Clemson Tigers Have One Massive Trap Game They Must Win

The Clemson Tigers will open their season against the LSU Tigers on Sept. 5, a matchup that will present an immediate litmus test for Dabo Swinney's club.

The game will be in Baton Rouge, and let's remember that Clemson lost to LSU at home in its season opener last year.

Should Clemson take down Lane Kiffin's squad on the road, it would get Swinney and Co. into the top 25 and it could potentially set the Tigers on a path to the College Football Playoff.

Clemson has two clearly challenging contests on its schedule: at LSU, and then at home against the Miami Hurricanes on Oct. 3. Otherwise, the Tigers have a fantastic shot of posting double-digit victories.

However, Clemson does have one massive trap game on its slate that it must be aware of: on the road versus the California Golden Bears on Friday, Sept. 25.

It's enough that the Tigers will have to travel from one coast to another for the affair. But there are several more reasons to be concerned.

Perhaps above all is that Clemson will face Miami a week later. The Tigers must be very careful not to look ahead. Yes, the Miami clash is obviously circled on the Tigers' calendar, but California is no pushover.

No, the Golden Bears are not a juggernaut program. They went 7-6 last season (just like Clemson, mind you) and have not won a bowl game in seven years. In fact, 2025 represented the first time Cal finished above .500 since 2019.

But California now has a new, hungry head coach in Tosh Lupoi, and it has a very intriguing sophomore quarterback in Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.

This game would not be easy for Clemson under any circumstances, but the fact that the matchup is in Berkeley and comes directly before the Tigers' biggest contest of the regular season further compounds the issue.

Swinney will absolutely have to have his guys ready for this affair, because it's the type of game that could ultimately upend Clemson's CFP chances.

The Tigers should beat California. They are the more talented ballclub. But you do have to wonder if the extenuating circumstances will prove too much for them to bear.