Clemson stood No. 1 for nearly three months, but it was a loss in the national championship game that finally changed the way its many doubters view them.
On the whole that seems unfair, considering the Tigers did everything asked on the road to 14-0 and a date against Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T. Yet the lead-up to the game focused on what Clemson would not do, despite proven results to the contrary: Clemson would not challenge Alabama physically; Clemson would not move the ball; Clemson would not score; Clemson would not stop Derrick Henry and Alabama.