Dabo Swinney: 'No Doubt' Clemson Should Be Among CFB's Greatest Teams

After watching his players cap off a 15-0 season with a dominant 44-16 victory over the previously No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff title game Monday night, Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney said the following, per ESPN.com's Heather Dinich:

"There was a lot of talk about 'best ever' all year long. 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...led by an unbelievable group of seniors. Amazing group, and I'm just thankful to be a part of it."

Swinney wasn't the only one with that feeling, either.

"I feel like it's not really up for debate," Clemson cornerback Trayvon Mullen said. "I feel like we're the best team ever—15-0, most wins by a senior class, and we beat the team that was considered the best team in the history of college football."

The numbers don't lie.

Clemson became the first Division I/FBS team since 1897 to go 15-0. The Tigers had just two games decided by a single possession, with an average margin of victory of 31.1 points per game.

The Tigers were met with little resistance even as the competition stiffened, as they outscored Notre Dame and Alabama by a combined 74-19 in two College Football Playoff contests. The 55 points are the most any team has outscored its opponents through the first five years of the playoff format.

Monday night was the culmination of what has been a special run by this Clemson senior class.

The Tigers have made the CFP in each of the past four years, winning two titles and losing another by just five points. Per Dinich, this Clemson senior class is tied with the current Alabama seniors for the most wins by a class in FBS history, with each piling up 55 victories.