How L.S.U. Beat Clemson to Win the College Football National Title

A win in Monday’s title game erased any remaining doubts that Ed Orgeron’s team had arrived as a dominant force in the sport.

NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana State, which opened the college football season as an underdog in its own division, won the national championship on Monday night behind a vigorous offense, outlasting Clemson, last year’s title winner.

With its 42-25 victory in the Superdome, L.S.U. claimed its first title since the 2007 season and quieted skeptics — within its own fan base and beyond — who questioned whether the Tigers had truly re-emerged as a national power.

But now L.S.U. has finished its campaign at 15-0, having conquered Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Texas. It defeated Georgia for the Southeastern Conference championship in early December and then disassembled Oklahoma in one of the semifinal games that set Monday’s matchup in New Orleans. In the title matchup, the team rallied from a 10-point second-quarter deficit to defeat Clemson, which had won 29 consecutive games and was seeking its third national championship in four seasons.