Steve Sarkisian shares excitement for first-ever Texas vs. Clemson matchup

Steve Sarkisian is elated Texas is back in the College Football Playoff, and he can’t wait to matchup against Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers.

The Longhorns were ranked as the No. 5 seed, while Clemson captured the No. 12 seed after capturing the ACC title over the SMU Mustangs. With the revelation that the first round games will be played on the higher-ranked team’s home field, the Tigers have to come to Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium for the first ever meeting between the two historic programs.

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That means a lot to Sarkisian. He has a ton of respect for what Swinney has built with Clemson, and the Texas leader believes it’ll be a showdown for the ages when the two teams take the field.

“Being the No. 5 seed, and we get to play the No. 12 seed in a team like Clemson, a team who’s been a perennial college football playoff team. I think Coach [Dabo] Sweeney has done a fantastic job at Clemson. You don’t win two national titles over a 17 year period, multiple appearances in the CFP, numerous ACC conference championships — they’ve got a championship program,” Sarkisian explained, via a video chat with media members. “The fact that we’ve never played them, that Texas has never played Clemson in football. The first time will be in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, right here at DKR — I think that’s very exciting.

“You look at some of the other matchups that are going to take place, and what the — you know, kind of what the bracket could look like down the road, I think this is an exciting time for college football. So, we’re fortunate that we’ve earned the right to be in the Playoff, and looking forward to the opportunity to compete with Clemson, and in the CFP in general.”

As Steve Sarkisian relayed, it’s certainly an awesome time to be a Texas fan, and a college football fan in general. Time will tell if the Longhorns can make a run at a national title, but it all begins with the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the expanded College Football Playoff.