Clemson vs Texas Predictions and Preview | Top College Football Playoff Picks

Expert college football analyst Ron Marmalefsky looks at the College Football Playoff matchup of Clemson vs Texas before kickoff!

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College Football Playoff Overview

Clemson is a fairly predictable team, and one that plays well enough in big games, thanks to coaching longevity and a large history of being in big games. 

Watching them play “old school” football can be both good and bad, but their victory over SMU kept SEC team Alabama out of the playoffs, which I find amusing as well as satisfying. 

Texas lost twice, each time to Georgia. All other wins were by double digits. Can Clemson pull another upset, or is Texas just too good?

Clemson Football Preview

QB Cade Klubnik seemed much more confident this season, and his 33-5 TD-to-Interception ratio was the result. 

In games that I charted as being comparable (five), I show him at 63%, with an impressive 10-1 ratio.  RB Mafah runs tough. 

Despite late season injuries, he’s still hard to tackle.  In the three comparable games I charted he ran 67-254, meaning he is NOT likely to run rampant here. 

What I DID find interesting is that Clemson ran him 66 times in their three losses.  The Tigers will not be abandoning the run here. 

Mafah is not much of a receiving threat.  The pass game features one go-to WR, two fairly productive freshman WR’s and a veteran TE who is counted upon to get timely first downs. 

Texas has a decent, but not a shutdown pass defense. This will be a good battle to watch. I cannot recall a time in almost forever that the Tigers were so inefficient vs. the run. 

Living under 4.0 allowed per carry, their 3.95 per carry allowed in ’23 was well above the previous three years (3.3). 

Amazingly, Clemson clocked in at 4.7 per carry allowed. I projected the pass defense to allow 55.5%.  That’s exactly what happened. 

Points allowed were way too high vs. bowl types. Clemson thrived on their +16 turnover margin. Kicking was occasionally worrisome, but overall, they hit a respectable 17-23. Led by DE T.J. Parker, they produced 33 sacks. The touchback rate was 80%.

Texas Football Preview

Texas was not as good offensively, but all six of their WR/TE targets either came from other programs or had virtually no contribution a year ago, so the entire unit was essentially rebuilt. 

The one constant was QB Ewers, who throws a nice, soft catchable ball.  While I still want to see how he does when tasked to fire balls into tight areas, his NCAA work is more than acceptable. 

He’s capable of 63-65% in this spot, and perhaps two passing TD’s.  RB Wisner assumed lead back status during the season and never looked back. 

Texas, like Clemson, doesn’t seem to abandon the run game, and I project Wisner to go 22-112 here.  Texas has been consistent (3.4 on average) with its run defense. 

Florida was the only team to run above expectation, with Georgia in the title game going 37-156, the next best mark. 

Like I noted above, Mafah is a tough RB, but Texas has the ability to contain him. Their task: Limit his move the chains success.  Sorry, SEC fans, but Texas did not face many true talented QB’s in ’24. 

They had no issues with most QB’s faced.  Georgia QB Beck was 43-71 in two outings.  Texas does have the ability to force interceptions. 

I think Klubnik will have his moments in this game. Texas had a 38-28 sack ratio, so really, both QB’s could be under at least some pressure. 

The 3^rd down defense was pretty good. Texas was erratic in the kicking game (14-21, some serious misses). Touchbacks came in at 60%

Clemson vs Texas: Keys To The Game

Clemson needs to put their QB in favorable situations.  If that happens, he has a WR who can do damage. RB Mafah must move the chains. 

They don’t want Ewers to get in rhythm. Texas has the opportunity to run well, which would open up their athletic WR/TE units for big plays down the field. Which kicking game can be trusted? Which pass rush will win?

Clemson vs Texas Predictions: RB Quintrevion Wisner OVER 85.5 Rushing Yards

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