Clemson Tigers' Bowl Game Projections After Florida State Win

The Clemson Tigers earned themselves a strong win over the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday night, and that was enough to begin to have their name in bowl game projections, which are revealed in a month.

ESPN staff writer Kyle Bonagura and senior writer Mark Schlabach released their College Football Playoff predictions and bowl game projections on Sunday following the Week 11 slate, but they had Clemson in early postseason bowl games. The two believe that the Tigers will win at least two of their last three games to earn a postseason spot for the 21st straight season.

Bonagura has Clemson playing inside the first week of the bowl game schedule, something that the Tigers are not used to in recent seasons. The Tigers are predicted in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl to play the University of South Florida Bulls on Dec. 19, a team with current hopes of making a College Football Playoff appearance as the Group of 5 representative.

The Bulls were ranked as high as No. 18 going into the end of October before a close loss to Memphis saw them out of the CFP spot, being jumped by the Tigers in the head-to-head game. Being 7-2, still with their other loss being Miami, USF remains in contention for that playoff spot, but Bonagura predicts that the program will remain out come December.

Clemson would play essentially an away game in Tampa, Florida, at Raymond James Stadium, although linebacker Wade Woodaz hails from the city before arriving in Death Valley. Receiver T.J. Moore played at Tampa Catholic High School as well.

Schlabach predicts the Tigers to play in the JLab Birmingham Bowl against the UTSA Roadrunners, a 4-5 team that is expected to finish strong to sneak into the postseason. The game takes place at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, on Dec. 29.

UTSA is another team that was in the hunt for that Group of 5 berth at the beginning of the season, but dropped games against North Texas, Texas State and USF to send those hopes packing.

Birmingham holds a special place in the hearts of notable Tigers if they end up playing there. Backup quarterback Christopher Vizzina is from the city, and Peter Woods, an Alabaster native, was only a 25-minute drive from the city growing up.

Head coach Dabo Swinney was also born in the city of Birmingham, having a little bit of a special homecoming ring to it, if that’s how things end up.

Clemson still has to get to bowl game eligibility first, but ESPN’s Football Power Index believes that the Tigers have a good chance of doing so. Despite having only a 20.6% chance to win out for the remainder of the season, the FPI suggests a 69.1% chance to reach six wins, which would secure a postseason bowl game, for the 2025 season.

The team begins that quest against Louisville this Friday, then travels back home for the home finale against Furman on Nov. 22. The annual Palmetto Bowl on Nov. 29 against South Carolina in enemy territory will be the team’s final chance to get the postseason berth if Clemson drops a game before then.