While the other first round College Football Playoff games try to stay warm up north, Clemson and Texas will keep it mild down in Austin -- the weather, that is. This matchup between the Clemson Tigers and Texas Longhorns could get interesting depending on which Texas team shows up, especially with the Tigers riding high off their last-second ACC title win. This is Texas' second CFP appearance and Clemson's seventh, with the Tigers owning two CFP titles (2016, 2018).
Keep reading for how to watch Saturday's matchup, a preview, players to watch, betting odds, and the head-to-head record between the two teams.
Twelfth-seed Clemson will face fifth-seed Texas on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m. ET on TNT & Max. The game will be played at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.
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The other three first round games are expected to be close, but this one, not as much. Yes, Clemson is riding high from the SMU win, but it's still a three-loss team that dropped one to 8-4 Louisville and nearly a fourth to 7-5 Pitt. Meanwhile, Texas had one Achilles heel that the team had to face twice this season: Georgia. No. 5 vs. No. 12 seems like a decent matchup, but those are the teams' seeds, artificially influenced by guaranteed bids. In reality, Texas is ranked No. 3 and Clemson is No. 16.
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As it stands, Texas is a two-score favorite. Of course, the Longhorns have been inconsistent in the latter half of the season, blowing out opponents one game just to narrowly avoid defeat the next -- and that's with one of the easiest schedules in the SEC. Quarterback Quinn Ewers has had a good season, but even with him as the definitive starter, it always seems like Texas is in a "will they, won't they" situation with backup Arch Manning, especially when Ewers isn't delivering in the red zone. Will they put Manning in for more than a few plays? Some fans want it, but the coaching staff doesn't seem so sure. All the while, the prospect looms of what will happen with the QB situation in the offseason.
Clemson had a rough start to the season, getting hammered by then-No. 1 Georgia, 34-3. The Tigers' offense seemed to find its rhythm after that, winning six straight before the 12-point loss to Louisville. Quarterback Cade Klubnik has delivered this season after struggling last year, and Phil Mafah has racked up over 1,100 yards on the ground. While the Texas offense tries to avoid engine failure, Clemson will need to see Klubnik and Mafah make progress against a Longhorn defense that has all but rendered its previous opponents' rush attacks useless (save for the Bulldogs). Whether Mafah (shoulder) has been able to rest in the past two weeks and recuperate will make a difference.
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College Football Playoff: Clemson at Texas - prediction Odds, expert picks, QBs, betting trends, and stats
This is the first-ever meeting between the Clemson Tigers and Texas Longhorns.