Clemson vs. Texas Same Game Parlay Picks, Odds & Predictions

Clemson vs. Texas Same Game Parlay Picks, Odds & Predictions Recap

Texas defeated Clemson 38-24 in the first round of the expanded College Football Playoff, powered by standout performances from running backs Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner. The Longhorns advanced to the Jan. 1 Peach Bowl, where they will face Big 12 champion Arizona State. Blue’s 17 carries resulted in 146 yards and two touchdowns, including a decisive 77-yard run in the fourth quarter after Clemson had narrowed the lead to 31-24 to get back within the NCAAF odds. Despite battling an ankle injury and fumbling issues earlier in the season, Blue came up clutch when it mattered most. Wisner contributed 110 rushing yards and two first-half touchdowns, giving Texas a balanced ground attack. Quinn Ewers added 202 passing yards and a touchdown, but was only asked to throw the ball 24 times due to the Horns putting the game on ice due to their second quarter offensive eruption.

Clemson mounted a second-half rally behind Cade Klubnik, who threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns. His efforts brought the Tigers within a touchdown, but Texas held firm on key fourth-down stops late in the game. Klubnik’s incomplete pass at the Texas 26 ended Clemson’s last ditch attempt to kick in the backdoor and make a game of it. The Longhorns’ defense, which allowed just four passing touchdowns all season, faced its toughest test but delivered in critical moments. Injury concerns loomed as Wisner, offensive tackle Cam Williams, and center Jake Majors exited the game. Williams’ knee injury is particularly concerning, with further tests pending. Texas, the SEC runner-up, is the only returning team from last year’s playoff who now must prepare for Arizona State in a high-stakes matchup to keep their title hopes alive.

Though the Tigers scored the game’s first points, they were outscored 38-17 the rest of the way and never truly threatened to cover the 12-point spread. This allowed the first leg of my recommended same-game parlay to hit. The second leg cashed early in the fourth quarter with Jaydon Blue’s near 80-yard touchdown run, which cashed the over of Texas 31.5-point team total. However, the third leg fell short as Quinn Ewers’ passing yards prop stayed under due to Texas relying heavily on the run game and several of his deep shots resulting in pass interference penalties. Because of it, the SGP finished 2-1 over at BetMGM Sportsbook.

Clemson vs. Texas Same Game Parlay Picks, Odds & Predictions

The second installment of Saturday’s College Football Playoff First Round slate takes college football bettors to Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin where the No. 5 Texas Longhorns will look to set the tone for a run to the title national championship against the No. 12 Clemson Tigers. Last we saw Steve Sarkisian’s troops in live action, they choked away an opportunity of snagging a first round bye by dropping a 22-19 overtime decision to the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC title game. As for Dabo Swinney’s kids, they played their way into the 12-team field by escaping with a 34-31 win over SMU to punch a ticket back into the CFP off a three-year hiatus.

Texas hit the board 11-point favorites to advance with the total lined 53 at BetMGM Sportsbook. Current action reports find a bulk of the NCAAF odds betting interest going the way of the homebased Horns who’ve taken in 55% of the bets and 60+ percent of the money forcing a 1-point market correction to -12. Total bettors expect this matchup to play out to one of the more lower scoring first round matchups with a heavy percentage of the written tickets and nearly 90 percent of the booked handle aligned with the under forcing a 1.5-point line move down to 51.5.

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Clemson Tigers vs. Texas Longhorns CFB Same Game Parlay:

With leading rusher Phil Mafah banged up and not expected to play much of a role in this game, the Tigers ability to hang against a substantially better Texas team will ultimately come down to Cade Klubnik’s ability to fend off a Longhorns defense that ranks out amongst the best in the country. The junior gunslinger brought his “A” game to the field in the ACC title game win over SMU after torching the Mustangs porous pass defense for 262 yards and 4 TD without an interception thrown. His favorite target in that game, and the whole season for that matter, has been frosh standout Bryant Wesco who hauled in 8 of 11 targets and turned them into 143 yards and a couple scores. He, along with Antonio Williams, T.J. Moore, and Jake Briningstool, comprise a pass catching corps that ranks 17^th in the nation in averaging just short of 275 yards per game. The unit’s task of solving the riddle that’s been the nation’s best pass defense will go a long way in determining whether the Tigers have enough in the tank to keep this game competitive and put the team in a position to pull out what I would consider a shocking upset.

If not for being forced to run up against the Georgia Bulldogs twice, at home and in a neutral setting, Texas would enter College Football Playoff betting the only other undefeated team. But they did have to face Kirby’s Dawgs twice, and the Longhorns proved they weren’t up to the task—largely in part to Quinn Ewers and the offense simply being unable to flex its muscles against another stout UGA defense. Why Sarkisian chose not to give Arch Manning a bit more burn in the rematch still has me scratching my head. Regardless, the Longhorns possess the ground game and aerial attack that should be able to do as it pleases against a lesser Tigers defense that ranks 65^th overall and rated out below average against both the run (#72) and pass (#61) in a conference well below the standards exhibited in the SEC. The backfield boasts a bell cow in Tre Wisner, and has plenty of pass catching excellence in the stable with WR Matthew Golden and TE Gunnar Helm leading the charge. Both phases of the Horns’ attack should simply do as it pleases against a very beatable Clemson stop unit.

Texas hasn’t delivered a dominant performance since demolishing Florida 49-17 as 23-point home favorites in early November. Still smarting from their recent overtime loss to Georgia and Clemson backing into the CFP with a last second win over SMU, the stage is set for the top to pop off in Austin. Simply put, Clemson doesn’t appear to belong on the same field as a Texas team loaded with talent that’s recently struggled to impose its will. Expect a breakout performance Saturday, with Quinn Ewers leading the charge. The quarterback has faced heavy criticism throughout the season, much of it warranted, but there’s no better opportunity to silence doubters than on this grand stage. With a win, Texas will advance to face an overrated Arizona State squad on the same fast track of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium turf where they recently fell to Georgia—a prime chance to wash the taste of that loss right out of their collective mouth.

• TEXAS LONGHORNS -12
• TEXAS LONGHORNS OVER 31.5 POINTS SCORED
• QUINN EWERS OVER 257.5 PASSING YARDS

Bet CFB Same Game Parlays at BetMGM Sportsbook