How Clemson’s #NationalChampionship victory played out on Twitter

The College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) National Championship came down to a thrilling finish on @ESPN, and fans everywhere joined the conversation at the biggest virtual sports bar in the world — Twitter. And now, Clemson fans can celebrate and bask in the winning glory.

@ClemsonFB took fans on Twitter behind the scenes of the celebration:

The results
In the championship game the No. 2 Clemson Tigers (@ClemsonFB) were led by clutch second-half performances of quarterback DeShaun Watson (@DeshaunWatson4) and wide receiver Mike Williams en route to a 35-31 victory.

Watson was named Offensive Player of the Game after leading four second-half touchdown drives against Alabama’s vaunted defense.

Check out these Tweets from 2012 and 2013 when Watson predicted his National Championship destiny:

Twitter Data
The conversation about the game in Tampa dominated Twitter all night.

Here are the moments that generated the biggest peaks of Twitter conversation during the live telecast — measured in Tweets per minute (TPM):

1. DeShaun Watson throws touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow with 1 second remaining in the game to give Clemson 35-31 lead over Alabama
2. Clemson Tigers win the National Championship for the first time since 1981
3. Jalen Hurts runs for 30-yard touchdown to give Alabama 31-28 lead with 2:07 remaining in the game

These were the most-mentioned players on Twitter during the live telecast:
Clemson Tigers (@ClemsonFB)

1. DeShaun Watson (@DeshaunWatson4)
2. Mike Williams
3. Hunter Renfrow

Alabama Crimson Tide (@AlabamaFTBL)

1. Bo Scarbrough
2. Jalen Hurts
3. O.J. Howard

Here’s a sampling of some of the other top Tweets during the #NationalChampionship:

Finally, check out a larger sampling of game-related Tweets in this Twitter Moment:
https://twitter.com/i/moments/818609425065705472

Twitter emojis
Before the postseason began, Twitter and @CFBPlayoff launched six hashtag triggered Twitter emojis. Fans Tweeting with #CFBPlayoff, #NationalChampionship, #RollTide, #ALLIN, #GoBucks and #PurpleReign saw unique Twitter emoji icons appear in their Tweets throughout the postseason.

Twitter Amplify highlights the #NationalChampionship
This season, @Twitter partnered with the @pac12, @bigten, @FOXSports, @theACCDN, and @CampusInsiders for our first ever College Football All Access Amplify program. Each week, fans were given a front row seat to the best moments of gridiron action, directly within their timelines. The experience was powered by @Allstate, @Buick, and @Ally, among others.

For the #NationalChampionship, @CampusInsiders created a matchup preview ahead of the clash.

More football on tap
Need more football? You can Tweet along this weekend with the live #NFLPlayoffs conversation on Twitter as teams vie for a spot in Super Bowl LI in Houston.