Who will Texas play next in CFP Quarterfinals? Longhorns' opponents after Clemson win explored

Syndication: USA TODAY - Source: Imagn — Who will Texas play next in CFP Quarterfinals? Longhorns' opponents after Clemson win explored (Image Source: Imagn)

The No. 3-ranked Texas Longhorns defeated the No. 16-ranked Clemson Tigers in their first-round matchup in the College Football Playoff. With the win, the Longhorns advance to the quarterfinals where they will play the No. 12-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils. The Sun Devils had a first-round bye after winning the Big 12 Championship Game.

Who will Texas play next in CFP quarterfinals?

After defeating Clemson, the Longhorns will advance to their second-round College Football Playoff matchup. There they will play Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. The Sun Devils are entering the matchup on a six-game win streak, having last lost to Cincinnati 24-14 on Oct. 19.

The Longhorns are entering the game after getting a bounce-back win in the first round after losing the SEC Championship Game 22-19 in OT to No. 2-ranked Georgia. The game will kick off on New Year's Day at 1 p.m. EST.

Who is favored to win Texas vs Arizona State?

Despite being the team with the bye through the first round, the Arizona State Sun Devils are big underdogs in this matchup. They are a consensus +410 underdog according to the sportsbooks. Conversely, the Longhorns are a consensus -550 favorite to win and advance to the CollegeFootball Playoff semifinals.

Arizona State has had an excellent season, only losing twice throughout the year, and both times before the start of November. The Sun Devils have two wins over top 25-ranked opponents, including No. 17-ranked BYU and No. 18-ranked Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Conversely, the Longhorns had not defeated a ranked opponent until they beat No. 16-ranked Clemson on Saturday. However, their only two losses this season came at the hands of No. 2-ranked Georgia.

While the Longhorns did not have a challenging schedule by SEC standards, they still had a dominant season. They proved they can beat teams ranked below them, and as a result, they are still heavily favored to win their quarterfinal matchup.