | 10 | 16 | 40 |
at University of Phoenix Stadium • Glendale, Arizona
- Date: January 11, 2016
- Game time: 6:30 p.m. MST
In their first meeting since the beginning of the 2008 season, No. 1 Clemson and No. 2 Alabama met in the National Championship game to conclude the 2015 season.[31] The Crimson Tide entered the contest as favorites by a seven-point margin.[32] Alabama scored first on a 50-yard touchdown rush by Derrick Henry, and Clemson responded on their next drive with a pass from Deshaun Watson to Hunter Renfrow to tie the game. Clemson scored another touchdown before the end of the first quarter to lead 14–7 but another Henry score tied the game at 14 points apiece going into halftime. A field goal and a touchdown apiece to begin the second half made the score 24–24 early in the fourth quarter.[33] Following the Adam Griffith field goal that tied the game, Alabama attempted and recovered an onside kick, allowing them to retain possession of the ball. The Associated Press called it "perhaps the boldest call of [Nick] Saban's career" and The Anniston Star said that "the call was gutsy" and "the execution was flawless".[33][34] Alabama scored a touchdown two plays later on a pass to O. J. Howard and did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game,[35] despite a national championship-record 40 combined points in the fourth quarter.[36]
Aftermath
[edit]Alabama's win gave them their fourth national championship in the previous seven seasons, the second team in history to do so after Notre Dame from 1943 to 1949. The championship was the fifth for head coach Nick Saban and the sixteenth all-time for the Crimson Tide.[33][36] Clemson's loss in the national championship broke their 17-game winning streak, the second-longest in ACC history, and an even longer streak of 51 wins when leading at the end of the third quarter.[36][35]
The national championship game drew a viewership average of 25.7 million, a drop of 23 percent,[37] with a Nielsen rating of 15.8.[38] Still, the championship game set an ESPN college football record for unique viewers at over 2.4 million, and ranked third among all ESPN broadcasts behind two FIFA World Cup games.[39] The Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl ranked first and second among CFP semifinal streaming viewership, besting both of the previous year's semifinals, and the championship game topped that of 2015 in the same category.[40]
References
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- ^ "The first College Football Playoff rankings are out, and Clemson is No. 1". The Washington Post. November 3, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ Guilbeau, Glenn (November 8, 2015). "Tide stuffs Fournette early". The News-Star. Monroe, Louisiana. p. C4. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Lesmerises, Doug (November 10, 2015). "College Football Playoff rankings: Alabama jumps Ohio State, Buckeyes remain No. 3". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ "Kizer throws for 5 TDs, No. 5 Notre Dame tops Pitt". ESPN. November 7, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ "No. 9 Iowa gets past Hoosiers 35–27 to stay perfect". ESPN. November 8, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ "College Football Playoff committee keeps top teams in place". The New York Times. November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ Orts, Jason (November 15, 2015). "Home win streak stops at 20". Waco Tribune-Herald. Waco, Texas. p. 28. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wenzel, Matt (November 19, 2021). "Remembering Michigan State's 2015 upset win at Ohio State: 'Nobody believed it but us'". MLive Media Group. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ "Baylor hands Oklahoma State its first loss". The New York Times. November 21, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Baumgaertner, Gabriel (November 24, 2015). "Instant Analysis: Iowa cracks CFP top four, but will need Big Ten title to stay". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ "Iowa tops Purdue, clinches Big Ten West". ESPN. November 21, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ "Stanford rallies to knock Notre Dame from playoff picture". ESPN. November 29, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ Billing, Greg (November 29, 2015). "Big-House party: Buckeyes roll into Michigan Stadium, dominate Wolverines". Dayton Daily News. Dayton, Ohio. p. 34. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dufresne, Chris (December 1, 2015). "Final regular-season ranking sets table for College Football Playoff". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ Ellis, Zac (December 6, 2015). "Clemson enters playoff as clear No. 1 with convincing ACC title game victory". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ Smits, Garry (December 5, 2015). "Derrick Henry, Alabama pound Florida to win SEC Championship". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ Hamilton, Brian (December 6, 2015). "Michigan State philosophy culminates in epic game-winning drive over Iowa". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ Schnell, Lindsay (December 5, 2015). "Instant analysis: Stanford, Christian McCaffrey win Pac-12 title over USC". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Wolken, Dan (November 29, 2015). "Playoff-ready Oklahoma rapidly transformed from fading to thriving". USA Today. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ a b Russo, Ralph D. (December 7, 2024). "Turning points define playoff teams". Courier-Post. Camden, New Jersey. p. C2. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dochterman, Scott (December 7, 2015). "Pac-12 champs feel left out". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. p. M4. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Pantorno, Joe (December 7, 2015). "Orange Bowl 2015: updated odds and preview for Clemson vs. Oklahoma". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Lassan, Steven (December 30, 2015). "Orange Bowl preview and prediction: Clemson vs. Oklahoma". Athlon Sports. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ "Deshaun Watson, Tigers' D shine as Clemson reaches CFP title game". ESPN. January 1, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Rexrode, Joe (December 30, 2015). "MSU vs. Alabama: scouting report, prediction". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Burnett, Marq (January 1, 2016). "Big-play Bama: Tide parties hearty at Sparty's expense". The Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, Alabama. p. C1. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Rogers, Ken (January 1, 2016). "Title-bound Tide: Bama's offense, defense sizzle in blowout of Michigan State". The Dothan Eagle. Dothan, Alabama. p. 17. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Alabama blanks Michigan State to reach CFP title game". ESPN. January 1, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Scarborough, Alex (December 31, 2015). "Derrick Henry sets SEC mark for single-season rushing TDs". ESPN. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ "2008 changed everything: Tide routed Tigers, but both programs won". Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Associated Press. January 8, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ "Alabama vs. Clemson odds, 2016 College Football Playoff title game: Tide TD favorite". SB Nation. January 8, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c "No. 2 Alabama holds off No. 1 Clemson for Nick Saban's 5th national title". ESPN. Associated Press. January 12, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Burnett, Marq (January 12, 2016). "Onside kick leads Alabama to national title win over Clemson". The Anniston Star. Anniston, Alabama. p. B01. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Khan Jr., Sam (January 12, 2016). "Alabama returns to top of college football with 45–40 win over Clemson". ESPN. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Dynasty at desert: another Crimson crown added to Tide's crowded mantel". The Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, Alabama. January 12, 2016. pp. C1–C2. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Sandomir, Richard (January 12, 2016). "College football championship game TV viewership drops 23 percent". The New York Times. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Daniels, Tim (January 12, 2016). "Ratings for 2016 college football championship revealed". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ "2016 Report: Passion for college football remains strong with impressive ratings and audience". National Football Foundation. April 19, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Volner, Derek (January 12, 2016). "College Football Playoff National Championship: ESPN's third highest overnight ever across all sports; WatchESPN sets new records". ESPN Press Room. ESPN. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
