New bowl projections for Clemson football at midway point of 2025 season

We’re officially to the midway point of the 2025 college football season, and it’s safe to say that more things have gone awry than according to plan for most top-ranked teams entering the season.

That’s certainly been the case for the Clemson Tigers, who entered the season ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP Poll. Clemson suffered an aggravating loss to an LSU team and coach that did nothing but disrespect them all offseason, and then the wheels came off with back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and Syracuse.

Meanwhile, in the Big Ten, Penn State was another can’t-miss team entering 2025 that has missed spectacularly bad. The Nittany Lions now find themselves in search of a new coach after firing James Franklin following back-to-back losses to UCLA and Northwestern.

Texas and Arch Manning were thought to be the cream of the SEC crop, but right now it’s the old guard of Alabama that looks like the team to beat.

While Dabo Swinney’s 2025 Clemson team hasn’t lived up to its lofty expectations in the ACC, one thing the Tigers coach surely has in his sights is the number 21. That’s because the Tigers are looking to extend their consecutive bowl game streak to 21 straight years, which predates Swinney’s time as head coach. Despite its warts, Clemson is making a strong case for keeping that streak alive.

Here’s a look at the latest bowl game projections for Clemson football at the midway point of the 2025 season.

Clemson on pace for Pop-Tarts Bowl, USA TODAY Sports says

USA TODAY Sports unveiled its Week 8 college football bowl projections on Tuesday. Analyst Erick Smith has Clemson going to what’s widely considered the most fun game to watch during bowl season: the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando. Clemson has played in this game four times, most recently in 2021 against Iowa State when it was the Cheez-It Bowl.

Projected matchup: Clemson vs. BYU Cougars

Where: Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
When: Dec. 27, 2025, 3:30 p.m. ET

Clemson has never played Brigham Young in football. The Cougars are currently 6-0 and still very much in the College Football Playoff hunt, though.

ESPN analyst has Clemson facing SEC team for first time under Dabo Swinney

Speaking of fun and quirky bowl games, there’s the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Veteran college football analyst Mark Schlabach sees Clemson bowling in Charlotte in his latest postseason projections. The Tigers’ opponent in that matchup, Schlabach projects, is a school no Clemson team has faced since 1960.

Projected matchup: Clemson vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

Where: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
When: Jan. 2, 2026, 8 p.m. ET

Clemson could make its first appearance in this 2025 bowl game

As things stand entering Week 8, ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura sees Clemson playing in a bowl game the Tigers have never appeared in: the Military Bowl in Annapolis.

Projected matchup: Clemson vs. Navy

Bowl: Go Bowling Military Bowl
Where: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland)
When: Dec. 27, 2025, 11 a.m. ET

Clemson has played at Annapolis only one other time, in 1939.

Clemson football could see a familiar face if Tigers reach Gator Bowl

Clemson Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables and Head Coach Dabo Swinney during the third quarter in Memorial Stadium on Saturday, October 20, 2018. Clemson Nc State

For the second straight week, CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford sees Clemson potentially going up against a familiar face in the Gator Bowl.

Projected matchup: Clemson vs. Oklahoma Sooners

Where: EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Fla.)
When: Dec. 27, 2025, 7:30 p.m. ET

My question here is, what happens to Brent Venables if the Sooners end up in Jacksonville after starting 5-0 and being ranked No. 6 in the polls? If Oklahoma ends up with three or potentially even four losses, do the Sooners make a change at head coach? Venables entered 2025 on the hot seat, and his team faces a tough schedule the rest of the way out.

In any event, Clemson and Oklahoma met in the postseason in back-to-back years a decade ago: the 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl (now the Pop-Tarts Bowl) and the Tigers’ 37-17 drubbing of the Sooners in the CFP semifinals at the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve 2015.

Clemson, of course, has appeared in the Gator Bowl more times than any other bowl game in school history. The Tigers have made 10 total appearances in the game, which hosted a shootout between Clemson and the Kentucky Wildcats two years ago. Clemson rallied for 28 points in the fourth quarter to come out on top, 38-35.

Clemson football back in California for bowl season?

The last time Clemson visited the state of California for a bowl game, they ran Alabama straight out of Levi’s Stadium with a 44-16 beatdown in the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship. I still say Alabama fans are lucky this was native son Dabo Swinney going up against the Tide that night in Santa Clara instead of Urban Meyer. Swinney could have named the score on Alabama.

Regardless, the Tigers wouldn’t be playing the Tide in this bowl projection from Sports Illustrated’s Bryan Fischer.

Projected matchup: Clemson vs. Utah Utes

Where: Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego)
When: Jan. 2, 2026, 8 p.m. ET

Clemson has never appeared in the Holiday Bowl due to its years-long association between the Pac-12 and Big 12, and later the Big Ten.

Clemson football schedule 2025

Clemson will face SMU at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday in Death Valley. The game will be televised on ACC Network.

All start times Eastern.

Aug. 30: vs. LSU (L, 17-10)
Sept. 6: vs. Troy (W, 27-16)
Sept. 13: at Georgia Tech (L, 24-21)
Sept. 20: vs. Syracuse (L, 34-21)
Oct. 4: at North Carolina (W, 38-10)
Oct. 11: at Boston College (W, 41-10)
Oct. 18: vs. SMU, 3:30 p.m., ACC Network
Nov. 14: at Louisville, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Nov. 29: at South Carolina, noon, ABC or ESPN

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson football bowl projections at midway point of 2025 season

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