Iowa State Will Be 'Tough Out' for Clemson in Cheez-It Bowl

Clemson's bowl destination is officially set.

The No. 19 Tigers (9-3, 6-2) will square off with Iowa State (7-5, 5-4) in the Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando on December 29.

Head coach Dabo Swinney met with the media shortly after the matchup was announced to give an early preview of the game, featuring two teams that have never played one another.

"All I know is they're a tough out, simple as that," Swinney said. "I mean, they've been an incredibly consistent program, can beat anybody. You know that they're incredibly well-coached and passionate about what they're doing. And you see that when you watch them play."

FanDuel Sportsbook had just the moneyline offered at -110 for each team, strengthening the idea these two teams are valued similarly

While Swinney and the rest of the coaching staff have yet to start fully preparing for the Cyclones, the head coach already knows what kind of challenge his team is facing as the Tigers look to win ten games for the eleventh consecutive season.

"Now that we know who we're playing obviously, throughout the course of the next week, we'll start diving in and taking a closer look at exactly who they are personnel-wise, etc," Swinney said. "But all I know is you're going to play a team that's won a bunch of games in the last several years, big games, and will be very well well prepared."

After a slow start to the season on the offensive side of the ball, the Tigers seemed to have found their groove in blowout wins over Wake Forest and South Carolina to cap off the regular season. Now Swinney will look for his team to take that momentum into the postseason as the Tigers look to "win the closer," one of their five goals coming into every season.

"It's something we're really looking forward to and just honored to be chosen to be a part of it," Swinney said. "A great opportunity for our team to continue to build momentum into next year. Continue to improve and hopefully finish our season in a very positive way."

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