The No. 3 Texas Longhorns are set to open the inaugural 12-team playoff with a home game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday against the Clemson Tigers, a team they have never faced in their more than a century of football.
The Longhorns, the only repeat team from last year’s four-team edition, face one of the most playoff-experienced programs in the nation. Before missing the last three editions of the playoff, Clemson made the field for six-consecutive years, winning two. That total trails just one team, the Alabama Crimson Tide, who have three titles in eight appearances.