See Where Clemson Tigers Fall in Bowl Projections After UNC Win

After opening up ACC play 1-0, here's where the program is projected to fall in bowl projections at the end of the year.

Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds (2) and the team enter the field after a lightning delay the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium Saturday, September 19, 2026. Clemson won the game playing University of North Carolina 28-20. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

While places like the College Football Playoff and the ACC Championship are the main goals for the Clemson Tigers in 2026, their win over North Carolina on Saturday afternoon helped their case for another potential objective: bowl eligibility. 

Head coach Dabo Swinney and his team have been eligible for 21 straight seasons, the fourth-longest streak in the FBS currently, and ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach believe the Tigers will be bowling for the 22nd straight this December. However, both have a different bowl game idea for Clemson.

Bonagura has the Tigers going to the Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl in Annapolis, Maryland, on Dec. 28, where they will play Navy to close out the year. Meanwhile, Schlabach has Clemson playing Utah in the Old El Paso Sun Bowl in Texas. 

Of course, there are a few bowl game spots that will be eyeing to have Clemson due to the platform that Swinney brings to the event. That includes the Pop-Tarts Bowl, as well as the Holiday Bowl, as other contenders. 

However, the bowl projections by both ESPN writers entail the type of season that Clemson is going to have. Looking at the teams that played in last year’s bowl game, it makes somewhat sense. 

In the Military Bowl last season, which features an ACC school and an American Conference team, it featured Pittsburgh against East Carolina. The Panthers ended up with an 8-4 finish, while a 6-2 record in conference play saw them finish in sixth place. Meanwhile, the Sun Bowl had Duke, the ACC champion, against Arizona State. The Blue Devils had a terrible stretch of out-of-conference results to miss the CFP, despite winning the Power Four conference. 

Based on these types of expectations, the national media sees the Tigers tripping up a few times throughout the remainder of ACC, but they remain in control of their own destiny, with conference play the best way of getting to the 12-team playoff.

That includes a statement game in the near future with the Miami Hurricanes, who made both Bonagura and Schlabach’s 12-team shortlist to make the postseason for the second straight season. The Tigers are at home, and it would be the best chance for Swinney to flip the script for his team moving forward. 

Other bowl-expected teams, like Virginia Tech, Duke, South Carolina and Georgia Tech, await Clemson throughout the season, which would also be resume boosters to whatever the rest of the year holds. 

Swinney will look to continue to be successful with an away matchup with Cal on Friday night. Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. from Berkeley later this week. 

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