Where Clemson Stands in Bowl Game Projections Ahead of Palmetto Bowl

There are now two different locations where the Clemson Tigers have been targeted to play in their bowl game this season.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik will most likely play his final game in a bowl game, to be decided in early December. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co Inc SC / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers’ win over Furman on Saturday afternoon gave the team bowl eligibility for the 21st straight season, with many analysts split on where the team will end up going at the end of December. 

Various writers from ESPN, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated and Athlon Sports gave their predictions about where the Tigers will fall in the postseason, with many believing a trip up north will end up being Clemson’s destination. 

ESPN writers Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach are split on the team’s destination. Bonagura believes that Clemson will head to Tampa, Florida, for the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl against South Florida on Dec. 19. Schlabach believes head coach Dabo Swinney and his team will go to El Paso, Texas, for the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl against Arizona on Dec. 31. 

The South Florida Bulls are a team looking for the Group of 5 College Football Playoff bid, which Schlabach actually has in his projected bracket for the 12-team tournament. Arizona, 8-3, would be a team playing close to home in Texas, if that’s how the projections end up. 

Similar to Schlabach, Sports Illustrated staff writer Bryan Fischer has the Tigers going to the Sun Bowl to play the Wildcats. 

CBS Sports writer Brad Crawford has Clemson going to Boston for the Fenway Bowl, playing Army West Point in the game. The Black Knights still need one more win in two eligible games remaining, but Crawford believes they will pull out at least one to get to the postseason game. 

Athlon Sports writer Stevan Lassan has the Tigers also in the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 27, playing the Memphis Tigers in Boston. The game recognizes an ACC opponent against an opponent from the American Conference. 

Memphis is also a team that has been around the College Football Playoff projections, being put in the first College Football Playoff rankings as the Group of Five representative on Nov. 4. Two straight losses have put the Tigers out of contention.

With the three bowl games that have been mentioned above, it’s important to note that the Tigers have not played in any of these postseason contests, making a mark for new history wherever they go. Before making the College Football Playoff in 2024, Clemson was in the Gator Bowl in 2023, Orange Bowl in 2022 and Cheez-It Bowl before a stretch of six straight seasons with a CFP appearance. 

Clemson has one more game that can help move the needle for other possible games, a Palmetto Bowl matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium this Saturday. The Tigers, at 6-5, will look to pick up their fourth straight win before heading into the postseason with momentum.