College GameDay podcast makes picks for Texas vs. Clemson

Texas is set to host Clemson in the first round of College football playoff on Saturday afternoon, and Vegas sees the Longhorns as favorites over the Tigers during the postseason.

The ESPN College GameDay podcast, including Rece Davis, Pete Thamel and Ryan McGee, reveal their thoughts on how the game could turn out and whether it could be more interesting than the odds indicate.

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McGee says the Tigers have a chance in the DKR.

“It’s interesting talking to people where I live in the Carolinas because what everyone has been saying is — some of these people are hired at big 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 in attendance for the Longhorns’ SEC title game against Georgia and couldn’t get over the size of Texas’ players and the physicality with which they played. 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 commit against the Longhorns in Austin. But the college football insider offered some insight into what could lead the Tigers to victory.

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

Still, Thamel agreed with McGee’s stance that this matchup will ultimately be won in the trenches, where physicality plays a big role in determining victory.

“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’m going to ‘Hook Em.’ ” Thamel continued. “But I think this game is going to be 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 head coach and is excited to see what a three-loss Clemson team that had to do everything to reach the CFP in the first place can do with the opportunity.

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

With no need for motivation ahead of Saturday’s showdown, kickoff between the Tigers and Longhorns is set for 16 ET live on TNT and Max.