The best team does not always win in a head to head matchup.
If we want to award a championship to a team that wins a championship game, that's great but it doesn't mean that that guarantees that the best team wins the championship. That's one of the things that makes a playoff or tournament so much fun.
I could beat Larry Bird in a free throw shooting contest if the free throw shooting contest consisted of one single free throw.
Clemson might not have been the best team in college football last year, but maybe they were. Either way, they're the champions and I'm sure they're happy with that.
UTEP did not have a better football team than BYU in 1985. On October 31st of that year, I don't think they cared because they won anyway.
I also don't think Clemson cared if they weren't better than Alabama. They won the game and that's what mattered most.