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Clemson or Texas?: Who will be Arizona State’s first playoff opponent?

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The Valley is most definitely activated after Arizona State Football was announced as the four seed in the College Football Playoff Sunday morning, earning a first round bye in the tournament.

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No. 10 ASU (11-2,7-2) claimed its spot in the CFP with a demoralizing 45-19 victory over No. 18 Iowa State (10-3,7-2) to earn bragging rights as this year’s Big 12 champion.

The first round bye is a well-deserved break for the Sun Devils, who’ve been clawing and scrapping with nationally ranked programs for three out of the last four weeks. Their moment of peace and rehabilitation will be much needed as they are set to play their toughest opponent of the season no matter who comes out on top: Clemson or Texas.

The No. 5 Longhorns (11-2,7-2) will host the No. 16 Tigers (10-3,7-1) on Dec. 21 to see who moves on to play Arizona State in the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl on Jan. 1. Texas claimed the 5th seed of the tournament after falling to No. 2 Georgia (11-2,6-2) for the second time this season in a close SEC championship bout. Clemson snuck into the CFP as the last seed, after kicking a last-second field goal to take the ACC title away from No. 10 SMU (11-2,8-0). Georgia and SMU are the No. 2 and 11 seeds respectively.

However things unfold, both teams are better than anyone the Sun Devils have played this season.

The Tigers and Bulldogs share something in common this season: Neither could stop Georgia. Texas’ second match against the Bulldogs was far better than its first. While they were not able to win either matchup, the Longhorns 22-19 loss to the Georgia was an improvement from their mid-season 30-15 loss. What works in Texas’ favor from the seeding is that Georgia is the only team they lost to this season and wouldn’t have to worry about the Bulldogs again until the national championship if they made it.

Clemson didn’t get a shot at redemption from an ugly 34-3 beat down by the Bulldogs the to kickoff the season at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium — the home of the Peach Bowl. The Tigers’ placement in the CFP is even more surprising, dropping key matchups against conference foe Louisville (8-4,5-3) and in-state rival No. 15 South Carolina (9-3,5-3); however, a strong finish to the regular season and a serendipitous conference upset by Syracuse (9-3,5-3) over No. 13 Miami (10-2,6-2) positioned Clemson for a spot in the ACC title match that was not wasted.

With the stage set for these two teams to duke it out for a chance to play ASU in the quarterfinals of the tournament, the question is: Who will the Sun Devils play?

The obvious answer would be Texas. Going toe-to-toe with one of the top five teams in the country and being just four points shy of claiming Georgia’s postseason glory, the Longhorns aren’t anyone to take lightly. With two quarterbacks ready to go in junior Quinn Ewers and redshirt freshman Arch Manning.

But do not count the Tigers out.

After being challenged on multiple occasions, Clemson and head coach Dabo Swinney finally began to play like the Clemson of old. The closeness of their matchup with SMU could be seen as a deterrent, but the game was more of a testament to how good the Mustangs actually are more than the Tigers being considered pretenders.

What Clemson does have on its side is legacy and a head coach that has been here before. The Tigers are making their first appearance back to the playoffs since the 2020-2021 season, but had dominated the tournament since its 2014 inception. With a spot in this year’s bracket, Clemson has now qualified for seven out of 11 CFP tournaments, winning the nation championship twice (2016, 2018). It doesn’t guarantee anything, but Swinney’s experience in the playoffs makes him more than ready for the moment.

Playoff football truly brings the best out of everyone, so forget the regular season. Texas and Clemson will have to earn their spot in the quarter finals to take on ASU.

No matter which of the two teams win the bout, that opponent will be the toughest team that the Sun Devils will have played this season.

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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live

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