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Texas Longhorns Open as Big Favorites vs. Clemson Tigers in College Football Playoff

The Texas Longhorns will host the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.
Zach Dimmitt|
Nov 23, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive back Andrew Mukuba (4) celebrates after a interception against Kentucky Wildcats late in the fourth quarter at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive back Andrew Mukuba (4) celebrates after a interception against Kentucky Wildcats late in the fourth quarter at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Ricardo B. Brazziell/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

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AUSTIN -- It's official.

The No. 5 seed Texas Longhorns will host a first-round College Football Playoff game against the Clemson Tigers in Austin on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3 p.m. CT.

Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Texas enters the game as early 10.5-point favorites at home over ACC Champion Clemson. The over/under is currently 52.5. Texas' moneyline is -380 while Clemson is +300.

Texas fell 22-19 to the Georgia Bulldogs in overtime of the SEC Championship in Atlanta on Saturday, which prevented the Longhorns from getting a first-round bye.

"The beauty for us is this stings, it's hard, but we get a chance to regroup in a couple weeks and get into the College Football Playoff and go compete for a national championship," Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said after the loss to Georgia. "I think we're plenty good enough to go win that, but we're going to need to get healthy so we can put our best foot forward to make that happen."

Shortly after the SEC title game concluded, Clemson hit a 56-yard walk-off field goal to earn an automatic bid into the CFP as conference champions.

The matchup will mark a reunion for Texas safety Andrew Mukuba and a homecoming for Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik. Mukuba, an Austin native, played three years under head coach Dabo Swinney at Clemson before arriving to Texas this past offseason. Klubnik is also an Austin native and a product of Westlake High School.

The winner of Texas-Clemson will face Arizona State in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 1.

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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