Latest Clemson Tigers Bowl Projection Feels Like Trolling After Loss

The Clemson Tigers are projected to head to a bowl game that won’t feel like a reward if they’re unable to make the College Football Playoff.

Nov 2, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney reacts after people in the stands threw water bottles on the field after a call in favor of the Louisville Cardinals Cardinals during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers are still reeling from their 33-21 loss to Louisville on Saturday. The loss severely damaged their hopes of reaching not only the College Football Playoff but also the ACC Championship game in Charlotte.

The Tigers (6-2, 5-1 in ACC) now need help to get there. Otherwise, it’s another bowl game for the program under coach Dabo Swinney.

CBS Sports updated its bowl game projections on Sunday and, naturally, it didn’t have the Tigers in a CFP bowl game. But it did have them facing Minnesota in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl — in Charlotte.

It’s almost like the folks at CBS are trolling the Tigers.

While Charlotte would be a natural place for the Tigers to end up during bowl season, they’ve only played there once in bowl season. That was in 2010 at what was then the Meineke Car Care Bowl, where they faced South Florida.

After that, Clemson went on a run. From 2011-20, the Tigers played in a New Year’s Six bowl game all but one season, which was in 2014 when they ended up in the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando.

During that span, the Tigers made six CFP appearances, reached four national championship games and won two titles.

Clemson has made non-NY6 bowl appearances in two of the last three years. The Tigers went to Orlando in 2021 for the Cheez-It Bowl and last year for the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. In between, Clemson won the ACC and went to the Orange Bowl.

That’s another reason this smarts for the Tigers. Before their loss to the Cardinals they were tracking to an ACC title game appearance, even though there were two other undefeated teams in league play — Miami and SMU.

Now, the Tigers have to hope that both lose at least one conference game, and perhaps need them to lose two league games, to get into the ACC title game.

Under Swinney going to bowl games is a way of life. The Tigers have gone to one every season since he took over as the interim head coach in 2008 from Tommy Bowden. That season he helped Clemson reach the Gator Bowl.

Entering this week’s action seven ACC teams are bowl-eligible and four other teams are a win away, including the Tigers’ next opponent, Virginia Tech, on Saturday.