Clemson two wins from bowl eligibility. Here are the latest postseason projections
CBS Sports bowl expert Jerry Palm and Sporting News national writer Bill Bender are predicting Clemson will be going just up the road for its bowl game this season.
Bender and Palm have the Tigers playing in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 30 for their bowl game, though they differ on Clemson’s opponent. Palm predicts they’ll play Tennessee, while Bender names Minnesota as the potential foe following an uncharacteristic season for Dabo Swinney’s program.
Not only has the team been depleted by injuries, Clemson has more than two regular-season losses for only the second time in the last 10 years. The second came Saturday after the Tigers fell No. 17 Pitt 27-17.
Even though N.C. State lost to Miami for its first conference loss, the Tigers are also likely out of contention for a seventh-straight ACC championship. With five games of the season left, though, they only need two more wins to be bowl-eligible.
ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Clemson a 99.9% chance of reaching six wins, with a 33.7% chance of winning out. The squad has the conference’s second-highest FPI of 14.7 behind the Panthers (16.8).
Clemson football bowl projections
▪ Jerry Palm, CBS Sports bowl expert: Duke’s Mayo Bowl — Clemson vs. Tennessee, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 30, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
▪ Bill Bender, Sporting News national writer: Duke’s Mayo Bowl — Clemson vs. Minnesota, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 30, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
▪ Brad Crawford, 247Sports: Holiday Bowl — Clemson vs. Utah, 8 p.m. Dec. 28, Petco Park, San Diego, Calif.
▪ Mark Schlabath, ESPN: New Era Pinstripe Bowl — Clemson vs. Purdue, 2:15 p.m. Dec. 29, Yankee Stadium, NY
▪ Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl — Clemson vs. UCLA, 12:30 p.m. Dec. 31, Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas
▪Brett McMurphy, Action Network: Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl — Clemson vs. Utah, 12:30 p.m. Dec. 31, Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas
This story was originally published October 25, 2021 at 9:04 AM with the headline "Clemson two wins from bowl eligibility. Here are the latest postseason projections."
