Here is the real wild card of the playoffs, as Clemson is playing with house money after an unlikely twist of fortune allowed it a path into the playoffs. Which the Tigers took in the ACC title game vs. SMU, where it took Syracuse upsetting Miami the week before (while Clemson was losing to South Carolina) to even give Dabo Swinney a chance in Charlotte. The Tigers, however, grabbed the opportunity vs. the Mustangs, and in retrospect that win vs. SMU plus a valiant 60 minutes vs. the Gamecocks (a game the Tigers led much of the way) suggests Clemson is not out of its depth vs. the Longhorns. There is also danger for Texas facing QB Cade Klubnik, a Metroplex product who passed for 33 TDs with just 5 picks this season and tossed four four scores vs. SMU at Charlotte. Texas was also not an especially reliable spread proposition this season, dropping five of its last seven vs. the number, and one of those covers vs. a Florida side playing a 3rd-string QB. Moreover, the Austin audience, clamoring for Arch Manning, has been impatient with QB Quinn Ewers (who might be playing at less than 100%), adding yet another distraction. The Longhorns offense also labored often down the stretch, as stop-start efforts vs. Arkansas, Texas A&M, and Georgia suggested. Play Clemson