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Has the National Championship Ever Gone to Overtime?

The College Football Playoff national championship game is taking place Monday night, featuring No. 1 LSU and No. 3 Clemson. LSU is seeking its fourth national championship title, while Clemson is looking for its second-straight title and fourth overall.

Only once in the College Football Playoff era has the National Championship ever gone to overtime—Alabama's 26-23 win over Georgia in Jan. 2018. 

In that contest, Tua Tagovailoa, then a freshman, came in at quarterback for Alabama in the second half and led the Crimson Tide to victory, capping his performance off with a touchdown pass in overtime to secure Alabama's fifth championship.

In the BCS era, only one national championship game went to overtime—Ohio State's 31-24 win over Miami in double OT in Jan. 2003. In that contest, of the game's 43 starters, 37 went on to be drafted into the NFL, including 18 first-round picks. 

A list of the recent College Football Playoff national championship scores are below: 

2018: Clemson def. Alabama 44-16

2017: Alabama def. Georgia 26-23 (OT)

2016: Clemson def. Alabama 35-31

2015: Alabama def. Clemson 45-40

2014: Ohio State def. Oregon 42-20

Kickoff for the College Football Playoff national championship is slated for 8 p.m. ET on Monday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La.

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