Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium is a deserving host venue for first-round games in the College Football Playoff

For all the legitimate criticism of the College Football Playoff’s 12-team format, there’s one aspect that seemingly has universal support: on-campus postseason games. Because of the current nature of the sport, name-brand teams litter the postseason field. Those programs typically play their home games in some of the sport’s most historic venues. And starting the weekend of December 20-21, those verifiable cathedrals of college football will play host to groundbreaking contests as part of the 12-team playoff.

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The lucky four stadiums? Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Notre Dame Stadium, home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Beaver Stadium, home of the Penn State Nittany Lions.

And, of course, Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, home of the Texas Longhorns.

Known as “DKR” to many, the home of the Longhorns will host the Clemson Tigers on December 21 in what could be the highest-stakes game the 40 Acres has ever seen. A 1970 matchup with Arkansas might be in the conversation considering it indirectly earned the Longhorns their third national championship. But Texas, Ohio State, and Nebraska split that title. This year’s playoff will crown an undisputed champion, and to get there this first-round win is required.

A victory for Steve Sarkisian‘s program would advance Texas into the first ever FBS football version of the Elite Eight. A loss would end the season. Stakes like that don’t come around too often in October or November.

That this version of the playoff and this matchup versus Clemson is taking place during the 100th anniversary of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium functioning as the home of Longhorns football only adds to the excitement. Plus, never have more people been able to pack into the building located at 2139 San Jacinto Blvd.

A record 105,215 fans filled DKR on October 19 for the Longhorns’ loss to Georgia, one of the many record-setting crowds of the Sarkisian era. Only two home games in the past two seasons have failed to see 100,000 pass through the gates. One was the 2023 season opener versus Rice, the other was the 2024 season opener against Colorado State. Both kicked off in scorching afternoon Central Texas heat.

It makes sense that the home of the flagship university of the Lone Star State’s football team would host a historic contest. Plus, an old criticism of the home of the Longhorns will ring deafeningly hollow when the Tigers come to town.

Since the south end zone project was completed and the stadium surrounding Campbell-Williams Field became fully enclosed, the home atmosphere has improved rapidly under the leadership and vision of athletics director Chris Del Conte. And since arriving at Texas, Del Conte has made it clear he understands the level of effort put in by fans, whether they already live in Austin, drive in from Houston, Dallas, or elsewhere, or fly in from foreign lands. His program has made considerable efforts to reward those fans for spending their hard-earned dollars on the 40 Acres, with additions like Bevo Blvd., Longhorn City Limits, and an improved stadium experience.

Of course, the football team is better than when Del Conte took over after the 2017 season. That’s why the Longhorns are at this point anyway, and why DKR will be one of several stadia fans will pack in less than two weeks. It’s also a reason why Texas has become a feared environment for visiting teams. Just ask former Alabama EDGE Will Anderson, who labeled the Texas environment as the best he had ever been in during the Crimson Tide’s trip to Austin for an 11 a.m. game in 2022.

The winning tradition of the Longhorns is why the stadium expanded from its original 27,000, to 40,500 in 1926, to 60,136 in 1948, to 75,504 in 1972, to 80,082 in 1999, to 100,119 in 2009. Hundreds and hundreds of the program’s 909 wins have occurred in Austin, and legendary coaches and players who established that winning tradition are part of what makes the home of Texas football a venerated structure in the sport.

A six-figure crowd is a near-guarantee for the Longhorns’ matchup with Clemson. Similar applies for Penn State’s home game versus SMU and Ohio State’s battle with Tennessee. The only home venue that won’t host over 100,000 is Notre Dame Stadium, but what the home of the Irish lacks in size it more than makes for in history.

That’s part of a weekend where DKR will not look out of place when it comes to historic host sites.

With the scheduled 3 p.m. kick, the 100,000-plus in attendance will look to make the 40 Acres an environment just as threatening as Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, affectionately known as Death Valley.

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That’s all set to take place on December 21, the shortest day of the year. It’s a contest that will take place in a venue with a long history, and the Longhorns hope to add to the story of one of the cathedrals of college football.