Bowl projections 2021: Clemson football projected to meet Big 12 team in Cheez-It Bowl

The Clemson football team’s latest bowl projection is the harsh reality of a failed 2021 season.

Though Dabo Swinney’s Clemson football program has long been the gold standard in the ACC throughout the College Football Playoff era, Tigers fans are not going to love their team’s latest bowl projection.

Clemson enters the Palmetto Bowl vs. in-state rival South Carolina at 8-3 on the season. While getting to 9-3 would be a remarkable record for many college football teams, Clemson loses maybe one game a season under Swinney in the current ACC landscape. Though the 2021 season may be an anomaly for the Clemson program, its bowl projection is a reminder of a wasted year.

Here is the latest bowl projection for Clemson heading into its rivalry game with South Carolina.

Clemson bowl projections have Tigers playing Kansas State in the Cheez-It Bowl

Brett McMurphy of The Action Network has Clemson playing the Kansas State Wildcats in the 2021 Cheez-It Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on Dec. 29.

While there is nothing wrong with playing a holiday season bowl against a quality Big 12 opponent like Kansas State, it has been playoff or bust for Clemson for some time. Though one could argue settling for an Orange Bowl berth or a trip to the New Year’s Six when they don’t make the playoff should suffice, it is not like the ACC is having all that great of a football season to begin with.

As the Tigers prepare for someone like Kansas State in their bowl game, Clemson fans should hope their beloved football program signs a top-tier class heading into the first of two signing days. Even more so, Clemson fans should hope coaching staff changes are coming, or at the very least, Swinney gets off his high horse and will consider using the transfer portal this offseason.

The Clemson Family should hope the Tigers’ trip to the Cheez-It Bowl is a one-off sort of deal.

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