Clemson Tigers football: Ranking the 5 best seasons in program history

4. 2015 Clemson football season

Record: 14-1 | Finish: National Runners-Up, Lost to Alabama 45-40 in CFP National Championship

Deshaun Watson is the best player in Clemson football history. And the quarterback came so close to having not one but two National Championships to his credit for his illustrious career in Death Valley. Unfortunately, one of the best teams in the history of the program from 2015 came up just short with all of the marbles on the line.

While the Tigers defense wasn’t as dominant as they would be a few years down the road, they were still littered with NFL talent across the board, including some young studs that would go on to play key roles with titles on the line. However, it was Watson, who had over 5,200 total yards and 47 total touchdowns on the season, that starred for this team and guided the way.

Clemson went a perfect 12-0 in the regular season to make it to the ACC Championship Game where they held off a gritty North Carolina team. They then handily dispatched Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup, 37-17, setting up what has become a CFP rivalry now in a date with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Unfortunately, Dabo Swinney’s team just didn’t have enough to slow down the tide. Derrick Henry ran amok over the Tigers defense while Jake Coker and O.J. Howard connected for big key plays throughout the night. Even though Watson led the way to a 40-point effort, it wasn’t enough as Clemson had to settle for being National Runners-Up. But even still, there’s no denying that this was a special Tigers team with Watson under center.