While modern-day college football fans recognize that Alabama and Clemson will meet as part of the College Football Playoffs for the fourth consecutive year on Monday night, the series between the two dates back to 1900 and has seen some interesting outcomes along the way.
Bama leads overall 14-4, including wins in the 2016 championship game in Glendale, Arizona, and last year’s semifinal game in the New Orleans Superdome. Clemson took the 2017 championship game in Tampa, Florida, for one its two national titles in school history.
The most amazing stat of all perhaps is that 10 of the 18 games have ended in shutouts, including 9 of the first 10 meetings. Here’s a breakdown of those 18 matchups:
Date Location Winner/Score
November 28,1900 Birmingham Clemson, 35-0
October 8, 1904 Birmingham Clemson, 18-0
October 25, 1905 Columbia, SC Clemson, 25-0
October 16, 1909 Birmingham Alabama, 3-0
October 11, 1913 Tuscaloosa Alabama, 20-0
November 14, 1931 Montgomery Alabama, 74-7
November 10, 1934 Tuscaloosa Alabama, 40-0
November 9, 1935 Tuscaloosa Alabama, 33-0
October 3, 1936 Tuscaloosa Alabama, 32-0
October 8, 1966 Tuscaloosa Alabama, 26-0
October 28, 1967 Clemson, SC Alabama, 13-10
October 26, 1968 Tuscaloosa Alabama, 21-14
October 25, 1969 Clemson, SC Alabama, 38-13
September 20, 1975 Tuscaloosa Alabama, 56-0
August 30, 2008 Atlanta, GA Alabama, 34-10
January 11, 2016 Glendale, AZ Alabama, 45-40
January 9, 2017 Tampa, FL Clemson, 35-31
January 1, 2018 New Orleans, LA Alabama, 24-6
SERIES NOTES:
- Alabama holds the series scoring edge 490-213.
- The 67-point difference in the 1931 game is the ninth-largest margin of victory in Alabama history.
- The 1931 game was only of 21 games the Crimson Tide has played in Montgomery, Alabama, in its history.
- The winningest coach in Clemson history played college football at Alabama, but it wasn’t Dabo Swinney. Frank Howard, 165-118-12 as the Tigers’ coach from 1940-1969, was a 185-pound guard on the 1928-30 Crimson Tide squads. H&A
Cover photo: Courtesy Clemson Athletics
