Tempo doesn't necessarily win championships.
Ask Clemson, which was one of only eight teams to run at least 99 plays in 2016 and win a game. The Tigers ran the most plays by any national champion since the start of the BCS ear in 1998 by beating Alabama 35-31 last week in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship.
It is a rarity because teams that run tempo don't necessarily win at a high level, according to statistics provided to CBS Sports by SportsSource Analytics, the firm used by the CFP to calculate some of its metrics.
Since 2005, teams that have run at least 99 plays in a game are 71-79. The 17 FBS teams that ran at least 99 plays in 2016 were a combined 11-16 in those games.
That's the second-worst season on record, according to SportsSource Analytics which began tracking numbers in 2005. Those 27 occurrences came in 874 total games in 2016.
The Tigers gained 511 yards in those 99 plays against Alabama. No. 99 was the winner with quarterback Deshaun Watson connecting on a two-yard scoring toss to wide receiver Hunter Renfrow with one second to go.
In 2016, the average team ran 71.4 plays per game. Clemson averaged 81.3 last season.
For this story, the idea was determine how much tempo influences outcome. CBS Sports asked SportsSource Analytics to track the number of total teams that had mirrored what Clemson in beating Alabama -- snapped the ball at least 99 times in a game.
Since 2005, FBS teams ran 99+ plays 150 times -- an average of less than 13 times per season. Only once since 2005 did teams finish over .500 in such games, 5-4 in 2011.
Much was made of the Tigers' ability to wear down Nick Saban's defense on Monday. Fifty-five of those 99 plays came in the second half.
It turns out Alabama's D usually handles tempo well. Monday marked the first time since at least 2005 that Bama had faced an opponent that ran more than 90 plays.
Against teams that have run at least 81 plays, Bama is 8-1 since 2005, the only loss coming last week to Clemson. It is also 25-7 against teams that run at least 71 plays.
Only 27 Power Five schools have run at least 99 plays at least once in the last 12 years. There were only 10 such Power Five teams in 2016 that ran at least 99 plays in a game. Among the 10, only Clemson, Colorado and Tennessee finished ranked in the top 25.
Tulsa (3-0), Syracuse (1-2), Texas Tech (1-2) and Missouri (0-3) played in the most such contests in 2016 -- three games each.
Clemson remains the only ACC team in the last 12 years to run at least 99 plays. The Tigers are 3-0 in those games.
The 27 performances including 99+ offensive plays are believed to be a single-season record.
Seven times since 2008, a Power Five team that has at least tied for a conference title ran at least 99 plays in a season at least once. Only two such teams did it in championship seasons.
Ohio State snapped it 101 times against Cincinnati in Week 5 of its 2014 championship season. Clemson did it last week -- on the last play -- in the third CFP National Championship.
| FBS teams to run 99+ plays in a game in 2016 | ||
| Team | Games | Record |
| Tulsa | 3 | 3-0 |
| Syracuse | 3 | 1-2 |
| Texas Tech | 3 | 1-2 |
| Missouri | 3 | 0-3 |
| Cal | 2 | 2-0 |
| Baylor | 2 | 1-1 |
| Clemson | 1 | 1-0 |
| Colorado | 1 | 1-0 |
| Eastern Michigan | 1 | 1-0 |
| East Carolina | 1 | 0-1 |
| Houston | 1 | 0-1 |
| Louisville | 1 | 0-1 |
| Louisiana-Lafayette | 1 | 0-1 |
| Oklahoma State | 1 | 0-1 |
| Rice | 1 | 0-1 |
| Tennessee | 1 | 0-1 |
| Texas | 1 | 0-1 |
Correction: The original version of this story had Alabama's records against teams that have run 81+ and 71+ plays reversed.
