Texas vs. Clemson: A High-Stakes CFB Playoff Clash in Austin

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00:004 p.m. Eastern time in Austin, Texas. The top at-large team in this bracket, number

00:09five Texas, playing host to the bid stealer in the ACC champs in number 12 Clemson.

00:16Lacey Guy, when you look at this spread, now nearing two touchdowns in favor of the Longhorns.

00:21It opened in double digits. For most of this week, it was 11 and a half in favor of Texas.

00:28It's now near two touchdowns. Clemson, though, despite stealing a bid, perhaps, as that conference

00:34title winner, the most experience of any program that enters this 12-team field, the seventh

00:40CFP appearance for Dabo Sweeney and the Tigers. Will the game today in Austin be closer than

00:47the spread indicates?

00:48I don't think so. It might be close for a half. I think if you're going to take Clemson

00:51or if it was me, I would take a first-half perspective looking for them to slow down

00:56the tempo. But I think Texas has way too much athleticism offensively and defensively.

01:01I think the speed of the wide receivers challenge Clemson over the top. I think the rushing

01:05attack at Texas can be dominant. We're talking about Clemson's front seven, Ben. That's given

01:10up 150 rushing yards per game. That's one of the worst statistical defenses in Clemson

01:16history over the past 10 seasons, right? You look at the games that they had lost. South

01:20Carolina, they allowed Lenore Sellers and that offense, 267 on the ground. Louisville,

01:26311 rushing yards on the ground, 7.3 yards per carry. I think this is Texas early and

01:32often. I lean to Texas in terms of the points, Kev, but I love the over. I think it's points

01:37aplenty. We get into the 60s today.

01:40So the number sitting now at 13 and a half, I imagine any Clemson backer who's not in

01:45yet will sit, sit, sit and see if the 14 could appear unless you're going to do what

01:50I'm doing. And that's just grab seven and a half in the first half. Look, backdoors

01:54can certainly be open. Shout out to the game Cox. But for me, I think if Clemson's going

02:00to be here, they're going to be here early in this game. I think Texas's best attack

02:04in this matchup is to run the football. Doesn't mean they can't run it explosively, Lisi,

02:08but that keeps things maybe moving at a slower pace. And I look at Clemson throughout this

02:13season. Look, that's where the dabble experience, you mentioned the game against Georgia, six

02:18nothing at half, right? And then they got absolutely dumped on their heads as things

02:23went on tied at half in the game against South Carolina up 24, seven and a half against SMU

02:30in two of their three true road games at ACC play.

02:33They were up by margin in the first half. So I think Clemson has to come out and keep

02:39this in range. And I think there's a chance that if we are playing with a lot of rush

02:44attack from Texas, I might only need a touchdown out of Clemson just to stay within striking

02:50distance of the seven and a half.

02:52Dabo Sweeney took over as the interim head man in Clemson, South Carolina in 2008, full-time

02:57permanent head coach starting in 2009. The Tigers in the last 15 years, only an underdog

03:0433 total times 20 and 13 against the spread 14 outright victories, including the book

03:11ends of this season. So far season opener against UGA did not come close even to a cover

03:17and outright victory in the ACC championship against SMU. In fact, it was the only cover

03:23this year for Clemson against a team that is above 500. Texas has had its own woes beating

03:32the best on its slate as well.