SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Dabo Swinney kissed the championship trophy and proclaimed this Clemson team the greatest of all time.

He's got a case.

With stunning ease -- and a freshman quarterback -- Clemson toppled college football's greatest dynasty again to become the first perfect playoff champion.

Trevor Lawrence passed for 347 yards and three touchdowns and the second-ranked Tigers beat No. 1 Alabama 44-16 on Monday night in the College Football Playoff national championship game.

In the fourth consecutive playoff meeting between the Tigers and Tide, Clemson evened the series and beat `Bama for the national championship for the second time in three years. Clemson is the first college football team to finish 15-0 since the 1800s, and the first team since the playoff started five seasons ago to get through a season unscathed.

"I mean, our guys had the eye of the tiger, but I'm so proud, and then for our seniors to be able to go out 15-0 and truly be the best ever -- there was a lot of talk about best ever all year long," Swinney said, talking about Alabama. "We were never in that conversation. But tonight, there's no doubt. First 15-0 team, to beat Notre Dame and to beat Alabama to do it, this team won 13 games by 20 points or more and led by an unbelievable group of seniors, amazing group. I'm just thankful to be a part of it."

Alabama coach Nick Saban and the Tide (14-1) were looking for a sixth national championship in 10 years, trying to add to an already unprecedented run in the sport. Instead, Clemson crushed Alabama, becoming the first opponent to beat the Tide by more than 14 points since Saban became coach in 2007.

Swinney's Tigers sealed their status as a superpower, no longer just 1A to Alabama's 1.

"We're 15-0, we beat the best team ever, nobody's taking that away from us," Clemson All-American defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said.

Two seasons ago it was Deshaun Watson dethroning the Tide with a last-second touchdown pass. Clemson's new star quarterback didn't need the late-game heroics. The long-haired Lawrence cut though Alabama's defense with the help of another fabulous freshman. Justyn Ross made a juggling grab, a one-handed snare and broke a 74-yard touchdown about midway through the third quarter that made it 37-16 and had Swinney high-stepping down the sidelines.

Ross, who scored two touchdowns in the semifinal rout of Notre Dame, had six catches for 153 yards against his home-state team.

Swinney takes a different approach than Saban, running a more fun-loving program than Alabama's all-business organization. But the results have been every bit as good. And on Monday night at Levi's Stadium, in a championship game played more than 2,000 miles away from Clemson's South Carolina campus, the Tigers were way too much for an Alabama team that had spent the season mauling its opposition. The Tide won their first 14 games by an average of 31 points.

Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa threw two crucial interceptions in the first half, the first returned 44 yards for a touchdown by A.J. Terrell to put Clemson up 7-0. The Tide came in scoring 48 points per game, but was shut out over the final 44 minutes by an opportunistic Clemson defense.

Saban lamented numerous mistakes: blown coverages on third down (Clemson was 10 for 15), stall outs in the red zone and special teams mishaps, including a fake field goal that flopped on the first possession of the second half.

He laid the blame on himself. The Alabama program has set a championship-or-bust standard under Saban, but he didn't want this season looked at as a failure.

"One game doesn't define who you are," Saban said. "But I also told the players that sometimes we learn more when things don't go well, when we lose."

Tagovailoa, the sophomore who came off the bench to win the championship game last year for the Tide, went 22 for 34 for 295 yards and two touchdowns.

"We had a great season, but five words: Good is not good enough," Tagovailoa said. "We didn't finish the way we wanted to finish. We didn't do the things we needed to do to execute and be successful in this game, and that's all it is."

The Heisman runner-up was also the second-best quarterback on the field in the championship game. Lawrence finished 20 for 32, and went 18 for 25 for 277 yards over the final three quarters.

The teenager who took over as the starter four games into the season raised the Tigers' play, giving them an explosive offense to match a suffocating defense, led by All-American linemen Clelin Ferrell and Wilkins.

"Just these seniors, just taking me in, and they kind of dragged me along until I got my feet under me, and they just -- they're awesome people as well as players," said Lawrence, the first freshman starting quarterback to lead his team to a national title since Oklahoma's Jamelle Holieway in 1985.

Clemson hit Alabama with a 31-point first half, capitalizing on the Tide's mistakes and unleashing Lawrence's rocket arm.

Tagovailoa threw a second interception in the second quarter, this time into triple coverage, and Trayvon Mullen's 46-yard return put Clemson in Alabama territory. That led to Travis Etienne's third touchdown of the half, a 5-yard shovel pass from Lawrence.

With a chance to stamp itself as the best team in Saban's remarkable 12 seasons at Alabama, the Crimson Tide played maybe the worst half of the coach's tenure. The 15-point halftime deficit was the largest the Tide has ever faced under Saban.

Alabama seemed panicked in the third quarter, running a fake field goal into a waiting Clemson defense instead of kicking from 40. Three plays later, Lawrence faced down a pass rush and slung a pass to Ross, who was alone after Alabama defensive back Saivion Smith went down with an apparent leg injury.

Ross sprinted away and the shocking rout was on.

Almost as shocking as Clemson, a program that promoted an obscure receivers coach to lead the program 10 years ago, climbing over the traditional powers to the top of college football. Clemson finished No. 1 in the AP poll for the third time.

"Our goal is not to win a national championship. People don't believe that. Our goal is to win the closer right there. The national championship is just a byproduct of that. It's never been my goal," said Swinney, who now has as many titles as Hall of Famers Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno. "I don't measure teams by that, and I know we've got some rabid people that that drives them crazy, but I measure our team based on did we get better, did we reach our potential."

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More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25</s>The Clemson Tigers needed a big performance to unseat defending champion Alabama. The Tigers got plenty of them from start to finish. Clemson led by a freshman quarterback toppled college football’s greatest dynasty again to become the first perfect playoff champion.

Trevor Lawrence passed for 347 yards and three touchdowns and the second-ranked Tigers beat No. 1 Alabama 44-16 on Monday night in the College Football Playoff national championship game.

In the fourth consecutive playoff meeting between the Tigers and Tide, Clemson evened the series and beat ’Bama for the national championship for the second time in three years. Clemson is the first college football team to finish 15-0 since the 1800s, and the first team since the playoff started five seasons ago to get through a season unscathed.

Alabama coach Nick Saban and the Tide (14-1) were looking for a sixth national championship in 10 years, trying to add to an already unprecedented run in the sport.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Three games just weren't enough. It's time for Part 4 between Alabama and Clemson, teams that will once again meet in the College Football Playoff championship.

For the third time in four years, the Crimson Tide and Tigers will play for the national championship. Each school has won one of those games, and the Tide prevailed over the Tigers last year in the Playoff semifinal in the Sugar Bowl before eventually beating Georgia for the championship.

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This year, the stage will feature two underclassmen starting quarterbacks who have never played against the opposition. Alabama sophomore Tua Tagovailoa led his team to a national championship in 2017 and is coming off a season that saw him finish as the Heisman Trophy runner-up. Clemson freshman Trevor Lawrence took over under center midseason, throwing for 27 touchdowns to only four interceptions. He could become the first true freshman to start and win a national title game since Oklahoma's Jamelle Holieway in 1985.

History says we may be in for a high-scoring affair, but the stats show that the offenses could struggle, as both defenses are among the top 10 in the country in fewest yards allowed and points surrendered per game.

Sporting News is providing live scoring updates and highlights from the 2019 College Football Playoff championship game. Follow along below.

8:19 p.m.: A short run in between two incompletions for the Tigers and they go three-and-out to start the game.

8:15 p.m.: Alabama wins the toss and defers to the second half. Clemson will start with the ball.

8:06 p.m.: Lee Corso submits his selection for the winner.

7:20 p.m.: Both teams entered Levi's Stadium in style earlier in the day.

6:57 p.m.: A look at tonight's venue. It won't be so empty come game time.
• The power of Tua Tagovailoa, the megastar redefining Alabama's dynasty
• Alabama-Clemson fatigue a tired criticism that should be put to rest
• Alabama-Clemson IV adds to history of best bowl rematches
• Josh Jacobs looks to live up to Alabama's championship game lineage</s>No. 2 Clemson (14-0) vs. No. 1 Alabama (14-0) at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, 8 p.m. EST (ESPN)

The winner of the fourth straight playoff meeting between the Tigers and Tide will be the first major college football team in the poll era, starting with the AP poll in 1936, to finish 15-0. Alabama is looking for its second straight title and sixth since 2009 under coach Nick Saban. Clemson is eyeing its third championship and second in three seasons under coach Dabo Swinney. The Tigers lost a classic championship game to Alabama after the 2015 season before beating the Tide on a last-second touchdown for the 2016 crown.

Clemson’s defensive line, led by All-Americans Clelin Ferrell and Christian Wilkins, vs. Alabama’s offensive line, led by All-American OT Jonah Williams and second-team All-American C Ross Pierschbacher. The Tigers are a key man down, with defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence suspended for failing an NCAA PED test. Still, they have enough talent to make things uncomfortable for Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa by applying pressure without blitzing. Williams and Pierschbacher are top-notch, but Clemson could have the advantage in one-on-one matchups against Tide RT Jedrick Wills and LG Lester Cotton.

Clemson: RB Travis Etienne. The sophomore is one of college football’s most explosive runners. The second-team All-American had 22 runs of at least 20 yards, second-most in FBS.

Alabama: DT Quinnen Williams. Maybe the most dominant defensive player in college football this season. The All-American won the Outland Trophy as the country’s best interior lineman and had 18½ tackles for loss. The third-year sophomore will likely be one of the first players selected in the NFL draft if he declares after this season.

Saban has six national titles, including a BCS championship with LSU, matching former Alabama coach Bear Bryant for the most in major college football ... Alabama is trying to become the third team to go wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the AP poll, joining 1999 Florida State and 2004 Southern California. The Tide would also be the 12th team to be preseason No. 1 and win the national championship, and the second team to do it in consecutive seasons. Oklahoma won titles after being preseason No. 1 in 1974 and ‘75. ... The lower-ranked team has won each of the previous four CFP national championship games ... Alabama’s senior class is 55-3. Clemson’s seniors are 55-4. They are the two winningest senior classes in major college football history ... Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence can become the first freshman starting quarterback to lead a team to a national championship since Jamelle Holieway of Oklahoma in 1985 ... With one more solid game, Tagovailoa will break the single-season record for passer efficiency rating. He is at 205.19 coming into the game. Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield had a 198.92 rating last season.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Jan. 7 (UPI) -- The top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide play the Clemson Tigers with the national championship on the line Monday night at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

It's the fourth time the teams will play in the College Football Playoff, including the third meeting for the national championship.

Alabama (14-0) and No. 2 Clemson (14-0) enter with undefeated records and can become the first 15-0 FBS champion in the poll era.

Head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide are searching for a sixth national title since 2009. The Tigers could grab their second championship in three seasons, giving them three (1981 and 2017) in program history, with a win on Monday.

"We're really excited about the opportunity to compete against the best team in the country on the highest stage," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney told reporters. "Alabama has been an unbelievable champion, and coach Saban and the consistency they've had is remarkable. So, not surprised at all to see them sitting back here."

Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa -- who has battled injuries for portions of the season -- paced the team as a Heisman Trophy finalist. He's thrown for 3,671 yards on 223-of-321 passing with 41 touchdowns and four interceptions this year.

Clemson is led by freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who took over for Kelly Bryant four games into the season. He has thrown for 2,933 yards, 27 touchdowns and four picks.

"I think Trevor Lawrence, in particular, has done a phenomenal job for his team this year in his ability to execute," Saban said to reporters. "He certainly doesn't play like a freshman or look like a freshman. If anybody ever watched him, they wouldn't think he was a freshman."

The Tigers are also led by a defensive line that consists of All-Americans Christian Wilkins and Clelin Ferrell. Clemson will be without defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who was suspended by the NCAA after a failed drug test.

"They have so many disruptive plays," Alabama running back Damien Harris said. "They cause so much havoc for the offense that they're playing."</s>Alabama-Clemson: Part IV. Once again, two powers meet in the National Championship game. Find a prediction and preview below.

The College Football Playoff is in is fifth year. This is the fourth time coach Nick Saban and the Tide and coach Dabo Swinney and the Tigers have played in the CFP. This will be the third time it's for the title, this time dueling at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Through all the twists and turns during the months-long college football regular season, this matchup always seemed like a potential option.

The two 14-0 teams have barely been tested this season. Those close games (Clemson vs. Syracuse, 'Bama vs. Georgia) stand out because they were so shocking.

With QB Tua Tagovailoa and his 3,671 yards and 41 touchdowns, Alabama has the best offense its had during this incredible run of five national titles going back to the 2009 season. Since 2015, Alabama is 55-3 with loses to Ole Miss, Auburn and Clemson. That's it.

Not that Clemson is that far behind. The Tigers are 54-4 since 2015, losing to Alabama twice, Pitt and Syracuse.

The Tigers have a dynamic quarterback of their own with Trevor Lawrence. The freshman took over the starting job from Kelly Bryant and has passed for almost 3,000 yards with 27 touchdowns.

Despite all the deserved attention Lawrence has received, running back Travis Etienne has been a huge star. Clemson averages more than 250 rush yards per game, with Etienne rushing for 1,572 yards this season. Of Clemson's 537 carries this season, Etienne has accounted for 190 (35 percent). That's a huge change from last season, as Bryant led the Tigers with 173 attempts in 2017.

MORE: These stats tell us who will win the CFP title

When the Tide roughed up Bryant and the Tigers in a 24-6 Sugar Bowl win last season, it was clear Clemson didn't have the firepower to compete. It does now.

At the same time, Alabama is even better offensively — and it has Hurts waiting if needed.

The last two title game showdowns between these two have been decided by 5 and 4 points. It wouldn't be surprising if this year's game was even closer.

MORE: How Alabama and Clemson match up statistically

The two biggest names in college football are battling again. Alabama is No. 1, the favorite, the defending national champion and has the (arguably) best quarterback in the country.

But something seems off.

After looking unbeatable for much of the season, Alabama barely beat Georgia thanks to Jalen Hurst heroics. The Tide raced out to a 28-0 lead against Oklahoma, only for the Sooners to get to within 11 points three times in the second half. Sure, Alabama always found an answer against OU. But Clemson isn't Oklahoma.

Huge, undefeated favorites have gone down before. Underdog Ohio State shocked Miami to win the 2002 national title. Texas beat Southern California in a classic Rose Bowl in the 2005 season. Both times, the winners were undefeated but still strong underdogs. Clemson fits that mold.</s>A general view of the stadium before the 2019 College Football Playoff Championship game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers at Levi's Stadium.</s>Trevor Lawrence passed for 347 yards and three touchdowns and No. 2 Clemson rolled No. 1 Alabama 44-16 on Monday night in the College Football Playoff national championship game.

In the fourth consecutive playoff meeting between the Tigers and Tide, Clemson evened the series and beat 'Bama for the national title for the second time in three seasons. Clemson is the first team in the AP poll era, dating back to 1936, to finish 15-0.

Coach Nick Saban and the Tide (14-1) were looking for a sixth national championship in 10 years, trying to add to an already unprecedented run in the sport. Instead, Clemson crushed Alabama, becoming the first opponent to beat the Tide by more than 14 points since Saban became coach in 2007.</s>SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — With stunning ease — and a freshman quarterback — Clemson toppled college football’s greatest dynasty again to become the first perfect playoff champion.

Trevor Lawrence passed for 347 yards and three touchdowns and the second-ranked Tigers beat No. 1 Alabama 44-16 on Monday night in the College Football Playoff national championship game.

In the fourth consecutive playoff meeting between the Tigers and Tide, Clemson evened the series and beat ‘Bama for the national championship for the second time in three seasons. Clemson is the first team in the AP poll era, dating back to 1936, to finish 15-0, and the first since the playoff started five seasons ago to get through a season unscathed.

“We’re gonna enjoy this one. We’ve got a nice spot to put it in our facility, right next to that other one,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We’ve got twins!”

Alabama coach Nick Saban and the Tide (14-1) were looking for a sixth national championship in 10 years, trying to add to an already unprecedented run in the sport. Instead, Clemson crushed Alabama, becoming the first opponent to beat the Tide by more than 14 points since Saban became coach in 2007.

Swinney’s Tigers sealed their status as a superpower, no longer just 1A to Alabama’s 1.

“We’re 15-0, we beat the best team ever, nobody’s taking that away from us,” Clemson All-America defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said.

Two seasons ago it was Deshaun Watson dethroning the Tide with a last-second touchdown pass. Clemson’s new star quarterback didn’t need the late-game heroics. The long-haired Lawrence cut though Alabama’s defense with the help of another fabulous freshman. Justyn Ross made a juggling grab, a one-handed snare and broke a 74-yard touchdown about midway through the third quarter that made it 37-16 and had Swinney high-stepping down the sidelines.

Ross, who scored two touchdowns in the semifinal rout of Notre Dame, had six catches for 153 yards against his home-state team.

Swinney takes a different approach than Saban, running a more fun-loving program than Alabama’s all-business organization. But the results have been every bit as good. And on Monday night at Levi’s Stadium, in a championship game played more than 2,000 miles away from Clemson’s South Carolina campus, the Tigers were way too much for an Alabama team that had spent the season mauling its opposition. The Tide won their first 14 games by an average of 31 points per game.

Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa threw two crucial interceptions in the first half, the first returned 44 yards for a touchdown by A.J. Terrell to put Clemson up 7-0. The Tide came in scoring 48 points per game, but was shut out over the final 44 minutes by an opportunistic Clemson defense that stiffened in key spots.

Saban lamented numerous mistakes: blown coverages on third down (Clemson was 10 for 15), stall outs in the red zone and special teams mishaps, including a fake field goal that flopped on the first possession of the second half.

He laid the blame on himself. The Alabama program has set a championship-or-bust standard under Saban, but he didn’t want this season looked at as a failure.

“One game doesn’t define who you are,” Saban said.

Tagovailoa, the sophomore who came off the bench to win the championship game last year for the Tide, went 22 for 34 for 295 yards and two touchdowns.

“Good is not good enough,” Tagovailoa said.

The Heisman runner-up was also the second-best quarterback on the field in the championship game. Lawrence finished 20 for 32, and went 18 for 25 for 277 yards over the final three quarters.

The teenager who took over as the starter four games into the season raised the Tigers’ play, giving them an explosive offense to match a suffocating defense, led by All-American linemen Clelin Ferrell and Wilkins.

“It’s been an awesome journey,” Lawrence said. “It’s really unbelievable.”

Clemson hit Alabama with a 31-point first half, capitalizing on the Tide’s mistakes and unleashing Lawrence’s rocket arm.

Tagovailoa threw a second interception in the second quarter, this time into triple coverage, and Trayvon Mullen’s 46-yard return put Clemson in Alabama territory. That led to Travis Etienne’s third touchdown of the half, a 5-yard shovel pass from Lawrence.

With a chance to stamp itself as the best team in Saban’s remarkable 12 seasons at Alabama, the Crimson Tide played maybe the worst half of the coach’s tenure. The 15-point halftime deficit was the largest the Tide has ever faced under Saban.

Alabama seemed panicked in the third quarter, running a fake field goal into a waiting Clemson defense instead of kicking from 40. Three plays later, Lawrence faced down a pass rush and slung a pass to Ross, who was alone after Alabama defensive back Savion Smith went down with an apparent leg injury.

Ross sprinted away and the shocking rout was on.

“We’re just little old Clemson and I’m not supposed to be here,” said Swinney, the former walk-on at Alabama and receivers coach at Clemson who now has as many national titles as Hall of Famers Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno. “But we are here and I am here. How about them Tigers.”</s>The first half of the College Football Playoff championship between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers was a highly entertaining affair.

The game started with a bang, with an opening eight minutes that featured four touchdowns and some thrilling big plays by both teams as they battled to move to 15-0 on the season and claim the title of best team in all of college football.

Read more: The College Football Playoff championship went bonkers right from the start with 4 touchdowns in the first 8 minutes

When the dust settled on the first half, Clemson held a surprising 31-16 lead, with Alabama set to receive the second half kickoff in need of something special to turn the game around.

But before the second half began, the halftime show featured the band Imagine Dragons playing their song "Natural," which ESPN had used in their college football promos throughout the 2018 season.

The band was quickly roasted to a crisp by Twitter users unimpressed with the performance.

Admittedly, Imagine Dragons was in a tough spot. The band has become somewhat ubiquitous in the world of sports presentation, their sound inescapable for fans following a full Saturday's worth of college football action.

Further, the halftime shows are little more than extended advertising spots for brands — after the performance, Rece Davis threw the broadcast to a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming "Captain Marvel" film. It's not exactly a fertile ground for an inspired artistic performance or fan experience.

Still, it's pretty clear that this is not what viewers are looking for in a halftime show, and becomes even more frustrating when you realize that while Imagine Dragons was on stage, a perfectly capable marching band performance was taking place on the field.

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Clemson defeats Alabama 44–16 in the College Football Playoff National Championship. The Tigers win their second national championship in three seasons, and third overall.