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Alabama 45, Clemson 40: Alabama Crimson Tide Wins Its Fourth National Championship in Seven Years

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Nick Saban won his fourth national title in seven seasons on Monday night, and his fifth over all, with an Alabama team headlined by Derrick Henry, the second Tide player, after Mark Ingram Jr., to win the Heisman Trophy. The Heismans bookending Saban’s first and fourth titles since 2009 buttress the belief outside Tuscaloosa, Ala., that Saban is the beneficiary of bountiful talent.

Who couldn’t coach an Ingram or a Henry, right? Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney took a scythe to that sentiment. “Not everybody can coach a great team,” he said on the eve of Monday’s championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium.