The Clemson Tigers didn't have too good a time in last year's college football bowl season. Dabo Swinney's team visited Yankee Stadium and suffered a 22-10 loss to the Penn State NIttany Lions in a freezing New York City winter at the Pinstripe Bowl.
ESPN thinks another Clemson
-Penn State bowl game matchup could be brewing after the Tigers' 36-24 win over Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium in Week 9.The latest bowl game and playoff projections by college football analyst Kyle Bonagura see the Tigers and Nittany Lions squaring off again in this year's Duke's Mayo Bowl on Dec. 26 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Penn State is 4-4 entering Week 10 and recently snapped a four-game losing streak under first-year coach Matt Campbell. The
NIttany Lions defeated Purdue, 31-17, at Beaver Stadium this past Saturday.
Clemson vs. Penn State in bowl game rematch or...?
Clemson-Penn State is one of two bowl game projections offered by ESPN, which also features veteran college football analyst and reporter Mark Schlabach's pick. Schlabach sees the Tigers facing the Oregon State Beavers in the Sun Bowl on New Year's Eve in El Paso.
The Beavers, a holdover from the old Pac-12 conference, have been competitive under first-year coach JaMarcus Shephard and are 5-3 entering Week 10. Oregon State features one of the nation's best receivers in freshman Jesse Legree, who has 53 receptions for 1,110 yards to go with 14 touchdowns.
Legree, in fact, leads the nation in receiving yards, even outpacing Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith and Miami's Malachi Toney, two Heisman Trophy contenders.
Clemson (5-3, 3-2 ACC) will look to make it back-to-back wins when the Tigers visit Syracuse (4-4, 2-4) at JMA Wireless Dome in Week 10. Kickoff is noon ET. The game can be seen on ESPN2.
Clemson vs. Syracuse: Three keys to cooling the hot Orange
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) November 4, 2026
📸 Ken Ruinard / GREENVILLE NEWS, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect https://t.co/ogytv6JBwr pic.twitter.com/0clhAaQMuw
Clemson football schedule 2026
All times Eastern.
- Sept. 5: at LSU Tigers (L, 51-10)
- Sept. 12: vs. Georgia Southern Eagles (W, 22-7)
- Sept. 19: vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (W, 28-20)
- Sept. 25: at California Golden Bears (W, 24-10)
- Oct. 3: vs. Miami Hurricanes (L, 41-13)
- Oct. 17: vs. Charleston Southern Buccaneers (W, 37-0)
- Oct. 24: vs. Virginia Tech Hokies (L, 20-16)
- Oct. 31: at Florida State Seminoles (W, 36-24)
- Nov. 7: at Syracuse Orange, noon ET, ESPN2
- Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 12:30 p.m., The CW
- Nov. 20: at Duke Blue Devils, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
- Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks, TBA
Record: 5-3 overall, 3-2.
ESPN predicts the winner of Clemson football vs. Syracuse
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) November 4, 2026
📸 Rich Barnes, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect https://t.co/UUTLlhvGE0 pic.twitter.com/8jRtSvHOW9
Contact us at @Clemson_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: ESPN predicts familiar matchup for Clemson football in 2026 bowl game
