Texas Longhorns Become New National Championship Favorite

The Texas Longhorns have the odds on their side after the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden (2) celebrates a catch in the second quarter as the Texas Longhorns play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, Dec. 21, 2024.
Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden (2) celebrates a catch in the second quarter as the Texas Longhorns play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, Dec. 21, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Texas Longhorns took care of business in the first round of the College Football Playoff, defeating the Clemson Tigers 38-24 in front of a fired-up DKR crowd on Saturday.

Texas is one of just eight teams left with a shot at the national championship, and in the eyes of some, perhaps the team best-positioned to win it all.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Longhorns are currently the odds-on favorites to win the national title, sitting at +310 odds at the time of publication. The Ohio State Buckeyes are a close second at +330, followed by the Oregon Ducks and Georgia Bulldogs at +480.

The Longhorns looked the part of a title contender on Saturday. They ran all over the Tigers' defense, with Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner each rushing for over 100 yards and two touchdowns on the day. Clemson made things interesting in the fourth quarter, but Texas' defense came up clutch once again with another massive goal-line stand.

Last season, the Longhorns came so tantalizingly close to playing for a national championship, falling to the Washington Huskies 37-31 in the CFP Semifinal at the Sugar Bowl. This season, that shortcoming has served as constant motivation for Steve Sarkisian's squad.

"To get as close as we were and not to have that opportunity to get into that game I think really fueled us, quite frankly, in the offseason, in winter conditioning, in spring ball, in those summer workouts when we're running in DKR at 4 in the afternoon and it's 115 degrees and it's why we put in the work that we put in," Sarkisian told reporters after Saturday's game. "We're far from that. We've got a couple more games to go to get there. But it serves as great motivation, when you can get close as we were."

The Longhorns do indeed have a ways to go before getting to that point. Next up, they head back to Atlanta to face the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl on New Year's Day.

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