Matt Murschel talks College Football Playoff

Led by quarterback Deshaun Watson, top-ranked Clemson defeated Oklahoma 37-17 in a College Football Playoff semifinal Thursday in the Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium.

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez). Alabama coach Nick Saban pauses next to the Field Scovell Trophy after his team’s Cotton Bowl NCAA college football semifinal playoff game against Michigan State, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. The SEC won in 2006 (Florida), 2007 (LSU), 2008 (Florida), 2009 (Alabama), 2010 (Auburn), 2011 and 2012 (Alabama).

Oklahoma has made 49 postseason bowl appearances in its long program history, and 19 of those have been in the Orange Bowl, the most of any team in the country that has played in at least 40 bowl games.

“Having the national championship would be fantastic”, Clemson offensive lineman Joe Gore said.

The Tigers never looked back, and they began to dream of the desert.

Clemson will play in the National Championship game on January 11th.

Scoring two plays later, the Sooners appeared to be in control of the game while the defense took the field forcing the Tigers to punt the ball away after six plays. Yet, when it comes to the title game, it’ll be a team from Alabama against a team from SC.

“What is so good about Dabo is we know he’s very genuine in his love for Clemson even though he graduated from Alabama”, said Thompson, who worked on the security detail for coaches from Danny Ford to Swinney. He was let go in 2000 after head coach Gene Stallings was sacked. Yes, what the faithful had just witnessed was the biggest Clemson win since clinching the national title in 1981.

But some of this year’s success has to do with sheer talent – and team attitude, said Joey Singleton, a Gainesville, Georgia resident who watched Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson as a high school player there.

WAR OF WORDS: Oklahoma receiver Sterling Shepard got into some serious jawing with Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander before last year’s Russell Athletic Bowl.

Alabama and the SEC are trying to win their first national title in three seasons, hoping for a return to their dominance of the BCS era.

“Coming into this game, I had a feeling that we were about to play the best game of football we’ve ever played”, Darlington said. “It was just a matter of when”. We just finished watching the two most important games of the 2015 season so far, yet when we wake up on Friday there will still be the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Fiesta Bowl.

“I think it’s just the “take one game at a time” mentality, every game’s the biggest game”, he said. “I think this year we wanted to sort of take the game and really thought our guys had a vision of what they wanted and everybody paid the price for what they had to do in preparation”. They won with better special teams.

The Clemson football team’s win in the Orange Bowl on Thursday did not come without a big loss.

The Sooners haven’t lost since, averaging 52 points over their last seven games.

Boulware was named the defensive MVP for the game. On the day, Gallman rushed for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns.

“It’s tough to beat us when we’re all on the same page and have each other’s back”, said Watson, who gives Clemson a double-edged threat.

The defense was even more impressive, especially since star end Shaq Lawson was knocked out of the game in the opening minutes with a knee injury. Time and time again during the Tigers’ undefeated run, Watson delivered a precision downfield pass or the ideal improvised scramble to wear down a defense.

Center Jay Guillermo said he could see a change in the Sooners’ body language after that third quarter drive.