For the eighth straight college football season, the national champion will wear the Nike swoosh on their jersey on Monday night. That was clinched in the semifinals when Clemson defeated Notre Dame, an Under Armour partner, in the Cotton Bowl to setup a national title matchup between Nike schools Clemson and Alabama.
A Nike school has won the national championship each of the past seven seasons, beginning with Alabama in 2011. The last school not to be affiliated with Nike to win it all was Auburn with Cam Newton in 2010. Auburn, an Under Armour school, won the BCS Championship Game that season against one of the most notable Nike partners, the Oregon Ducks. But since then, it’s been a Nike monopoly on national title contenders.
Tickets punched. Stage set. One more hurdle for @ClemsonFB and @AlabamaFTBL. #BayBound #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/Ugf0QChgC6
— Nike Football (@usnikefootball) December 30, 2018
Since the start of the College Football Playoff in 2014, all four playoff participants have been Nike schools every season except for this past season. Notre Dame interrupted Nike’s perfect streak by representing Under Armour in the playoff this season.
According to a Forbes list of the top 20 most valuable college apparel deals in 2018, Clemson’s contract with Nike ranks 18th in the nation with an annual value of $3.2 million. Clemson’s current contract with Nike expires in 2028 after signing a new deal with the apparel company in 2018. Despite how successful the program has been, Alabama’s contract with Nike didn’t crack the top 20 on that same Forbes list. Alabama’s current contract with Nike was extended in 2013 and runs through 2025 for a total value of $63 million.
