All-Decade College Football Playoff Roster
By Michael Luciano
The College Football Playoff has only been around for the last six seasons, but it's still given us some of the most dominant, legendary individual performances in the history of the sport. With the semifinals of the 2019 version creeping up on us, let's formally honor the best players we've seen in the six-year history of the postseason tournament.
11. K: Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia
Georgia may not have beaten Alabama, but they don't take them to overtime without the right foot of Blankenship. The bespectacled kicker made all three of his field goals, including a 51-yarder in the fourth quarter, and two extra points, giving him 11 of Georgia's 23 points. They fell in overtime, but it certainly wasn't his fault.
10. S: Alohi Gilman, Notre Dame
It seems odd to put a Notre Dame player on this list after Lawrence and the Tigers flattened them in the Cotton Bowl, but Gilman was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise nightmarish evening for the Irish. Gilman made an astonishing 18 tackles in that game, setting the college football playoff record for a semifinal or final, with former Irish linebacker Te'Von Coney behind him with 16. Ian Book's bed-wetting against the Tigers hurt the Irish, but Gilman did everything he could.
9. CB: AJ Terrell, Clemson
On the first possession of the game for Alabama in last year's title game, Terrell intercepted Tua Tagovailoa and ran it back for a touchdown, giving the Tigers an early 7-0 lead. They would not relinquish it for the rest of the game, as fellow Clemson corner Trayvon Mullen also picked off Tua in last year's 44-16 win. Terrell has a chance to further cement his legacy as one of the greatest players in playoff history this season.
8. LB: Roquan Smith, Georgia
Now with the Chicago Bears, Smith was the truest definition of a phenom in college, as he has the speed of a DB and the ferociousness of a defensive lineman. Smith was flying all over the field against Alabama two years ago, making 13 tackles, 2.5 of which went for a loss, and recording a sack. Georgia was in control for most of that game thanks to Smith and the defense setting the tone and shutting down the running game, but some Tua magic at the end screwed it all up for Georgia.
7. DL: Kevin Dodd, Clemson
In Clemson's first loss against Alabama, Brent Venables' defense was somehow in Jalen Hurts' face all game long. They ended up sacking Hurts five times, with Dodd recording three of those sacks, and Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Shaq Lawson picking up two of them. Dodd might have flamed out as a high second-round pick with the Tennessee Titans at the next level, and his best career game didn't end in victory, but he'll always have the memory of his dominant performance in Glendale.
6. OL: Mitch Hyatt, Clemson
Hyatt, now on the practice squad for the Dallas Cowboys, was the most experienced member of an offensive line that kept Trevor Lawrence's white jersey as pristine after the game as it was when he put it on in '19. A much-hyped Alabama defensive line featuring the likes of Quinnen Williams, Isaiah Buggs, and Raekwon Davis didn't sack Lawrence once in the 44-16 loss to Clemson, and Hyatt helped himself in the eyes of the pro scouts by controlling some elite lineman in that game. It remains to be seen if Clemson can match Hyatt's dominance this year against Chase Young.
5. TE: OJ Howard, Alabama
Howard, not used a receiver as often as he probably should have been in the Alabama offense, exploded against Clemson in 2016, breaking the 200-yard barrier on just five catches while finding the end zone twice in Alabama's 45-40 win. He was named offensive MVP for his efforts, and even managed 106 yards in the rematch. Now if only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could figure out how to use him as a receiver.
4. WR: Justyn Ross, Clemson
Ross only needed one game in the playoff to prove that he is one of the most explosive receivers that we've seen in college football in the last few years. Ross piled up 153 yards and a touchdown on just six catches in last year's 44-16 dethroning of an Alabama secondary that was stacked with future NFL talent. Ross is in the middle of an even better sophomore season, and now has his eyes set on Ohio State's stable of future pros.
3. WR: Hunter Renfrow, Clemson
Renfrow played against Alabama in the playoffs in four straight seasons, compiling a 2-2 record and some impressive stats. Renfrow piled up 88 yards and two touchdowns in his freshman year when Bama beat Clemson, but followed that up with 92 yards on 10 catches in 2017's triumph, even catching the game-winning pass as time ticked away for the Tigers. Renfrow's time at Clemson covered the careers of Jacob Coker, Jalen Hurts, and Tua Tagovailoa, and he was just as effective across all four seasons.
2. RB: Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State
Before he was a Dallas Cowboys superstar, Elliott almost single-handedly led the Ohio State Buckeyes to victory in the inaugural championship game as a No. 4 seed. He helped them pull off an unprecedented upset of Blake Sims and Alabama when he ran for 230 yards and two touchdowns against Nick Saban, and then led them to an upset of Marcus Mariota and Oregon when he ran for 236 yards and an unreal four touchdowns. Zeke was fed early and often in those two games, and it paid off for the Buckeyes.
1. QB: Deshaun Watson, Clemson
This might have been the easiest selection on the whole board. Back when Alabama appeared nearly unstoppable and Bo Scarbrough was running over anyone who dared to get near him, Watson led Dabo Swinney's Clemson Tigers to an upset for the ages. Watson was 36-for-56 with 420 yards and three touchdowns through the air, while adding 43 yards and a touchdown on the ground. That came one year after he torched Nick Saban for 405 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-40 loss. Truly a mercurial talent who has translated well to the NFL with the Houston Texans.