Clemson Requested a Week Zero Matchup Ahead of Opener at LSU, Per Report

The Clemson Tigers have 12 games on their 2025-26 schedule, but if it were up to them, they would be playing 13.

Clemson is set to begin their season on Sep. 5 with an away match at LSU’s Death Valley, but the Tigers petitioned for a lighter, week zero tune up game.

Clemson’s athletic department urged the NCAA to grant a week zero game preceding Clemson’s season opener, submitting a waiver request. Graham Neff, Clemson’s athletic director, and other administrators submitted requests in the fall, according to emails obtained by The State via public record request.

“Clemson will likely incur additional expenses if granted a waiver to move a contest to Week 0, but we believe the additional expense is warranted if it positively impacts student-athlete welfare,” Neff wrote in a letter on Nov. 14.

In the request, Clemson cited concerns about their away trip to Cal in Week 4. Kyle Young, Clemson’s schedule coordinator, cited a need to “create more recovery opportunity” in an October email to the ACC. Clemson’s trip to Berkeley, California in 2026 marks the first time Clemson has ever traveled to the West Coast for a conference game.

In response, the ACC submitted a waiver request on behalf of Clemson and every other ACC program with an away game scheduled against either Stanford or Cal. The 2026-27 marks the third season since the ACC’s expansion, which saw the additions of Stanford, Cal and SMU.

But ultimately, in December 2025, Clemson’s request was denied. Had it been approved, the belief is that Clemson would have moved a matchup against FCS Charleston Southern up in their schedule. CSU, set to play Clemson in week seven on Oct. 17, would have adjusted their trip to Death Valley to the last weekend of August.

“No, I mean, it is what it is,” Swinney said. “ Just play the schedule as it comes out and keep moving forward.”

The Tigers weren’t the only ones toying with the timing of their schedule, though. Teams that don’t play a week zero matchup will only have one off week during the 2026-27, whereas teams have had two off weeks in the previous two CFB seasons.

But Clemson’s desire for additional preparation may be further motivated by a disturbing trend: in recent season openers, Clemson has come out of the gates rusty. The Tigers have lost their last three season openers. Last year, the Tigers fell to LSU at home. In 2024, they were beaten by Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and in 2023, Clemson suffered a three-score loss to Duke in week one.