With College Football Playoff action underway, analysts across the country are making their first-round predictions.
The games started Friday with Notre Dame beating Indiana and continue with three matchups Saturday. The middle game — Texas football versus Clemson — pits the ACC championship game winning Tigers against the Longhorns, who finished the regular season first in the SEC before falling the title game.
Texas, the No. 5 seed, is hosting Clemson, the No. 12 seed, on what is supposed to be a beautiful day at Royal-Memorial Stadium in Austin.
The winner moves on to face Arizona State at the Peach Bowl.
CFP action Saturday starts with an 11 a.m. matchup between 11th-seeded SMU and sixth-seeded Penn State at Beaver Stadium. It ends with No. 9 Tennessee visiting “The Horseshoe” and No. 8 Ohio State.
Texas opened as a heavy favorite over Clemson, but let’s see what writers and analysts around the country think will happen in the first-round CFP matchup:
Here are predictions from ESPN, CBS and other outlets for the first-round CFP matchup in Austin:
The Statesman has been covering the Longhorns since day one this season and our team of writers have drawn a consensus on the game, even if they differ, slightly, on the margin of victory.
Danny Davis: Texas. At the end of the day, Texas has been a top-five team for much of this season while Clemson needed a 56-yard field goal to squeeze into the playoffs. I don’t expect Texas to cover Vegas’ big spread — the Longhorns rarely do — but I do expect UT to advance and return to Atlanta next week.
Cedric Golden: Texas 31, Clemson 21. Quinn Ewers gets a bit of revenge against Cade Klubnik but more important, the Longhorns rediscover their offensive groove. It’s back to the ATL.
Thomas Jones: Texas 35, Clemson 24. Texas QB Quinn Ewers bids farewell to Royal-Memorial Stadium with one of his best games of the season as the Longhorns fend off a spirited effort from home-grown Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik.
David Eckert: Texas 24, Clemson 17. Clemson’s offense is comparable to Texas’ — maybe even a little bit better — but the Tigers can’t match what the Longhorns bring on the defensive side of the ball. The best defense in college football earns Texas the right to play another game.
RELATED:Quinn Ewers, Steve Sarkisian focused on CFP run, not QB’s future
Six out of seven CBS analysts picked Texas to win. Here’s how their picks went:
Dennis Dodd: Texas
Tom Fornelli: Texas
Shehan Jeyarajah: Texas
Richard Johnson: Texas
Brandon Marcello: Texas
Chip Patterson: Clemson
Jerry Palm: Texas
When it comes to the betting odds, the team is even more split. For those putting some money on the game, here’s what those same guys think of Texas being favored by 11½:
Dennis Dodd: Texas to cover
Tom Fornelli: Clemson to cover
Shehan Jeyarajah: Clemson to cover
Richard Johnson: Texas to cover
Brandon Marcello: Clemson to cover
Chip Patterson: Clemson to cover
Jerry Palm: Texas to cover
The self-dubbed “Worldwide Leader in Sports” has a clean sweep in its predictions. On “College GameDay,” broadcaster Rece Davis gave his reasons for his pick and in his playoff prediction story, Adam Rittenberg explained why he likes Texas in the matchup.
The website’s predictor, available for nearly all Football Bowl Subdivision games, gives Texas an 80% chance of beating Clemson.
Andrea Adelson: Texas 28, Clemson 14
Kyle Bonagura: Texas 31, Clemson 21
Bill Connelly: Texas 35, Clemson 16
Rece Davis: Texas
David Hale: Texas 45, Clemson 27
Adam Rittenberg: Texas 24, Clemson 16
Mark Schlabach: Texas 24, Clemson 20
Jake Trotter: Texas 24, Clemson 12
Pablo Uggetti: Texas 27, Clemson 14
Odds are provided by Bet MGM.
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