Clemson football schedule 2022: Way-too-early game-by-game picks for Tigers

The Clemson football team looks to build off its disappointing 10-3 mark from a season ago.

For the first time since the 2014 college season, the Clemson football team did not make the College Football Playoff.

Admittedly, it was not even close. Clemson lost three games during the regular season and was out of the mix right before October. Losing by seven points to eventual national champion Georgia on Labor Day Weekend was a bad omen. Falling on the road to North Carolina State ended their playoff dreams and losing at Pitt before before Halloween kept them from winning the Atlantic.

However, Clemson has had too much success for us to reasonably think it is over for the Tigers’ dynastic run in the ACC. Their days of winning national titles remains to be seen, but Clemson should be the presumptive favorite to win the ACC next season in a bounce-back campaign. Of course, a team is only as good as its ability to navigate its 12-game schedule in a given year.

Here is a way-too-early projection for how Clemson’s 2022 college season could potentially go.

Clemson football schedule 2022, known dates

• Sept. 5: at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA)
• Sept. 17: vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
• Oct. 8: vs. Furman Paladins
• Nov. 5: at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Notre Dame, IN)
• Nov. 26: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

Although Clemson’s 2022 slate is not officially set in stone, five games are locked in with seven more left to be decided. Clemson opens with cross-divisional rival Georgia Tech in Atlanta, but instead of it being at Bobby Dodd, it will be at Mercedes Benz Stadium. The Tigers should win that game easily, as well as home dates vs. Louisiana Tech and Furman. That is three wins right there.

As for the other two games already firmly on the calendar, that is a tad trickier. Going up to South Bend to face Notre Dame would be a loss in most years. However, the Golden Domers have a new head coach in Marcus Freeman taking over for Brian Kelly. Though Clemson should have the upper hand over in-state rival South Carolina, the Gamecocks have Spencer Rattler as their quarterback.

Assuming South Carolina will be out of it by that point, let’s say Clemson splits the pair between Notre Dame and South Carolina win a win over the Gamecocks and a loss to the Irish to be 4-1 in games with dates already locked in. As for what Clemson will do in their seven other ACC games outside of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff date vs. Georgia Tech, nothing can be sure until things are set.

Here are the seven other games Clemson has to play in 2022 during its eight-game ACC slate.

Clemson football schedule 2022, to be determined ACC games

• TBD: at Boston College Eagles (Chestnut Hill, MA)
• TBD: vs. Louisville Cardinals
• TBD: vs. Miami Hurricanes
• TBD: vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack
• TBD: vs. Syracuse Orange
• TBD: at Florida State Seminoles (Tallahassee, FL)
• TBD: at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (Winston-Salem, NC)

Clemson should avenge last year’s loss to North Carolina State in Raleigh because this one is in Death Valley. The Wolfpack should be very good, but Clemson gets the benefit of the doubt here. Louisville, Miami and Syracuse should all be home wins for the Tigers. Even if Florida State is better in year three under Mike Norvell, Clemson should still beat the Seminoles in Tallahassee.

As for their two other road games, the dates with Boston College and Wake Forest will be tough. Boston College should be better than the Eagles were a year ago, especially with Phil Jurkovec back and healthy at quarterback. Though Wake Forest won the ACC Atlantic a season ago, it remains to be seen if Dave Clawson, Sam Hartman and the rest of team can ever beat Clemson.

Could Clemson drop one of those games? Maybe, but let’s not count on it. The Tigers’ floor for 2022 is 8-4 (6-2) with losses to Boston College and Wake Forest in ACC play and non-conference defeats at Notre Dame and home vs. South Carolina. There is also a chance Clemson can get to an undefeated 12-0 and face whoever ends up coming of out of the ACC Coastal over in Charlotte.

Because the Tigers were not elite a season ago and longtime defensive coordinator Brent Venables left for the Oklahoma job, let’s say Clemson goes 11-1 (8-0) with only the road loss at Notre Dame. They win the ACC Atlantic to get back to the conference title with a great shot of making the College Football Playoff. Admittedly, they feel closer to 10-2 than they do to 12-0.

If Clemson goes 11-1 and then wins the ACC to make the playoff, D.J. Uiagalelei must play elite.

Projection: 11-1 (8-0), ACC Atlantic Champions, ACC Champions, College Football Playoff bound

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