AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 3 Texas Football team will take on No. 16 Clemson, the fifth seed, in the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff. The matchup is set for Saturday, December 21, at 3 p.m. CT at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, with the game being broadcast on TNT/Max. The broadcast team will include Dave Pasch as the play-by-play announcer, Dusty Dvoracek as the analyst, and Taylor McGregor as the reporter.
This will mark Texas’ second consecutive appearance in the College Football Playoff after finishing third in the 2023 rankings. Last season, Texas advanced to the semifinals, where they faced the No. 2 Washington Huskies at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The Longhorns have been consistently strong, maintaining 11 consecutive top-10 rankings in the College Football Playoff since October 31, 2023. They made their highest-ever debut at No. 5 in the first CFP rankings released on November 5 of this season, and they have been ranked in the top-25 across all 15 rankings.
The upcoming game will be the first-ever meeting between Texas and Clemson. The winner will move on to the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the 57th Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, scheduled for January 1, 2025, against the Big 12 Champion and No. 4 seed, Arizona State, at Noon CT at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, airing on an ABC/ESPN platform.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian has a notable record, leading his teams to eight postseason appearances in his 11-year coaching career. His previous stints include guiding Washington to four consecutive bowl games and taking USC to the Holiday Bowl.
For fans looking to attend the game, Texas Football season ticket holders can request their regular season seat and parking locations starting now, with the deadline to submit requests set for December 9 at 4 p.m. Central. General public tickets are not available, but fans can check SeatGeek, the official fan-to-fan ticket marketplace of Texas Athletics, for availability. Longhorn Foundation donors at the Tradition level or higher can also request tickets for other potential playoff games, with relevant deadlines provided for the Quarterfinal and Semifinal.
This matchup not only showcases the competitive spirit of college football but also represents an opportunity for Texas to continue its impressive run in the playoffs. As the Longhorns prepare to face a formidable opponent in Clemson, fans can look forward to an exciting game that might set the stage for even greater achievements ahead.