Dabo Swinney and the No. 16 Clemson Tigers still have hopes of getting into the 12-team College Football Playoff.
The Tigers will need some help to do that, but they got some on Saturday when Georgia Tech knocked off the previously unbeaten Miami Hurricanes, 28-23, in Atlanta.
Even with Miami’s loss, Clemson is still on the outside looking in with both the Hurricanes and SMU blocking the Tigers’ path to the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte on Dec. 7. Clemson moved up three spots to No. 20 in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings.
SMU (8-1 overall) leads the ACC standings race at 5-0 in conference play. Miami (9-1, 5-1) trails Clemson (7-2, 6-1) by a half-game in the standings but has two ACC games remaining. Clemson has just one.
Of course, the biggest thing the Tigers can do is take care of business themselves. They did that in the second half against Virginia Tech last week, scoring 24 straight points behind quarterback Cade Klubnik and the Tigers’ defense for a 24-14 win in Blacksburg.
Clemson travels to Pitt Saturday to take on Pat Narduzzi’s Panthers (7-2). Kickoff is set for noon ET. The game can be seen on ESPN.
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Entering Week 12, here’s what national college football writers and others in the sport’s media universe are saying about Clemson’s bowl game projections — and who they might face.
Common bowl game projection emerges for Clemson football
247Sports’ Brad Crawford forecasts a West Coast trip for the Tigers. Crawford sees Dabo Swinney’s team out in San Diego to play in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27 against Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes.
Clemson has never played in the Holiday Bowl before and has only played a postseason game in the state of California once: in the 2019 College Football Playoff Championship win over Alabama.
Crawford said of a potential Clemson vs. Colorado matchup:
“This would undoubtedly be one of bowl season’s most-watched games outside of the playoff. However, the likelihood of every star playing for both teams is slim.”
Crawford isn’t the only one who sees Clemson playing in the Holiday Bowl if the Tigers don’t find their way into the ACC Championship Game. ESPN’s Mark Schabach (subscription required) also has the Tigers in the Holiday Bowl against “Coach Prime” and Colorado.
Writing for The Athletic ($), Stewart Mandel and Scott Dochterman see the Tigers in San Diego against the Washington Huskies.
Veteran college football reporter Brett McMurphy sees Clemson in the Holiday Bowl, as well, against one of the surprise teams in the Big 12 this year: first-year conference member Arizona State.
From Florida to Charlotte, more bowl projections for Clemson Tigers
USA TODAY Sports analyst Erick Smith sees the Tigers making a trip to Orlando for bowl season to play the Iowa State Cyclones in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Dec. 28. The bowl has been known by several names, the longest being the Champs Sports Bowl (2004-11). Many fans will recall its first name — the Blockbuster Bowl (1990-93).
Clemson last played in this game in 2021 when it was known as the Cheez-It Bowl. The Tigers beat Iowa State, 20-13.
Over at CBS Sports, Jerry Palm sees Clemson in a bowl that’s a lot closer to home: the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte on Jan. 3, 2025. Palm has the Tigers facing the Minnesota Golden Gophers from the Big Ten.
The Sporting News’ Bill Bender agrees with the Duke’s Mayo Bowl projection and currently has Clemson in that game, as well. Only in Bender’s new bowl game forecast, he has the Tigers squaring off against Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Sports Illustrated released its updated bowl projections on Wednesday. They also see Clemson playing Iowa — in the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Year’s Eve in Tampa. The game was previously known as the Outback Bowl from 1996-2022.
Lastly, ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura projects Clemson to make a return trip to a bowl game they’ve played in more times than any other in program history, including last season: the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2 against Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Clemson defeated the Kentucky Wildcats, 38-35, in a thrilling Gator Bowl win last year to close out its 2023 season.
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