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NEW ORLEANS — When LSU takes on Clemson to decide who will be the national champion, could history weigh play a part in the outcome?

The teams have only played three times previously. LSU has won two of the games, and Clemson has won one.  But the largest margin of victory for either team is just seven points.

Then there’s this.  LSU has played for the national championship three times in the Mercedes Benz Superdome, winning two of those games.  But the Tigers lost to Alabama the last time they played for the championship.  That’s the same team that Clemson has beaten twice to win the title.

Clemson has never had a player win the Heisman Trophy, but LSU has had two winners. This season, quarterback Joe Burrow took home the trophy. In 1959,Billy Cannon won the Heisman.

But get this, the last time LSU had a Heisman Trophy winner on the team, the Tigers also won the national championship. That was the 1958 season, when they beat – guess who – Clemson!

We have assembled a few more facts about the big game and the history of the schools. For more on that, click on the video button at the top of this page.