With the regular season coming to an end for the Clemson Tigers, it is time to switch their focus to bowl season as they are set to miss the College Football Playoffs for the first time in six years.
Clemson finished the regular season with a 9-3 record despite struggling early in the year after losing two of their first four games. Thanks to their stout defense and high powered rushing offense, they were able to rally together and finish strong with impressive wins over No. 10 Wake Forest and in-state rival South Carolina.
Now, let’s talk about what you all came for: a bowl prediction. Before diving into the bowl games you might see the Tigers in, we need to look at the bowls that Clemson is eligible for. Furthermore, we must evaluate their success this season and in the past years to see how desirable they are for certain bowls.
Clemson can only be invited to certain bowl games due to bowl tie-ins with the ACC. The eight bowl games that could have the Tigers in it are the Military Bowl, the Holiday Bowl, the Fenway Bowl, the Pinstripe Bowl, the Cheez-It Bowl, the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, the Gator Bowl, the Sun Bowl, the Gasparilla Bowl, the Birmingham Bowl and the First Responder Bowl.
Due to Clemson’s continued success in the past decade, they hold a high reputation and identity that make them a desirable option for one of the top-tier bowls to select them. The highest tier bowl picks their teams first, and so on.
The three bowls that make the most sense for Clemson to be a part of are the Cheez-It Bowl, the Holiday Bowl and the Gator Bowl.
Out of the three options, I predict that Clemson will participate in the Cheez-It Bowl, held in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 29 at 5:45 p.m. EST.
The team Clemson will have to play must be from the Big-12 due to the Cheez-It Bowl conference tie-ins. I predict it will be the University of Oklahoma.
The logic behind this is that Clemson is valued higher than the rest of the teams in the Atlantic Coastal Conference, including North Carolina State and Wake Forest, based on their reputation, schedule and overall team performance. Another underlying factor is that Clemson will bring more revenue to the Cheez-It Bowl due to ticket sales, television ratings and more.
If this game were to be held, it would be the first time the two teams had played each other since 2016, when Clemson defeated Oklahoma 37-17 in the semi-finals of the College Football Playoffs. It would also be the second time the teams met in the Cheez-It Bowl.
Clemson is led by their dynamic running back duo in Will Shipley and Kobe Pace on offense while defensive end Myles Murphy and cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. anchor their defense. Clemson averages 171.3 rushing yards per game while putting up nearly 27 points per game. Their defense is also one of the best in the country as the Tigers are ranked ninth overall in total defense while giving up under five yards per play and only 15 points per game, which ranks tenth nationally.
On the other hand, Oklahoma is led by true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams and their explosive offense. Not to mention, the Sooners have a sneaky defense that can pressure the quarterback with their front seven led by linebacker Nik Bonitto and defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas.
Despite the coaching debacle in Oklahoma, they will be more than ready for this game as they play with a chip on their shoulder. Added, longtime head coach of the Sooners, Bob Stoops, will be coming back to the team to coach them for their bowl game.
As of right now, Clemson should be in a position to win this game as long as they can win in the trenches on both sides of the ball to allow their rushing attack to excel and contain Caleb Williams.
Bowl games will be announced on Dec. 5, 2021, from noon to 4 p.m. EST.