ProFootballNetwork.com has released their 2025 college football bowl and playoff predictions. The most notable thing about the predictions is the path they envision for Clemson and where they have the road leading. Let’s take a look:
Orange Bowl – No. 1 Clemson Tigers vs. No. 8 LSU Tigers
The Orange Bowl brings together two of the best quarterbacks in the country as Nussmeier and LSU take on Cade Klubnik and Clemson in a clash of Tigers in the heart of South Florida.
There is a reason why Clemson is shown as the No. 1-seeded team in our college football bowl projections. Dabo Swinney’s Tigers might have the best roster, top to bottom, in the country. This is a throwback team to the Clemson of earlier in his tenure, where they were powered by a talented offense but built on the foundations of rock-solid defense.
T.J. Parker, Peter Woods, DeMonte Capehart, and Will Heldt are the new Power Rangers. Sammy Brown is a true sophomore with a claim to being one of the top linebackers in the country. I’ve said it before, but I’m all for recycling, so I’ll say it again: Avieon Terrell is more than a nostalgic family name. He’s a legitimate CB1. LSU is good, but Clemson might be the very best in 2025.
The outlet has Clemson as the no. 1 seed in the college football playoff facing the same team they opened the season against, LSU. They have Clemson winning and given they’re already the no. 1 seed, that means they would have beat LSU twice in the same season.
Peach Bowl – No. 1 Clemson Tigers vs. No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes
Clemson vs. Ohio State has been the matchup for the Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Orange Bowl in the past 11 years, and according to our college football bowl projections, they could add the Peach Bowl to the list of former New Year’s Six bowls in 2025.
The Tigers have a 4-1 winning record (3-1 in the postseason) over the Buckeyes, and the advantage in this clash.
At this early part of the 2025 preseason, if you asked me which team had the better quarterback, offensive line, and defensive line, the answer would be categorical: Clemson.
The Tigers should win a game like this in the trenches, possibly even comfortably. Ohio State’s wide receiver trio could cause problems, but Clemson has an extremely talented unit of its own.
They aren’t projecting an easy road for Clemson as they have them playing and beating the reigning National Champion Buckeyes next.
No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 2 Texas
There is something fitting about a sea of orange in Hard Rock Stadium as our college football bowl projections see the top two teams in the country come together to play for a national title.
Analysts and fans alike were worried that an expanding playoff format would dilute the value of the competition, but at this moment, I don’t think there could be a better matchup.
Two dominant, destructive, and downright nasty defenses. Two offenses packed with playmakers. Two of the top head coaches in the country. Plugging those prompts into an AI of your choosing would likely throw out this battle. But who would win?
Although Texas graded higher in both PFSN Offense+ and Defense+ last season, the development of a young Clemson defense into one of the best in the country should be a significant factor in this game.
While the Longhorns face a strong Georgia Bulldogs and Oklahoma Sooners defense this year in conference play, this will be a unit unlike any other Arch Manning will face in his first year as a starter.
With a more experienced quarterback at the top of his development arc, Clemson could land its first national title since 2018. That’s the ceiling for this Tigers team.
They conclude their predictions with a playoff rematch from a year ago, except with a different outcome. They have Clemson beating Texas to claim their first National Championship since 2018 and fourth in program history.
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In addition to their postseason predictions, they’ve posted a simulator where you can make picks for the ACC through the regular season and see how the regular season standings would look at the end. Here’s how mine shook out:
Use their simulator to project conference standings here.
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