Clemson team ranked in Top 20 all-time CFB teams in last 20 years

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College football fans love to debate about hypothetical matchups with different National Championship teams and how their favorite team would stack up.

ESPN Analytics has 'calculated overall, offensive and defensive ratings to find the true strength of a champion' with their data model with 15,000 games spanning 20 years.

Vince Young's Texas Longhorns (2005-2006) was ranked the No. 1 team of all-time followed by Florida (2008-2009), Miami (2001-2002), Florida State (2013-2014), and USC (2004-2005) rounding out the top five.

Clemson's latest National Championship season made the list at No. 12 overall.

"When the season opened, Clemson debuted a new motto, "Finish with no regrets." After coming up just short in the national title game against Alabama the previous season, the Tigers went into 2016 determined to win it all," ESPN said. "With Watson returning to lead the way, along with Mike Williams, Wayne Gallman, Jordan Leggett, Christian Wilkins and Ben Boulware, Clemson was favored to make it back to the College Football Playoff. But Clemson had to overcome some uneven performances and a loss at home to Pitt in early November before making it into the top four. Then, it had to overcome Alabama in the national title game again. How that game ended ranks among the most exciting in championship game history. The lead changed three times in the fourth quarter, and Clemson got the final word when Watson threw the game-winning, 2-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow with 1 second left on a play called "Orange Crush."

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