Clemson Tigers Have 3 of Most Meaningful Games in 2024 Season

The 2024 season is going to be a wild one in college football. It is the first season that has a 12-team playoff field and the Clemson Tigers are planning to be a part of the fun.

The expanded playoff is going to add another level of intrigue and excitement to the regular season. Early season losses when teams challenge themselves out of conference will no longer eliminate them from the playoff mix.

That could lead to more programs matching up throughout the regular season instead of scheduling a softer set of games to enhance their record and avoid losses. With seven at-large bids up for grabs, this will almost certainly be the first time a multi-loss team makes the playoff.

If Clemson cannot win the ACC Championship, they will be gunning for one of those spots. Leading up to that, they are going to be involved in some of the most meaningful matchups of the season.

Over at 247Sports, a list was put together of the 24 most meaningful games of the 2024 campaign. Three matchups on the Tigers’ schedule made the list, starting with their season opener against Georgia on August 31st.

A neutral site game that will be played in Atlanta, this will be a measuring stick opportunity for Clemson. Massive underdogs, this game could set the tone for their 2024 season.

“The Bulldogs are double-digit favorites for this ACC-SEC opening matchup, which is exactly the A1 bulletin board material Dabo Swinney and the Tigers needed for their locker room. These two opened the 2021 season in Charlotte and the only touchdown was an interception return by Georgia that swung the contest's momentum. These elites battle for the same players annually on the recruiting trail and will use this game as a springboard of sorts into the rest of the season as a national championship contender,” wrote Brad Crawford.

That matchup came in at No. 15 on the list. The next game on the schedule for the Tigers that made the list is an ACC matchup against North Carolina State.

That game will be played on September 28th at Clemson. It came in right behind the Georgia game, being ranked No. 16 on the list.

“The "Textile Bowl" as the two natives call it, the winner of this early-season ACC tilt has a leg up on the rest of the competition in a league that goes four-deep at the top,” wrote Crawford.

The final Tigers game on the list, and highest ranked matchup in terms of meaningfulness, will be played on October 5th. Coming in at No. 8 is their matchup with the defending ACC Champions, Florida State.

“The Seminoles snapped a seven-game losing streak to Clemson with last season's overtime win in Death Valley. The victory catapulted Florida State to bigger and better things under Norvell. This is one of four ranked opponents Clemson faces during one of the toughest schedules Dabo Swinney's program faced. This is Clemson's fifth game and third against a top-25 team,” Crawford wrote.

Clemson is going to be challenged throughout the 2024 campaign. If they are one of the 12 teams who qualify for the playoff, they will have certainly earned their spot with this daunting schedule.