1981, 2016 Tigers roll into the Final Four after easy wins
By: will-vandervort March 29, 2020

It was not even close. The 1981 and 2016 Tigers ran away from both of their opponent’s Sunday, setting up a Final Four we would all love to see in Clemson Football’s March Madness Tournament on The Clemson Insider.

The fans pushed the final two No. 1 seeds through on Sunday setting up an all-time Clemson Semifinal that will have the 2018 Tigers facing off against the 2019 team, while the 1981 Tigers will play the 2016 Tigers in the second game.

The 1981 Tigers won the South Regional Final on Sunday, as Clemson fans voted them past the 1948 Tigers with 96.3 percent of the vote. It was a little bit of surprise considering both teams were the only two undefeated teams at Clemson with 11 or more wins until the 2018 team went 15-0.

In the East Regional Final, Deshaun Watson and the 2016 team had no issues with Steve Fuller’s 1978 Tigers. The fans voted Watson and company into the Final Four with 92.9 percent of the vote.

All three of Clemson’s national championship teams made it to the Final Four. The 2016 Tigers, who became the first Clemson team to win a national title since the 1981 team did it, will coincidentally play the 1981 Tigers in the semifinals.

Led by Watson, the 2016 Tigers went 14-1 and beat previously undefeated Alabama for the national championship with a last second touchdown. They won six games against top 25 competition.

The 1981 Tigers went 12-0 on its way to becoming the first athletic program to win a national championship at Clemson. They were led by All-American linebacker Jeff Davis and All-American wide receiver Perry Tuttle. They beat three top 10 teams, the most in the country in 1981.

In the other semifinal, the 2018 Tigers, the No. 1 overall seed, will take on the 2019 team.

The 2018 Tigers won 13 of their 15 games by 20 or more points, including a 44-16 victory over Alabama in the national championship game. Both teams were quarterbacked by Trevor Lawrence, but the 2018 Tigers had perhaps the best defensive front of any in the history of college football.

The 2019 Tigers won 11 games by 31 or more points, including an ACC record eight straight. They also became the first team in the history of the AP Poll era to score 52 or more points for four consecutive weeks. They are also the first team in the AP Poll era to win eight straight games by 31 or more points.

Both Final Four games will be held next Saturday on TCI.

Clemson Football’s March Madness Tournament

FINAL FOUR (Saturday, April 4)

Game 1: No. 1 2019 (14-1) vs. No. 1 2018 (15-0)

Game 2: No. 1 2016 (14-1) vs. No. 1 1981 (12-0)

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