College Football

Championship game longest since BCS introduced in 1998

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:32 p.m. ET

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Clemson's championship victory over Alabama on Monday night wasn't short on excitement. But it sure took a long time.

The final of the College Football Playoff lasted 4 hours, 8 minutes, making it the longest title game since the introduction of the Bowl Championship Series in 1998.

Clemson needed every last second to beat Alabama 35-31, getting a 2-yard touchdown pass from Deshaun Watson to Hunter Renfrow for the go-ahead score with a second remaining.

The previous longest championship game of the BCS/CFP era was 3 hours, 59 minutes, when Texas beat Southern California 41-38 in 2006 to win the Rose Bowl.