Clemson’s bowl picture has taken on a clear shape heading into Week 8, and the common thread running through the latest projections is the same one: the Tigers are headed to the Old El Paso Sun Bowl.
At 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the ACC, Clemson still needs two more wins to lock up bowl eligibility. That would extend a run that has already reached 21 straight bowl-eligible seasons under Dabo Swinney, the fourth-longest streak in FBS.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura were split the last time Clemson’s postseason destination was checked. Schlabach had the Tigers in the Old El Paso Sun Bowl, while Bonagura placed them in the Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl.
This time, both landed on the Sun Bowl, which is scheduled for Dec. 31 at 2:00 p.m. ET at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas.
They still disagree on the opponent. Schlabach projects Clemson against Washington, while Bonagura has the Tigers meeting No.
25 Arizona. Either way, it would be a first for Clemson and Swinney, who have never played in the Sun Bowl or faced either program.
The ACC-Pac-12 pairing, or Pac-12 legacy/affiliate matchup, also fits the bowl’s usual profile.
CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford made the same move in his updated projections Sunday afternoon, shifting Clemson from the Military Bowl to the Sun Bowl and matching the Tigers with Washington.
Washington would bring its own questions into that matchup. The Huskies are 4-3 entering Week 8 and have dropped two of their last three games to No.
20 Iowa and No. 18 USC.
They also have a quarterback situation of their own, with junior Demond Williams Jr. giving way to fellow junior Elijah Brown over the last two weeks.
Sports Illustrated’s Bryan Fischer also puts Clemson in the Sun Bowl on New Year’s Eve, but he sees a tougher road, pairing the Tigers with No. 10 Utah.
Clemson has already shown trouble against top teams this season, with losses to No. 1 Miami and No.
18 LSU, and Utah would present another major test if that projection came to pass.
For now, though, Utah looks like a long shot to end up in El Paso. The Utes are undefeated and first in the Big 12, but they have not faced a ranked opponent yet.
Three of their next four games are against ranked teams - No. 14 Houston, No.
2 BYU and No. 25 Arizona - so their postseason destination could still change dramatically.
ESPN’s FPI currently gives Clemson three more wins over its final six games, projecting the Tigers to finish 7-5. The model says Clemson has an 88.1% chance to reach six wins and a 1.5% chance to run the table.
On3’s Brett McMurphy also slots Clemson into the Sun Bowl, though he has the Tigers facing Oregon State. The Beavers opened the season with losses to No.
23 Houston and No. 13 Texas Tech, both of whom have since climbed in the rankings, but they have not lost since.
Oregon State is on a five-game winning streak and has outscored opponents 255-94 during that run.
Their offense has been the engine. Oregon State leads the nation in passing offense by nearly 500 yards with 2,694 passing yards and 26 touchdowns, powered by redshirt freshman quarterback Braden Atkinson and true freshman receiver Jessee Legree. Atkinson leads the country with 2,604 passing yards and 24 passing touchdowns, while Legree tops the nation with 1,040 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.
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