The first round of the expanded College Football Playoff pits ACC champion Clemson against SEC runner-up Texas. The Tigers are the No. 12 seed. Texas is No. 5 and the Longhorns earned the right to host a home game with their higher seeding. The winner advances to play No. 4 seed and Big 12 champion Arizona State in the next round.

Key matchup

Quarterbacks Quinn Ewers of Texas and Cade Klubnik of Clemson last met in the Texas Class 6A state championship in January 2021 when both were two of the highest-rated recruits in the nation. Klubnik won that day and comes back to his hometown looking to keep the Tigers on the march for an even bigger prize.

Players to watch

Clemson: Senior running back Phil Mafah has rushed for nearly 1,200 yards but his production dropped off over the last month with a nagging shoulder injury. The Tigers need a solid game from him against one of the country’s toughest run defenses.

Texas: Klubnik faces an intimidating Texas secondary. Cornerback Jahdae Barron won the Thorpe Award. Safety Michael Taaffe is a second-team AP All-American. Safety Andrew Mukuba transferred from Clemson for his final season and has anchored the back end of the secondary with hard tackling.

Facts & figures

Texas has scored just one touchdown in the six quarters …. Longhorns offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. won the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy, awards given to the nation’s most outstanding lineman. He missed the SEC championship game with an ankle injury but is expected to play Saturday … Klubnick has 33 passing touchdowns. Texas has surrendered just four passing TDs all season … Clemson kicker Nolan Hauser booted a 56-yard game winner against SMU in the ACC championship. Texas kicker Bert Auburn is just 6 of 13 on field goal attempts beyond 40 yards.

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