Four first-round games in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff will begin this weekend. A showdown between No. 5 seed Texas and No. 12 seed Clemson is on the card.
In the ACC championship, Clemson (11-3) defeated SMU on a last-second field goal to steal a spot in the CFP. Alabama was eliminated from consideration when the Tigers secured an automatic bid.
After falling to Georgia in a close SEC championship game—the same team that dealt the Longhorns their lone regular-season loss of the year—Texas (11-2) advanced.
Here is all you need to know about Texas vs. Clemson’s CFP first-round matchup.
DIRECTIONS FOR WATCHING
Date: December 21, Saturday
Time: 4:00 PM ET
Location: Austin, Texas’s DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium
TNT/Max for TV and streaming
ODDS FOR BETTING
As stated by FanDuel Sportsbook
Spread: -11.5 Texas
Moneyline: Clemson (+290); Texas (-385).
Above/Below: 51.5 points
PARTICIPANTS TO VIEW
(In parenthesis are the player’s jersey number.)
Texas DB Jahdae Barron (7): With good reason, Barron was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the best defensive back in college football. The fifth-year senior has 47 tackles and five interceptions while playing in college football’s top secondary.
Clemson wide receiver Bryant Wesco (12): The 2024 five-star is tied with Georgia’s Arian Smith for the most receptions in the CFP field with nine of 30 yards or more. In the ACC championship victory over SMU, Wesco had eight receptions for 143 yards, including touchdowns of 35 and 43 yards.
Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner (26): In the SEC championship game, Georgia held the Longhorns’ lead back in check. However, against two elite defensive fronts, Texas A&M and Kentucky, he finished the regular season with 344 total rushing yards.
Clemson Parker, DE T.J. (3):The sophomore is tied for fourth place in the ACC with 19 tackles for loss. He was given the name
DATA TO BE Aware OF
(Parenthesis indicates ranking among 134 FBS teams.)
Texas scored 33.6 points per game (ranked 25th); Clemson scored 35.5 points per game (16th).
Clemson: 6.3 yards per play (30th); Texas: 6.25 yards per play (35th)
Defense points: Clemson: 22.3 (43rd); Texas: 12.5 ppg (2nd)
Allowed yards per play: Clemson: 5.44 (59th); Texas: 4.01 (1st)
ADVANTAGES
Texas: In the trenches, the Longhorns are in control. Cameron Williams and Kelvin Banks Jr. are two offensive tackles that Texas could select in the first round. Texas ranks in the top 10 nationally in terms of TFLs and sacks. Two of college football’s top defensive tackles are Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton. Beating Texas up front is a difficult challenge.
Clemson: Cade Klubnik has been among the nation’s top quarterbacks since the team’s Week 1 loss to Georgia. Klubnik has scored 40 touchdowns this season and amassed 3,761 total yards (3,303 passing, 458 rushing). The Austin native will now lead Clemson in a game versus the Longhorns, his hometown. Clemson has a chance to compete if Klubnik is playing well.
DEFECTS
Texas: Quinn Ewers’ performance has recently declined. Last year, the quarterback helped Texas advance to the four-team CFP. However, Ewers has only averaged 6.9 yards per attempt and completed 61.3% of his passes in his last four games. Will Arch Manning, the backup, play?
Clemson: In Clemson’s last four games, Phil Mafah, a prolific veteran tailback, has only accumulated 125 running yards. Prior to the ACC championship game, Dabo Swinney disclosed that Mafah is battling a persistent injury. When facing the perhaps finest secondary in the nation, Texas, Clemson cannot afford to be one-dimensional.
Stories by
Johnny McGonigal
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