Clemson football returns to the College Football Playoff. The Tigers are the No. 12 seed in the tournament’s first year of the expanded 12-team field and will travel to Texas, where they are ranked No. 5, to face the Longhorns. It is the first matchup between Clemson and Texas in program history. It is the team’s first CFP berth since 2020 and seventh overall, second only to Alabama with the most appearances in the 11-year playoff history. If the Tigers did after defeating the Longhorns in Austin, they would face Arizona State in the quarterfinals of the Peach Bowl. Clemson (10-3, 7-1 ACC) deservedly made it to the quarterfinals of the 12-team College Football Playoff with an automatic chance to win the ACC Championship Saturday night in Charlotte, 34-31 over No. 11 SMU with a game-winning 56-yard field goal by freshman Nolan Hauser as time expired. The opening weekend of the College Football Playoff will be played on December 19th and 20th and will feature the first four home playoff games in the history of the sport. The top four teams in the final standings were No. 1 Oregon (13-0), No. 2 Georgia (11-2), No. 3 Boise State (12-1) and No. 4 Arizona State (11-2). All four teams received a bye in the first round after winning the conference championships. Final College Football Playoff Rankings (December 8) Oregon (13-0) Georgia (11-2) Boise State (12-1) Arizona State (11-2) Texas (11-2) Penn State (11- 2) Notre Dame (11-1)Ohio State (10-2)Tennessee (10-2)Indiana (11-1)SMU (11-2)Clemson (10-3)