College GameDay podcast makes picks for Texas vs. Clemson

Texas is set to host Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday afternoon, and Vegas sees the Longhorns as two-score favorites over the Tigers during the postseason.

The ESPN College GameDay podcast, including Rece Davis, Pete Thamel and Ryan McGee, reveal their opinions on how the game may turn out, and if it may be more interesting than betting odds may show.

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McGee says the Tigers have a chance in DKR.

“It’s interesting talking to people where I live in the Carolinas because what everyone has said is — some of these people are employed at major universities — It’s the most Clemson thing ever that this team couldn’t get out of its own way, and there it sits in the College Football Playoff. Should have lost the ACC Championship game three or four times, and they’re in the College Football Playoff.”

McGee was on hand for the Longhorns’ SEC title game against Georgia, and couldn’t get over the size of Texas’ players and the physicality they played with. For that, he picked Texas, but expects the game to be closer than Vegas predicts.

For Thamel, part of him wanted to pick Clemson but he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to bet against the Longhorns in Austin. However, the college football insider provided some insight into what might lead the Tigers to victory.

“I am very intrigued,” Thamel told his colleagues of Clemson’s chances. “If Clemson is going to win this game, Cade Klubnik needs to come home to Austin — he’s a Westlake High School graduate — and he needs to have the game of his life.”

Still, Thamel agreed with McGee’s sentiment that this matchup will ultimately be won in the trenches with physicality playing a big role in determining the victor.

“You kind of saw how they got after Georgia in the SEC title game, and Texas’ O-line, I think, will hold up well against a very good [Clemson] defensive front, so I am going to ‘Hook Em.'” Thamel continued. “But I do think this game is going to have some fun — I just think Dabo [Swinney] is going to be the fly in the ointment here.”

Rece Davis is a noted fan of Dabo Swinney as a head coach and is excited to see what a three-loss Clemson team, who had to do everything right down the stretch to make the CFP in the first place, can do with the opportunity.

“The most Clemson thing ever is that, with all of the success they’ve had, winning two national championships, playing for multiple playoff appearances, is that they can come into the playoff and say, ‘Nobody expects anything of us, let it fly,'” Davis told McGee and Thamel. “That is when motivation, sometimes, I think, is overrated at this time of year because everybody should be motivated to try to win a championship.”

With no motivation needed ahead of Saturday’s clash, kickoff between the Tigers and Longhorns is set for 4 p.m. ET live on TNT and Max.