CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2016 Clemson

14–⁠1 (7–⁠1 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Dabo Swinney, finished No. 1 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

Clemson in 2016, game by game: won at Auburn 19–13; won vs. Troy 30–24; won vs. South Carolina State 59–0; won at Georgia Tech 26–7; won vs. No. 3 Louisville 42–36; won at Boston College 56–10; won vs. NC State 24–17; won at No. 12 Florida State 37–34; won vs. Syracuse 54–0; lost vs. Pittsburgh 42–43; won at Wake Forest 35–13; won vs. South Carolina 56–7; won vs. No. 19 Virginia Tech 42–35; won vs. No. 2 Ohio State 31–0; won vs. No. 1 Alabama 35–31+59−1Won 19–13 at Auburn+6AuburnWon 30–24 vs. Troy+6TroyWon 59–0 vs. South Carolina State+59South Carolina …Won 26–7 at Georgia Tech+19Georgia TechWon 42–36 vs. No. 3 Louisville+6No. 3 LouisvilleWon 56–10 at Boston College+46Boston CollegeWon 24–17 vs. NC State+7NC StateWon 37–34 at No. 12 Florida State+3No. 12 Florida StateWon 54–0 vs. Syracuse+54SyracuseLost 42–43 vs. Pittsburgh-1PittsburghWon 35–13 at Wake Forest+22Wake ForestWon 56–7 vs. South Carolina+49South CarolinaWon 42–35 vs. No. 19 Virginia Tech+7No. 19 Virginia TechWon 31–0 vs. No. 2 Ohio State+31No. 2 Ohio StateWon 35–31 vs. No. 1 Alabama+4No. 1 Alabama
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 3atAuburnW 19–⁠1363%
Sep 10vsTroyW 30–⁠2489%
Sep 17vsSouth Carolina StateW 59–⁠094%
Sep 22atGeorgia TechW 26–⁠769%
Oct 1vs3LouisvilleW 42–⁠3667%
Oct 7atBoston CollegeW 56–⁠1080%
Oct 15vsNC StateW 24–⁠1781%
Oct 29at12Florida StateW 37–⁠3457%
Nov 5vsSyracuseW 54–⁠091%
Nov 12vsPittsburghL 42–⁠4386%
Nov 19atWake ForestW 35–⁠1383%
Nov 26vsSouth CarolinaW 56–⁠789%
Dec 3vs19Virginia TechACC Championship GameW 42–⁠3574%
Dec 31Bowls & playoffvs2Ohio StateFiesta BowlW 31–⁠047%
Jan 9Bowls & playoffvs1AlabamaCFP National ChampionshipW 35–⁠3138%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Alabama 35–⁠31 in the CFP National Championship; No. 1 in the final AP poll; Atlantic Coast Conference champions.

In program history: The 3rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 125 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 1: 2
  2. Wk 2: 2
  3. Wk 3: 5
  4. Wk 4: 5
  5. Wk 5: 5
  6. Wk 6: 3
  7. Wk 7: 3
  8. Wk 8: 4
  9. Wk 9: 3
  10. Wk 10: 3
  11. Wk 11: 3
  12. Wk 12: 5
  13. Wk 13: 4
  14. Wk 14: 3
  15. Wk 15: 3
  16. Final: 1

National championsNo. 1 in the final AP poll, and a title the school claims

Atlantic Coast Conference champions7–⁠1 in the conference, won the ACC Championship Game

Heisman voteDeshaun Watson, second

Davey O’Brien AwardDeshaun Watson, QB; also the Unitas Golden Arm and Manning

Paul “Bear” Bryant AwardDabo Swinney, coach

Broyles AwardBrent Venables, coach

Record
14–⁠1
Conference
7–⁠1 shared first in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
No. 1 peak No. 1
Points
588–⁠270
Coach
Dabo Swinney
Elo
1878 +161 this season
SP+ rating
28.7 No. 2 of 128; offense No. 3, defense No. 6, special teams No. 85
SRS
22.3 No. 2 of 128 in FBS
Returning
89% of last season’s EPA, No. 20 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 11 roster talent No. 9 in FBS
Offensive coordinators
Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott
Defensive coordinator
Brent Venables
Offense
Spread
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense35th of 128
  • Defense13th of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted16th of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted10th of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1650%1.0735th of 128
Defense-0.0336%1.1813th of 128
Opponent-adjusted0.21 off
-0.04 def		53% off
35% def		—16th off
10th def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense4.0own 3413% allowed
Defense2.6own 3222% caused

CORE rating 23.4, 4th of 128 (offense 8.5, defense -14.9).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsDeshaun Watson QB4,593 yds
Passing touchdownsDeshaun Watson QB41 TD
Rushing yardsWayne Gallman RB1,133 yds
Rushing touchdownsWayne Gallman RB17 TD
Receiving yardsMike Williams WR1,361 yds
Receiving touchdownsMike Williams WR11 TD
TacklesBen Boulware LB116 tkl
SacksCarlos Watkins DT10.5 sacks
InterceptionsJadar Johnson S5 INT

Top recruits in the 2016 class

Dexter Lawrence DT★★★★★No. 2
Tavien Feaster APB★★★★No. 29
Tre Lamar ILB★★★★No. 58
Trayvon Mullen CB★★★★No. 63
Shaq Smith ILB★★★★No. 80
Xavier Kelly WDE★★★★No. 99
Cornell Powell WR★★★★No. 146
John Simpson OG★★★★No. 151

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2016 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks14.00.912
Running backs14.00.982
Receivers43.80.912
Offensive line53.40.873
Defensive line43.80.910
Linebackers33.70.931
Defensive backs33.30.891
Whole class213.60.905

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2017

The 2017 draft
Rd 1Mike Williams WRLos Angeles Chargers
Rd 1Deshaun Watson QBHouston Texans
Rd 3Cordrea Tankersley CBMiami Dolphins
Rd 4Wayne Gallman RBNew York Giants
Rd 4Carlos Watkins DTHouston Texans
Rd 5Jordan Leggett TENew York Jets

Roster 111

The 2016 roster

111 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2016 line; 76 have a stat line. See the roster

2016 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Clemson7–⁠114–⁠11
Louisville7–⁠19–⁠421
Virginia Tech6–⁠210–⁠416
Florida State5–⁠310–⁠38
Miami5–⁠39–⁠420
North Carolina5–⁠38–⁠5
Pittsburgh5–⁠38–⁠5
Georgia Tech4–⁠49–⁠4
Wake Forest3–⁠57–⁠6
NC State3–⁠57–⁠6
Boston College2–⁠67–⁠6
Syracuse2–⁠64–⁠8
Duke1–⁠74–⁠8
Virginia1–⁠72–⁠10

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.