CBS predicts Clemson football's bowl game, a first in program history

There are certain college football bowl games the Clemson Tigers have never played in. The Tigers' fledgling 2026 season could change that. Clemson (4-3, 2-2 ACC), which is coming off a last-minute 20-16 loss to Virginia Tech, faces another challenge in Week 9 Saturday when the Tigers visit rival Fl

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What is the story about?

There are certain college football bowl games the Clemson Tigers have never played in. The Tigers' fledgling 2026 season could change that.

Clemson (4-3, 2-2 ACC), which is coming off a last-minute 20-16 loss to Virginia Tech, faces another challenge in Week 9 Saturday when the Tigers visit rival Florida State (3-4, 1-3) at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. It's the second straight year neither Clemson or FSU have been ranked in the top-25 polls.

The two programs, in case you've forgotten, have combined to win 26 ACC titles since 1991, the year before Florida State officially joined the conference in all sports; the Seminoles have won or shared 16 ACC championships in that span with the Tigers winning 10.

But now more than ever, college football

is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business, and neither Dabo Swinney or Mike Norvell have much to offer on that front entering their teams' Week 9 matchup.

According to ESPN's latest college football power index ratings, Clemson has a 78.1% chance to qualify for a bowl game. The Tigers visit Syracuse a week after their trip to Tallahassee, then host struggling Georgia Tech on Nov. 14 before a Friday night visit to Durham to face Duke.

The Tigers' annual in-state showdown against South Carolina on Nov. 28 is at Clemson's Death Valley, but the Gamecocks have won the last two meetings there, and Swinney's team has lost eight of its last 10 home games against Power Four teams since November 2024.

Which bowl game will Clemson football reach? CBS Sports' prediction

Dec 30, 2016; El Paso, TX, USA; A view of the field before North Carolina Tar Heels face the Stanford Cardinal at Sun Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports

In his latest bowl and 12-team playoff projections for CBS Sports, college football author and analyst John Talty sees Clemson visiting a historic postseason event for the first time in program history: the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

Talty's outlook has the Tigers facing the Washington Huskies on New Year's Eve. Such a matchup would also be a first for Clemson; the Tigers have never played the Huskies in either the regular season or a bowl game.

Washington enters Week 9 with the same 4-3 record as Clemson. The Huskies are 1-3 in Big Ten play under third-year coach Jedd Fisch and recently ended a three-game losing streak with a 38-26 win at Purdue in Week 7 at Ross-Ade Stadium. Washington faces the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln on Saturday.

The Sun Bowl is the fourth-oldest bowl game in the history of college football, trailing only the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl.

Clemson vs. Florida State start time, TV channel

ESPN predicts the final score of Clemson football vs. Florida State

📸 Sam Sharpe-US PRESSWIRE, US PRESSWIRE https://t.co/O9KWUJ6nHp pic.twitter.com/4JZyShAHnr
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) October 29, 2026

Kickoff for Clemson-FSU in Week 9 of the 2026 college football season is 7 p.m. ET at Doak Campbelll Stadium in Tallahassee. The game can be seen on ACC Network. Wes Durham and Max Browne will have the call of the game. Madison Fitzpatrick will report from the sidelines.

The Clemson Athletic Network feed of the game featuring Tigers radio play-by-play voice Don Munson and analysts Tim Bourret and Jeff Scott can be heard on SiriusXM channel 258.