By Jamal Baker
NDG Contributing Writer
The University of Texas and Southern Methodist University have kicked the door in and made their presence known in their first seasons as members of the SEC and ACC. They have not quite grabbed a plate and kicked their feet up—losing each of their conference championship games, but have arrived, nonetheless.
Texas, formerly a member of the Big 12, fell to Georgia 22-19 in an overtime thriller in the SEC Championship. SMU won the American Athletic Conference championship last year before losing a heartbreaker to Clemson 34-31 in this year’s ACC championship. Both will quickly look to bounce back as they have amazing opportunities to compete for a championship in the College Football Playoff.
The Longhorns enter the tournament as a fifth seed and will host Clemson in the first round at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday Dec. 21. in Austin. Texas will be making their second straight College Football Playoff appearance with hopes of building off last year’s success.
“We’re fortunate that we’ve earned the right to be in the playoffs and compete with Clemson. Dabo and I go way back, and he’s done a great job. He modernized a lot of the coaching philosophies that a lot of us use today,” Longhorns’ head coach Steve Sarkisian said.
The Texas versus Clemson matchup will be the first time the two teams have ever competed against each other. The Longhorns will need to get redshirt freshman Arch Manning involved to add a new element to an offense that has the ability to explode at any given moment. Current starter Quinn Ewers has done an admirable job at the helm, but his lack of mobility limits the variance of the offense. Employing a more balanced two-quarterback system gives Texas their best shot at winning the championship.
SMU edged out Alabama in the College Football Playoff rankings to claim the eleventh seed and will play No. 6 Penn State at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday Dec. 21 at Beaver Stadium in Pennsylvania.
“SMU played a game against Clemson and lost by three. For us, it just came down to watching the games. We watched those games together, seeing the outcome of those games and how those teams played. They earned the right to be in those conference championships, and we value watching those games and seeing the results and the outcome,” College Football Playoff selection committee chair Warde Manuel said.
The Mustangs have a chance to write a Cinderella story, earning their first playoff berth in school history. The Dallas program has returned to college football relevancy after receiving the “death penalty” in 1987. With Christmas around the corner, many are ready to hop on the Polar Express, but it is also time to hop on the Pony Express—the Mustangs are back.
Texas and SMU have legitimate paths to be two of the final four teams standing in the College Football Playoff. Arizona State awaits Texas for a potential matchup in the Peach Bowl while SMU will potentially face Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. First order of business for both teams will be taking care of business Dec. 21. The state of Texas prides itself on football—plenty of homegrown talent will be on display for both teams on the biggest stage.
