Clemson vs. Texas prediction, odds: College Football Playoff pick, best bets

The co-favorites to win the College Football national championship at DraftKings are also the largest favorites of any team in the opening round.

The Texas Longhorns are 12-point home favorites against the Clemson Tigers, signifying that an upset of Steve Sarkisian’s squad would be nothing short of shocking.

Clemson comes into Saturday tied for the lowest yards per play among all of the teams remaining in the College Football Playoff.

Whether they can overcome that against the nation’s best defense is a whole other question entirely.

Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik has his work cut out for him.

Clemson vs. Texas odds

Clemson vs. Texas prediction

Saturday, Dec. 21, 4 p.m. ET, TNT

There will be no significant transfers or opt-outs heading into this game despite massive talent on both teams.

Texas will be missing depth wide receivers Tony Stellato and Noble Johnson, while Clemson is absent depth defensive lineman Tony Savea.

Those players’ absences should not affect the game much at all.

As for the actual game, Clemson is lucky to even be in this spot. They are widely thought of as a team that shouldn’t have even made the playoffs, but qualified by winning the ACC.

(Imagine the fireworks of this game if Alabama were in it… I digress.)

Texas starting quarterback Quinn Ewers has really struggled recently, and that could leave some added work for star backup Arch Manning.

Ewers has struggled to take care of the ball, taken bad sacks and did not play well last year as a massive favorite against Washington in the semifinals.

He has thrown an interception in nine of 13 games this season as his draft stock has gone in the tank.

Betting on College Football?

Best believe that if things go south for Ewers, Manning will get some added work as a runner and passer.

We’re betting on Manning to snag a rushing touchdown in this one. He’s scored four in nine games this year and there’s plenty of reason to suspect that he will get more playing time Saturday.

In this narrative, Clemson probably keeps it close.

Texas has only beaten one of its last four opponents by more than 10 points and that was a brutal 4-7 Kentucky squad.

PICK: Clemson +12 (-105, Fanatics) | Arch Manning to score a touchdown (+210, DraftKings) 2+ (+1300, ESPN BET)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.