Could we really be headed for a Texas vs. Clemson national championship?
According to college football analyst Ari Wasserman of On3, that’s the projected title game for the upcoming 2025-26 College Football Playoff—and if it plays out that way, it would be one of the more unexpected twists in this new era of the expanded 12-team format.
Wasserman’s projection isn’t a certainty, of course. We’re still months away from kickoff, and anything can happen between now and December. But after the spring transfer portal settled and rosters across the country became more clear, On3 put together a full mock bracket based on current talent, schedules, and momentum. And in that bracket? A rematch no one saw coming.
Clemson and Texas: A Round One Reversal?
In the first year of the 12-team playoff, Texas hosted Clemson in Austin for a first-round game. The Longhorns handled business at home, ending the Tigers’ postseason early. But in Wasserman’s updated 2025 projection, both teams make massive strides and eventually collide again—this time, with a national title on the line.
It’s a bold prediction. Clemson opens the season against LSU, and while Wasserman has the Tigers losing that matchup, he sees them getting hot at the right time. Behind what he calls “one of the best defensive lines in the country,” Dabo Swinney’s squad runs the table in the ACC and enters the playoff with momentum.
Texas, meanwhile, is pegged as the No. 1 seed in the field. Wasserman highlights the Longhorns’ combination of depth, experience, and raw talent—especially at quarterback, where Arch Manning is projected to lead the charge as a Heisman Trophy finalist. With big wins over Oregon and Ohio State in his simulated bracket, Texas punches its ticket to the title game looking like a fully formed juggernaut.
The potential rematch would be a fascinating flip from last year’s early-round battle. Instead of being a road underdog in Austin, Clemson would now have an opportunity to settle the score on the biggest stage in college football.
Of course, all of this is just speculation. These playoff brackets are meant to spark conversation more than serve as gospel. But still, it’s hard not to get a little excited thinking about the possibility of two powerhouse programs crossing paths again—with everything on the line this time.