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No. 2 Clemson defeated the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday night, 35-31 thanks to a thrilling, last-second touchdown pass by Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson. With the victory, the Tigers finished the year as the No. 1 team in the final AP Poll of the season, with preseason No. 1 Alabama finishing second.
If it had defeated Clemson, Alabama would have been the first-ever preseason No. 1 team to remain at the top of the polls all season long during a 15-game season.
It also would have been the first preseason No. 1 team to win the national title since USC’s 2004 season. So as we close the books on the 2016 season, that means 12 years have gone by and we have yet to see a preseason No. 1 team go on to win it all. A RedditCFB user pointed this out on Tuesday.
In parentheses next to the national champion is that team’s preseason ranking.
Preseason AP No. 1s
| Season | Preseason No. 1 | National Champ |
|---|---|---|
| Season | Preseason No. 1 | National Champ |
| 2004 | USC | USC (1) |
| 2005 | USC | Texas (2) |
| 2006 | Ohio State | Florida (7) |
| 2007 | USC | LSU (2) |
| 2008 | Georgia | Florida (5) |
| 2009 | Florida | Alabama (5) |
| 2010 | Alabama | Auburn (22) |
| 2011 | Oklahoma | Alabama (2) |
| 2012 | USC | Alabama (2) |
| 2013 | Alabama | Florida State (11) |
| 2014 | Florida State | Ohio State (5) |
| 2015 | Ohio State | Alabama (3) |
| 2016 | Alabama | Clemson (2) |
For the past four seasons, the preseason No. 1 ranking has been awarded to the team that won the national title the season prior. But with Watson leaving for the NFL Draft, AP voters might not be too quick to crown Clemson before the season, so we’ll have to wait and see who gets the No. 1 spot. Here’s our early top 25.
If there’s anything this shows, it’s how difficult it is for a single favorite to win it all in the modern era in college football, especially with the new College Football Playoff system in place.