The Clemson Tigers have definitely not lived up to expectations this season. They were considered one of the top teams in the country heading into 2025 and were hoping to make the College Football Playoff and contend for a national title, but that isn't going to happen.

Instead, Clemson is just 6-5 heading into its regular-season finale against South Carolina, but, at the very least, the Tigers clinched their bowl eligibility for the 21st straight year with their blowout win over Furman this past Saturday.

Of course, Clemson won't be competing in one of the more prestigious bowls. Not with that record. But the Tigers will at least get a bowl game somewhere, and ESPN's Mark Schlabach is projecting them to face the Arizona Wildcats in the Sun Bowl.

Arizona will definitely comprise a tough matchup for Dabo Swinney's club.

The Wildcats are 8-3 this season and have won four games in a row, including a win over then-ranked No. 25 Cincinnati on Nov. 15. Most recently, they routed Baylor 41-17 over the weekend.

Arizona is 5-3 in the Big 12 and played BYU very tough earlier in the season, falling to the Cougars — who are now ranked 11th in the nation — in double overtime.

To be fair, Clemson has been playing some pretty strong football itself in recent weeks.

The Tigers began the year 1-3 but has gone 5-2 over its last seven contests, including a victory over Louisville — who was ranked 20th at the time — a couple of weeks ago.

Clemson doesn't really have any other particularly strong wins on its resume, but it has won three straight and appears to be getting hot at the right time. Well, for a bowl victory, anyway.

It will certainly be a hollow triumph for the Tigers overall if they do capture a bowl win considering the expectations that were placed upon the squad heading into the campaign, but, at the very least, they can salvage some of their failed season.

Last year, Clemson made the College Football Playoff but fell in the first round, losing to the Texas Longhorns by a score of 38-24.

Regardless of how the Tigers finish the 2025 campaign, it will represent their worst finish since going 6-7 in 2010, which was Swinney's second season with the team.