No. 3 Football to host No. 16 Clemson in College Football Playoff ...

By: Grace Tafolla

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• College Football Playoff

AUSTIN, Texas – No. 3 and fifth-seed Texas Football will be hosting No. 16 and 12th-seeded Clemson in the 2024 College Football Playoff first round at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 21, inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The game will broadcast on TNT/Max with Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst) and Taylor McGregor (reporter) on the call.

Texas will be making its second College Football Playoff appearance in as many years after earning the three seed in the 2023 College Football Playoff, making a semifinal appearance against the No. 2 Washington Huskies at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The Longhorns have 11-consecutive top-10 CFP rankings, dating back to Oct. 31, 2023. Texas debuted at No. 5 in the first CFP rankings on Nov. 5 this season – which doubled as the program's highest-ever spot in the first week of CFP rankings. Texas has been in the top-25 in each of the last 15 rankings and has 27 overall appearances in the rankings with its highest being No. 2. UT checked in at No. 4 in both the Associated Press and Coaches Polls that were updated on Dec. 8.

Dec. 21 will mark the first-ever matchup between Texas and Clemson. The first round winner will advance to the CFP Quarterfinal at the 57th Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and face the Big 12 Champion and No. 4 seed Arizona State at Noon C.T. on Jan. 1, 2025, in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game will air on an ABC/ESPN platform.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian has now led his programs to eight postseason appearances in his 11 seasons as a head coach. He led Washington to four-straight bowl games following the 2010-13 seasons and guided USC to the Holiday Bowl in 2014. His Washington team played in the 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl, a game he did not coach in after taking over the Trojans' program. Sarkisian was the head coach for the Huskies' Alamo Bowl appearance against Baylor in 2011.

College Football Playoff First Round Game Ticket Information

Texas Football season ticket holders may request their regular season seat location(s) and parking location(s) for the College Football Playoff First Round Game between Texas and Clemson on Saturday, Dec. 21 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.  Season ticket holders should log in to their account to purchase.  The deadline for Texas Football season ticket holders to request tickets is Monday, Dec. 9 at 4 p.m. Central. No general public tickets will be available for purchase.  Fans interested in purchasing tickets should visit SeatGeek, the official fan-to-fan ticket marketplace of Texas Athletics.  

Longhorn Foundation donors at the Tradition level or higher ($1,500+) may also request tickets for other CFP game that the Longhorns may qualify for this postseason.  The deadline to request tickets for the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is Monday, Dec. 9 at 4 p.m. Central.  The deadline to request tickets for the College Football Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl and College Football National Championship Game is Monday, Dec. 16 at 4 p.m. Central.