The Clemson Tigers are the nation's only undefeated team and they claimed the top seed in the College Football Playoff as a result. That might not be the most favorable position to be in for a title contender, however. Over the previous 10 seasons -- nine in the two-team BCS format and one in the four-team playoff format -- the No. 1 team heading into the postseason hoisted the trophy in January only three times.
Clemson ranks No. 2 overall in our Football Outsiders opponent-adjusted drive efficiency ratings, behind Alabama and just ahead of playoff semifinal opponent Oklahoma. But how do the Tigers compare with the No. 1 teams of the past 10 years? Not particularly well. That doesn't mean Clemson can't win the championship, but it does reinforce the fact that what the Tigers have already accomplished to date doesn't mean much heading into the playoff:
1. 2008 Oklahoma Sooners
Lost 24-14 to No. 2 Florida in the BCS Championship Game
The Sooners edged out Texas and Texas Tech in a controversial three-way tie for the Big 12 South Division, and stormed into the national championship game riding a five-game streak of scoring at least 60 points per game. Over the course of the season, Oklahoma never scored fewer than 35 points and scored at least 49 points 10 times. That offensive efficiency came to a screeching halt against a Gators defense ranked as one of the best of the past decade according to our ratings.
2. 2011 LSU Tigers
Lost 21-0 to No. 2 Alabama in the BCS Championship Game
After a miserable failure in the championship game -- LSU struggled to even cross midfield against Alabama -- it's almost forgotten how spectacular the Tigers' regular season was before that day. They beat Pac-12 champion Oregon, Big East champion West Virginia and handed Alabama its only loss of the year on the road in Tuscaloosa in early November. They also beat five other SEC teams ranked at the time of the game, all by multiple scores. Had the results of the final weekend of the season shaken out differently, LSU might have faced a weaker opponent in the title game rather than a rematch with the Tide, and might be remembered very differently as a result.
3. 2010 Auburn Tigers
Won 22-19 vs. No. 2 Oregon in the BCS Championship Game
Led by Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, Auburn ran through the SEC unscathed, though it did flirt with disaster more often than other SEC champions over the years. Six of the Tigers' regular-season victories were decided by a single score. They weren't spectacularly dominant, but played a remarkably tough schedule according to our numbers, beating four of the top 11 teams in the nation in our combined drive and play-by-play efficiency rankings before adding a fifth such victory in the BCS win over Oregon.
4. 2005 USC Trojans
Lost 41-38 to No. 2 Texas in the Rose Bowl
The Trojans were riding a 34-game winning streak and were lauded as one of the greatest teams in college football history coming into the legendary Rose Bowl showdown with Texas. Our numbers gave the Longhorns an edge coming into that game, but USC's regular season was very strong. The Trojans scored fewer than 38 points only once (a 34-31 road victory over Notre Dame) and topped the 50-point mark seven times. Few teams on this list had to face an opponent better than 2005 Texas, however, and Vince Young's heroics won in the end.
5. 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide
Won 37-21 vs. No. 2 Texas in the BCS Championship Game
Alabama's wins over Virginia Tech in the first week of the season and Florida in the SEC championship game were two of the best of the season according to our opponent-adjusted single-game ratings. Between those games were 11 other wins that were good but not quite as exceptional in a somewhat down year for the SEC West -- the average ranking of Alabama's eight regular-season SEC opponents was 35th according to our ratings. The Tide went on to dominate Texas for Nick Saban's only undefeated national championship.
6. 2014 Alabama Crimson Tide
Lost 42-35 to No. 4 Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl
Unlike the 2009 team, the 2014 edition of the Crimson Tide had faced an SEC gantlet leading into its playoff berth. On average, the Tide's nine SEC opponents (eight regular-season games plus the SEC championship game against Missouri) ranked 23rd in our opponent-adjusted ratings, and five ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation. All but one of Alabama's games last season ranked in the 80th percentile of opponent-adjusted efficiency, and seven of the Tide's eight FBS games leading into the playoff were 90th percentile performances.
7. 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes
Lost 41-14 to No. 2 Florida in the BCS Championship Game
The Buckeyes faced the then-No. 2 team in the nation three times in the 2006 season. The first was a dominant 24-7 road victory over Texas. The second was a 42-39 thriller over Michigan in the regular-season finale, a game that prompted a strong push for a potential rematch in the BCS Championship Game. Instead, Ohio State faced Florida, which raced out to a 20-point halftime lead over the Buckeyes and cruised to victory in the second half.
8. 2013 Florida State Seminoles
Won 34-31 vs. No. 2 Auburn in the BCS Championship Game
The 2013 Seminoles were one of the most dominant teams in recent college football history, defeating opponents by an average score of nearly 40 points per game. Our numbers are less kind in comparison to other teams on this list due to the overall weakness of their slate of opponents. FSU faced only one opponent before the national championship game that finished the year in the top 25 of our opponent-adjusted drive efficiency ratings, and nine of its opponents ranked outside the top 50. Auburn was the first elite opponent the Seminoles faced.
9. 2015 Clemson Tigers
Postseason results TBD
Clemson's slate of opponents this year was a bit better than what Florida State faced two years ago, but not by much. The Tigers played the 70th-toughest schedule to date according to our rankings, the weakest of each of the four teams in this year's playoff field. Only Notre Dame, Florida State and North Carolina rank in our top 30, and each of those games (plus wins over Louisville and South Carolina) was decided by a single score. If Clemson does win the national championship this season, it will have to win two games against opponents better than any it has faced to date.
10. 2012 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Lost 42-14 to No. 2 Alabama in the BCS Championship Game
Like Clemson this season, Notre Dame ran the table against an OK-but-not-elite set of opponents to the nation's only undefeated regular-season record in 2012. The Irish had even more close calls than the Tigers, eking out wins over Purdue, Michigan, Stanford, BYU and Pittsburgh, only two of which ranked in the top 25. The championship game against Alabama was a debacle, and ranks as the single-best victory we have on record in terms of opponent-adjusted game efficiency.
11. 2007 Ohio State Buckeyes
Lost 38-24 to No. 2 LSU in the BCS Championship Game
The 2007 season featured plenty of weirdness, led by Ohio State finding itself as the No. 1 team heading into the postseason after having lost a home game to an unranked opponent (Illinois) on Nov. 10. The Buckeyes didn't face a single top-15 opponent according to our ratings until the championship game against LSU (a two-loss team that carved its own unusual path to the BCS).