2016 CFP National Championship Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.0
Audio		1.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

2016 CFP National Championship Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 30, 2020

It was the first of three. On January 11, 2016, the 13-1 Alabama Crimson Tide, ranked second in the polls, faced off against the undefeated Clemson Tigers, ranked first in the polls, in the second ever College Football Playoff National Championship, the first the year prior being won by the Ohio State Buckeyes. And the game would be significant not only because it was a highly entertaining barn-burner but because it would mark the first of four straight trips to the national title game for the Tide, in three of which they would play Clemson (winning this game in 2106, losing in 2017 and 2019 with a win over Georgia in 2018 in between). The game took place at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Alabama began the season with a 2-0 record, beating top-25 ranked Wisconsin in the opener and taking care of Middle Tennessee in week two. In week three, however, the Tide would suffer a rare home loss to Ole Miss, 43-37, but would go on to win out, including victories over #8 Georgia, #9 Texas A&M, #2 LSU, and #17 Mississippi State, all in convincing fashion. Alabama would defeat #18 Florida, 29-15, in the SEC Championship Game and secure a berth in the playoffs. Alabama would first face third-ranked Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl in a game that was no contest. Neither team would crack the scoreboard in the first quarter, but Alabama would score 10 in the second quarter and reel off an additional 28 points in the second half to secure the shutout victory on the back of stifling defense, two touchdown runs by Derrick Henry, and a pair of touchdown passes from Jake Coker.

Awaiting the Tide were the Clemson Tigers which defeated fourth-seeded Oklahoma 37-17 in the Orange Bowl. The Tigers plowed through the regular season in impressive fashion, securing wins over the likes of sixth ranked Notre Dame, #16 Florida State, and #8 North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game. In the title game, Alabama opened the scoring midway through the first, taking a 7-0 lead thanks to a long Derrick Henry touchdown run. Minutes later, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson connected with Hunter Renfrow for a long TD pass to tie the game at seven-all. Watson would find Renfrow again with no time left on the clock for an 11-yard touchdown pass to give Clemson a 14-7 lead going into the second quarter. Alabama's Derrick Henry found the end zone again partway through the second, the only score in the quarter to send the teams to the locker rooms tied at 14.

In the third quarter, Alabama's Jake Coker found O. J. Howard on a long 53-yard pass. Alabama's regained lead at 21-14 was short-lived, however, when Greg Huegel cut into the lead with a field goal for the Tigers, followed soon thereafter by a Wayne Gallman run to give the Tigers a 24-21 lead going into the fourth quarter. Both teams would put plenty of points on the board in a furious fourth quarter. A field goal and another O. J. Howard touchdown would see Alabama regain the lead, 31-24, only for Clemson to put three on the board two minutes later to cut the deficit to 31-27. Alabama's Kenyan Drake would return the subsequent kick all the way down the field for a quick response score, giving Alabama a 38-27 lead with only about 7 minutes remaining. Clemson would answer with another field goal to cut the deficit down to 38-33 but Alabama would answer with Derrick Henry's third touchdown run of the game with a minute left to take a 45-33 lead. Clemson would rally for one final score on a Deshaun Watson touchdown pass, but there was not enough time left on the clock for the Tigers to rally any further. Final score: Alabama 45, Clemson 40.

This is the game broadcast and the game broadcast only (mostly) as it was seen on ESPN. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit call the action up in the booth. There are some obvious cuts beyond removing commercials. The action jumps here and there, not during play or the time in between plays during drives up and down the field, but viewers will note some jarring transitions that will leave them wondering what was happening when the action moves forward. It's basically a way to preserve core content while cutting down on some of the minutia. It's not a huge deal but it is worth noting. The trophy presentation is tacked on to the end of the release, which might be considered a "supplement." There is also a very brief pregame segment that includes the coin toss ceremony.

2016 CFP National Championship Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Like other releases in the college playoff series by Team Marketing, this one is grossly imperfect but also watchable in general. Macroblocking, noise, ringing artifacts, and a generally crude appearance define the 720p, 1.78:1-framed presentation which essentially looks like the over-the-air live feed dropped onto Blu-ray. The picture is decent enough in close-up, offering good clarity to the jerseys and the patches on them. Helmet scuffs and the turf when seen in close-up appear fairly complex, though in the basic sideline overhead shots there's very little definition to it. That basic sideline shot shows flat details and poor definition to the players and anything else visible in the frame. Colors are decent enough; the Clemson orange is obviously the standout, and it pops nicely against the green turf. However, the colors are not so flush and full as one might expect from a superior presentation. The on-screen graphics struggle to hold sharpness, too, whether the various digital markers overlaid on top of the field or the box displaying score, time on the clock, down and distance, and the like.

2016 CFP National Championship Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The opening music as the program starts sounds awful, to be kind: shallow, bereft of clarity, almost like it's being filtered underwater. The accompanying commentary is fine, however, but the on-field chatter heard moments later is, like the music, tinny and barely audible. The color and play-by-play commentary from up in the both with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit is at least consistently solid, imaging well enough to the center and presenting with clear and consistent, even if not lifelike accurate, stability. The crowd noise is sharp and tinny, sounding like some unruly glob out of an 8-bit video game that simply spits out a crude sound identifiable via context clues, not because of its innate clarity. Various hits and whistles on the field often get lost under that awful crowd din. But the game calling is at least fine, if not particularly well prioritized on a consistent basis. Audiophiles, beware.

2016 CFP National Championship Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The main menu screen offers users the opportunity to play the entire game, select any one of the four quarters, or jump directly to the celebration and trophy presentation, which comprise the final 20 minutes of the program's 178 minute runtime. There are no extras. The release does ship with a DVD copy of the program, but no digital code is included. It's worth noting that, as is the norm with Team Marketing releases, this release ships in a DVD case rather than a Blu-ray case. No slipcover is included.

2016 CFP National Championship Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The 2016 title game started slowly with a scoreless first quarter and ended with a barrage of points in the fourth. A fun, invigorating game and the first of four straight appearances in the title game for Alabama makes it something of an historic contest. Its Blu-ray release is typical of Team Marketing's college football product, delivering no extras with middling video substandard audio, packed into a DVD sized case. Recommended for Alabama fans and anyone craving a bit of college football in the midst of an uncertain 2020 season.