Clemson's Bowl Projection Takes Drastic Fall

After an off-season full of high expectations, the Clemson Tigers are having their fall from grace only three weeks into the 2025 season.

In ESPN’s latest College Football Playoff and bowl projections, analyst Mark Schlabach has Clemson headed to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, while Kyle Bonagura projects the Tigers to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

With Clemson projected to return to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, the team has a chance to revisit a venue with bittersweet memories. When the Tigers last played in Jacksonville in 2023, they finished 9-4 -- Clemson’s worst record since 2010 -- and were led by first-year starter Cade Klubnik. While they won the bowl game, it wasn’t the place they wanted or expected to be.

Interestingly, that same 2010 team also made the program’s last appearance in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, where they struggled to a 6-7 losing record, highlighting just how far the Tigers have come since those challenging seasons.

But just three games into the season, they find themselves in a familiar place, echoing the struggles and unmet expectations of the 2023 and 2010 campaign.

While the Tigers entered the 2025 season as a top-five team and one of College Football’s legitimate title contenders, their campaign has fallen extremely short of those lofty expectations, with a record of 1-2 heading into Week 4.

Klubnik’s third full season of leading the offense promised experience and stability, a marked contrast to the 2023 squad that relied on him as a first-year starter. But despite the talent and high hopes, the offense has been measly and slow to start, totaling only 841 yards and seven touchdowns in a three-game span.

Now, instead of competing for a College Football Playoff spot, Clemson finds itself possibly headed to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl again, a matchup that feels far removed from the championship aspirations that defined this team from the first snap.