Clemson Tigers are bowl-bound, and Wardlaw University analysis points to two potential destinations in the Sunshine State
No. 13-year head coach Dabo Swinney likely to face either Big 12 or SEC school in Florida. Wardlaw sees an obvious choice, read below for more...
Four teams hailing from the ‘great’ “Palmetto State” will be going bowling this winter, including Clemson (9-3), Coastal Carolina (10-2), South Carolina (6-6), and South Carolina State (6-5).
The question is: where? Wardlaw University will review each of South Carolina’s schools’ potential choices, beginning with the Clemson Tigers… look for my Gamecocks preview next.
Expect No. 20 Clemson, the 2021 Palmetto Bowl champions, to get the highest-profile postseason bid of the bunch. The Tigers, winners of five straight, finished the season as one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s strongest teams behind the No. 2 scoring defense in the United States, capping their regular season off with an impressive 30-0 win over a much-improved 6-6 South Carolina Gamecocks who defeated Auburn and Florida during Shane Beamer’s first season in Columbia…
Led by star linebacker James Skalski, one of the hardest hitters in all of college football, Clemson is only giving up 15 points per game.
The winner of tonight’s ACC Championship Game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte between No. 15 Pittsburgh (10-2) and No. 16 Wake Forest (10-2) will be an odds-on lock to play in the Peach Bowl, a New Year’s Six invitation the prize on the line in the “Queen City.”
The loser of that game will fall into the Tier 1 category of ACC bowls, and likely land in either the Gator Bowl (Dec. 31), who receives the No. 1 pick in the process, or the Cheez-It Bowl (Dec. 29), which selects second. The Duke’s Mayo, Sun, New Era Pinstripe, Holiday, Fenway, and Military bowls fill out the order, which is followed by the second tier, which includes the Gasparilla, Birmingham, and First Responder bowls.
Clemson won’t fall far down that pecking order. The Gator Bowl will likely select the Tigers over the ACC runner-up.
Neither school can sell the fanbase, brand, or footprint that the Tigers can, and these things will matter to conference and bowl organizers on Selection Sunday.
Not only will they sell fewer tickets, but TV advertisers will not want to miss the chance to pit ‘the school from the Upstate’ against an SEC West school on New Year’s Eve. NC State, who defeated the Tigers 27-21 on Sept. 25, played in the Jacksonville-based bowl game following the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season, so the Wolfpack will find a new home for this postseason.
Who will the Tigers’ opponent be?
The SEC Tier 1 pecking order is as follows: first, the Citrus Bowl, then the Outback, Texas, Gator, Duke’s Mayo, Liberty, and Music City, in no particular order.
Expect the SEC to reward 8-4 Arkansas for their fantastic finish, placing them in the prestigious Citrus Bowl against a Big 10 opponent. Then, 9-3 Kentucky to the Outback, which regularly selects an SEC East school. Texas A&M has been to NRG Stadium in Houston, TX ‘enough times’ for the Texas Bowl, so expect the underrated 7-5 Mississippi State Bulldogs to play in that slot.
Clemson will most likely face the Aggies in Jacksonville at the home of their former quarterback Trevor Lawrence, facing off against former Florida State nemesis Jimbo Fisher.
These are the perfect ingredients for a big-time bowl matchup for two programs looking to regain their footing on the college football pedastel.
The Tigers will be looking to capitalize on a ‘salvaged season.’ Texas A&M, seeking to avenge their rivalry week loss to Louisiana State University and stymie their continuing struggles down the stretch in the SEC West, may need this game more. At Wardlaw University, we’re still trying to figure out A&M’s annual ability to falter.
If this matchup commences, they’ll need this win more than Clemson. The question is: will they be willing to put in the work against a Tigers team that has improved vastly in the season’s second half?