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With just a couple of weeks remaining in the regular season, it looked bleak for the Clemson Tigers to make the College Football Playoff. Yet here they are, making their return—albeit in the new 12-team format—for the first time since 2020. That was thanks to a late-season push and an ACC Championship Game victory over SMU. Now, the Tigers are back in the hunt for a national title, something they haven’t won since 2018.
The No. 16-ranked Tigers were hoping to secure one of the four first-round byes, but instead, they’ll be playing in one of the inaugural first-round playoff games against No. 3 Texas.
Unlike Clemson, the Longhorns couldn’t close the deal in their conference title game, losing to Georgia, who secured the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.
Dabo Swinney and the Tigers are hoping for a much better outcome as they face their third SEC opponent of the season. Clemson dropped their opener to Georgia on a neutral field and lost to in-state rival South Carolina at home in Death Valley to close the regular season. This time, they’ll face Texas on the Longhorns’ turf in Austin.
Can Clemson stay hot and pull off the upset, knocking off Texas on Saturday? Let’s dive into our Clemson bold predictions versus Texas in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Clemson wins the turnover battle against Texas
When all is said and done, this game could come down to who wins the turnover battle. Texas is currently tied for first in the country with 28 turnovers gained. Clemson isn’t far behind, ranking eighth with 25.
Given Quinn Ewers' recent inconsistencies, Clemson’s defense, which averages 1.9 turnovers per game, could force the Texas quarterback into making some costly mistakes. Clemson wins the turnover battle against Texas.
Cade Klubnik outduels Quinn Ewers, throws for 260 yards, three touchdowns
Speaking of Ewers, this game could feature an intriguing quarterback battle. Both Quinn Ewers and Cade Klubnik have had moments of brilliance in their careers but have also struggled with inconsistencies. That said, the better quarterback this season—and especially down the stretch—has been Klubnik.
Klubnik is coming off a stellar performance in the ACC Championship, throwing for 262 yards and four touchdowns to help put away SMU. For the season, he’s tallied 33 touchdowns to just five interceptions.
Even though this game is on the road against another tough SEC opponent—a challenge Clemson hasn’t fared well with this season—Klubnik redeems himself. After struggling with 422 yards and two interceptions combined in those earlier SEC matchups, this time he outduels Ewers, as the Tigers' defense causes fits for the Texas quarterback all day.
Clemson gets held to under 100 yards rushing
In most games this season, the Tigers have had no trouble racking up rushing yards, averaging 180.8 per game. However, in three games, they were held to well under 100 yards, resulting in a 2-1 record—all of which were close contests.
With Phil Mafah nursing a shoulder injury that clearly limited him in the ACC title game, running the ball could prove difficult against Texas.
“But you know, he’s (Mafah) got to have postseason surgery, regardless, you know?” Swinney said, per SI. “He’s going to give everything he’s got and thought he was better in the last game, but you know, we got to use our depth there for sure, and we got our guys, so it’s why we went and signed those guys.”
The Longhorns boast the 14th-ranked rush defense, allowing just 106.4 yards per game. This is shaping up to be another tough day on the ground for Clemson.
Clemson upsets Texas at home, moves onto the quarterfinals of CFP
Texas is coming off a tough loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. It wasn’t the first time the Longhorns fell to the Bulldogs this season, as they also lost back in October on their home turf by 15 points in a game that was never close.
Meanwhile, Clemson enters the playoff feeling like all the stars are aligning for them. The Tigers were fortunate to even make the ACC title game, giving them a shot at the playoff, and they capitalized by narrowly holding off SMU to punch their ticket.
In their first-ever meeting, Clemson pulls off the upset, taking down the Longhorns on the road.
