The first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff is here, and it promises to be amazing. This matchup features the #12 Clemson Tigers, fresh off an emotional ACC Championship win, against the #5 Texas Longhorns, eager to bounce back from a tough SEC title loss. With high stakes and plenty of storylines, this game has all the makings of a classic.
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College football 2024: 65-56-3 (+2.55 Units)
College football Conference Championships results: 5-1 (+3.96 Units)
#12 Clemson vs #5 Texas Odds
Can Ewers leads the Longhorns to a first round win over Clemson.
#12 Clemson vs #5 Texas odds are courtesy of BetOnline, a longtime fixture among the top online sports betting sites. Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then bag a big bonus (100% if your first deposit is with Bitcoin, Ethereum, or another cryptocurrency) to bet on College Football games.
Spread:
Clemson: +12 (-108)
Texas: -12 (-112)
Total
Over: 51.5 (-110)
Under: 51.5 (-110)
Moneyline
Clemson: +360
Texas: -450
#12 Clemson vs #5 Texas Bet
This is a game I have had circled since the College Football Playoff bracket was announced.
Clemson’s Highs and Lows
The #12 Clemson Tigers are coming off an ACC Conference Championship they arguably should not have won. The Tigers were down 24-7 at halftime against SMU but stormed back in the second half, ultimately forcing a 56-yard game-winning field goal as time expired to secure the ACC title.
#8 SMU was the third-ranked team Clemson faced this season. Before this victory, they lost to Georgia in Week 1 and then to #15 South Carolina the week prior to the ACC Championship. Their strength of schedule was rather weak this season, as was the ACC as a whole.
Clemson’s biggest issue is performing against strong teams. Does this mean the ACC runner-up is bad? I believe this matchup against #5 Texas will provide the answer to that question.
Texas Faces Questions at Quarterback
The Longhorns are coming off an embarrassing loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship. They fell to a Bulldogs team that played most of the second half without Carson Beck, only to watch him return and hand the ball off to seal the win after backup Gunnar Stockton took a massive hit on the final drive.
The biggest concern for Texas in this matchup is their quarterback situation. How well will Quinn Ewers play? Will they need to bench him again in favor of future star Arch Manning? Ewers struggled against Georgia, throwing two costly interceptions. If Texas has to second-guess their leader in the playoffs, it could spell trouble for their title hopes.
Prediction: Texas is Fired Up and Ready
Here is how I see it: Texas is coming off a humbling loss against the most battle-tested team in the country. Their defense kept them in that game, but the offense failed to deliver.
Clemson, on the other hand, is riding the high of an emotional win. Texas, however, should be fired up and ready to unleash their frustration on a team that was blown out 34-3 by Georgia in Week 1.
Texas rolls.
Bet: Texas (-12) on BetOnline
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