5 Do-Not-Miss Games for the Clemson Tigers in 2022

Taking an early preview at the five biggest games on Clemson's 2022 schedule

Clemson is an early front-runner to return to the College Football Playoff again and will likely be favored in each contest through the regular season. But the Tigers know all too well their recent success has quickly transformed Clemson from the hunter into the hunted, drawing every team’s full attention on game day.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Dabo Swinney's squad is listed at -150 to win the conference this fall, but that number is significantly different than the last couple of years and tells the tale about where Clemson and the rest of the ACC hopefuls stand.

In many cases, it simply won’t be enough against a talented, experienced and well-coached Tiger team. But as history as shown, any team is susceptible to being knocked off by a less talented opponent on any given Saturday. Head coach Dabo Swinney has preached for years the next game is always the biggest one, but here are five games (in chronological order) that stick out the most on Clemson’s 2022 journey to the CFP.

Top 5 Games of 2022 for the Clemson Tigers

A look at the biggest games of the 2022 season.

Boston College Eagles

After scheduling oddities from the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in Clemson hosting Boston College three straight seasons from 2019-21, Clemson will return to Chestnut Hill on Oct. 8 to face Boston College on the road for the first time since 2018. That year, Clemson earned a 27-7 prime-time win in College GameDay’s featured game to clinch the ACC Atlantic Division as part of a 15-0 national championship season. Clemson has won 11 straight games in the series, its seventh-longest winning streak against a single opponent all-time and its fourth-longest against an opponent presently in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

South Carolina Gamecocks

Clemson fans’ long wait will be over on Nov. 26 when the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry will return to Death Valley for the first time since 2018. Clemson will attempt to set a series record with its eighth consecutive win in the rivalry, as the Tigers enter the contest tied with the 1934-40 Clemson squads (seven straight) for the longest winning streak by either team in series history. Clemson is coming off of a 30-0 win against South Carolina in 2021 and hasn’t surrendered a touchdown to the Gamecocks since 2018.

NC State Wolfpack

After a tough double-overtime loss in Raleigh a season ago, Clemson will await its rematch with NC State in Death Valley on Oct. 1. Clemson has suffered only 36 losses under Dabo Swinney and has had 27 previous opportunities to avenge its most recent loss against an opponent, going 18-9 in those contests. Outside of NC State, there are eight opponents against whom Swinney’s squads are awaiting a rematch since Clemson’s last loss in the series: Nebraska, TCU, USF, West Virginia, LSU, Ohio State, Georgia and Pitt. Swinney will attempt to move to 11-2 against NC State all-time.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Two historic programs will look to add another chapter to a series that has produced a number of memorable moments in recent years. The Tigers are 4-2 all-time against the Fighting Irish, and the programs split two meetings in 2020 in Notre Dame’s lone season of ACC membership. Clemson won the teams’ most recent matchup, a 34-10 win in the 2020 ACC Championship Game, avenging a 47-40 double-overtime loss at Notre Dame earlier that season in which several key players, including quarterback Trevor Lawrence and linebacker James Skalski, were unavailable. Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei threw for 439 yards in Clemson’s last trip to Notre Dame, the most all-time by any player against the Irish.

Miami Hurricanes

Clemson will welcome the Miami Hurricanes to Death Valley on Nov. 19, marking the teams’ first meeting since 2020. In that game, a prime-time audience and the ESPN College GameDay crew witnessed as No. 1 Clemson routed No. 7 Miami, 42-17, in the rain in the fifth matchup of AP Top 10 teams in Memorial Stadium history. Clemson is riding a three-game winning streak in its series with Miami, including wins in 2015, 2017 and 2020 by a combined score of 138-20.

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