Clemson fan here.
First let me say what an honor it has been to have played Alabama in the playoffs these past four years. After I respectfully disagree with a couple of things that have been said since January, I will say some of the very nice things I feel about Alabama. I certainly don't disagree that we benefited from a very weak 2018 ACC, which was shockingly weaker than the weak 2017 ACC. Having said that, however, I feel that people are stating that Clemson has a free ride every year and that has not been the case.
The 2016 National Championship team, for example, made it through an ACC that many agreed was the nation's best league at the end of that season. The post championship poll that year included #1 Clemson (I know we don't play ourselves), #8 Florida State ( Defeated Michigan in Orange Bowland five straight over Florida), #16 Virginia Tech (defeated Arkansas in Bowl), #20 Miami, #21 Louisville (Heisman Trophy winner). We also beat #4 Ohio State in the Fiesta, #24 Auburn and Georgia Tech, which defeated Georgia in Athens that year. I hear you on saying we had an easy road in 2018, but please don't group 2016 in that declaration. It does a disservice to Alabama in either instance as much as it does to Clemson. In 2015 we had to beat #5 Oklahoma, #11 Notre Dame, #14 FSU, #15 North Carolina,
I also hear quite a bit about the playoff draw. Alabama had to play Oklahoma in the heat and humidity of Miami, while Clemson got to play Notre Dame indoors in Dallas. Well, in 2015, we had to play Oklahoma in the heat and humidity in Miami, while Alabama played Michigan State indoors in Dallas. You all played Georgia in the conference title game this year while we got to play Pitt. Last year, we played Miami, while you had the week off. I know, probably not much easier than playing Miami. I'll beat you to that punch line. Again, I am just trying to point out that because the ACC was down the last two years, it doesn't mean it was down in 2016. We also play a couple of SEC teams every year. I know yall beat Tex AM worse than we did, but it was a tough out in College Station in the second week of the season. Had a 28-13 lead and let them climb back in it. And their crowd became a factor.
If I live to be 100, I will likely never see Clemson with double digit football national championships, let alone 17 like Bama has. Heck, I might not see another one. But I am as proud and thrilled with our three as anyone could be. And I am especially proud considering the last two came over Alabama, the very best program of all time. Alabama has been, is now, and forever will be considered the greatest college football program of them all. A Bama friend was congratulating me the next day and what I told them that morning, is just exactly what I believe today. And that is that the game got away from Bama during a span of about 11 game minutes, the last five minutes of the first half and the first six minutes of the second half. If the two teams played in a week, or three days, or two hours later the result could just as easily be a close Bama win or a blowout Bama win.
At some point, hopefully after Dabo retires and not before, Clemson will revert back to the norm for us, which is a good to very good program, but not perennial national title contender. When that happens, I will look back with pride at this period of playing in the playoffs and even winning a couple of titles. The biggest part of that pride will come from the fact that we had to line up against the best of all time. I also told my Bama friend that Alabama will win many more titles in the future than we will ever play for. But again, when you make that declaration about the "free ride" to the playoff, please don't lump in every time we've made it. And though I concede this year was an easy pass, we still had to beat #2 Bama, #5 Notre Dame, #15 Syracuse and #16 Tex Am to win the title.
Good luck to you folks in 2019, but you won't need it. I fully expect Bama to be in the title game and probably win it.