Clemson’s stumble against Virginia Tech did more than hand the Tigers a 20-16 loss. It also jostled their postseason picture, with bowl projections shifting across the board after Week 8.
The Tigers are now 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the ACC, and they still need two more wins to get to bowl eligibility. Even with the loss, Clemson has extended its run of bowl seasons to 21 straight, the fourth-longest streak among FBS programs.
The clearest sign of how quickly things are changing came in ESPN’s latest projections. Last week, Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura both landed on the same destination for the first time this season: the Old El Paso Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, on Dec.
- After the Hokies game, Schlabach kept Clemson in the Sun Bowl, but switched the opponent from Washington to Oregon State.
That would set up a first-ever meeting between the Tigers and Beavers. Oregon State has the nation’s leading passer in Braden Atkinson and its leading receiver in true freshman Jesse Legree.
Bonagura, meanwhile, took Clemson somewhere entirely different. He now projects the Tigers to play Georgia State in the inaugural Transperfect San Juan Bowl in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. Broadcast information has not yet been determined.
A Clemson trip to Puerto Rico would be notable for more than the matchup itself. The program has only played outside the country twice, and both of those games came in Tokyo, Japan - a 1982 win over Wake Forest and a 1991 win over Duke.
Clemson has faced Georgia State only once before, beating the Panthers 28-0 in 2014. The Tigers will also open next season in Death Valley against the Sun Belt program in a “buy” game.
Other projections landed in different places. CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford still has Clemson in the Sun Bowl against Washington.
That would be a first-time meeting for both programs, and the Tigers have never played in the Sun Bowl. Washington is 4-3 overall and 1-3 in Big 10 play, with losses to Minnesota, USC and Iowa before bouncing back with a 38-26 win over Purdue in Week 7.
The Huskies are also dealing with a quarterback issue, having recently benched junior Demond Williams Jr., who nearly transferred to LSU over the offseason, in favor of Elijah Brown, a first-year transfer from Stanford.
Sports Illustrated’s Bryan Fischer has Clemson headed in a different direction as well. He moved off last week’s Sun Bowl projection against No.
6 Utah after Clemson’s loss and Utah’s win over No. 18 Houston, and now has the Tigers meeting USC in the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl on Dec. 28 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.
The game is set for a 5:00 p.m. start on The CW.
That would be only the second time Clemson and USC have played. Their lone matchup came in 1966, when Clemson lost 30-0 in Los Angeles. Lincoln Riley’s Trojans are 6-2 overall and 3-2 in conference play, but they dropped out of the AP Poll after getting upset by Wisconsin, 24-7, last weekend.
On3’s Brett McMurphy also moved Clemson after last week’s Sun Bowl projection against Oregon State. His latest forecast sends the Tigers to the San Juan Bowl against Louisiana.
Clemson has never played the Ragin’ Cajuns, and Louisiana is the only FBS team in the state the Tigers have not faced. Louisiana is 5-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
That matchup would bring together two offenses that have had trouble throwing the ball, though for different reasons. Louisiana leans on the run and has five players with more than 100 rushing yards in 2026. Clemson, by contrast, has struggled to put together a consistent offense, especially through the air.
In Other News...
Clemson Just Lost Another Defensive Commit After A Familiar Warning Sign
Clemsons defensive recruiting run took another hit when RJ Hudson, a linebacker and edge rusher from Varina, Va., backed off his pledge and quickly landed with Texas. Hudson, a consensus three-star prospect, had been among the more coveted players in Virginia and one of the better-regarded edge defenders in the country at his position, making him a meaningful loss for a Clemson class that has already had to navigate some turbulence.
The timing made the move sting a little more. Hudsons flip came after an official visit to Texas, the kind of development Clemson has long tried to avoid by discouraging committed recruits from taking other trips while still pledged. For a staff that has built its reputation on holding together defensive classes, seeing a commitment leave after that familiar warning sign is one more reminder that in modern recruiting, even a pledge is never fully secure. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Heads To Florida State With Plenty To Prove In ACC Race
Clemsons trip to Tallahassee on Oct. 31 arrives at a point in the season where every ACC result feels a little heavier, and this one carries the look of a game that could help shape the league race. The Tigers head in at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play, with Florida State sitting at 3-4 and 1-3, so both teams will be trying to turn October into something more stable when they meet at 7 p.m.
The matchup will air on ACC Network and stream on ESPN platforms, giving it a national stage for two programs with plenty still to settle. Clemson has little margin for error if it wants to climb back into the ACC picture, and a road game against a familiar rival is the kind of test that can either steady the season or leave more questions hanging over November. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Syracuse Trip Just Got More Urgent For The Tigers
Clemsons November 7 trip to Syracuse now comes with a little more of a midday spotlight, with the Atlantic Coast Conference setting the game for a noon kickoff on ESPN2. It is another early start for a Tigers team trying to steady itself in conference play, and the matchup lands at a time when both programs are looking for traction in the ACC race.
The timing matters because Clemson is sitting at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the league, while Syracuse enters at 3-4 and 1-4 in conference play. The broadcast window may be a modest one, but the stakes are real enough for a game that could help shape how the Tigers are viewed the rest of the month, especially with the rest of the schedule still unfolding ahead. [Read more 🡒]