Predicting what bowl game the Clemson Tigers could play in after a massive Week 14 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday.
The Clemson Tigers and head coach Dabo Swinney, despite a horrific start to the 2025 season, were able to close out the regular season with a massive victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks in Week 14, 28-14.
Star defensive end T.J. Parker played a major role in the Tigers’ win on Saturday, recording four total tackles, three tackles for losses, and three sacks. His efforts, along with fellow EDGE rusher Will Heldt’s 1.5 sack performance, paved the way to Clemson's stout defensive performance.
Now, with a 7-5 record, the Tigers claimed a bid for a bowl game this year after winning the last four games of the season. The incredible stretch included wins against the Florida State Seminoles and the Louisville Cardinals, who were the No. 20-ranked team at the time of the matchup.
Obviously, there is no science to predicting which game Clemson will be slated to play in come bowl season, but there are multiple events that the Tigers have qualified for this year.
Bowl Game Prediction
With the win over the Gamecocks on Saturday, the Tigers were able to avoid a sub-.500 record and a much clearer picture of the program’s potential bowl game.
One game that makes perfect sense for the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl, which takes place at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 27.
The Duke Blue Devils successfully punched their ticket into the ACC Conference Championship Game with a win against Wake Forest in Week 14, which now opens the opportunity for Clemson to take their spot.
As for the Tigers’ opponent in this hypothetical matchup, the Penn State Nittany Lions were able to clinch a bowl game after defeating the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday. At 6-6, interim head coach Terry Smith and his squad would make for an entertaining matchup to close out Clemson’s 2025 season.
Another game to keep an eye on is the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, which is part of six different bowl games that are set to take place on New Year’s Eve.
Depending on how the committee views Clemson’s last four games, the Tigers could be well on their way to playing on the last day of 2025.