If you've ever wanted to see Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney get showered by a bucket of Pop-Tarts while sharing a bite of an edible Pop-Tart mascot that arises from a giant toaster -- and, really, who doesn't? -- you might get your wish this season.
The Athletic recently unveiled its midseason projections (subscription required for full access) for all 35 non-College Football Playoff bowl games, including a "tasty" prediction for Clemson.
Veteran college football analyst Scott Dochterman sees the Tigers squaring off against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Dec. 29 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
Clemson is 4-2 after its 37-0 shutout win over Charleston Southern in Week 7. Oklahoma State is 4-2 and is coming off a 35-32
loss to the Houston Cougars.
The Pop-Tarts Bowl draws big ratings each year and is one of the most-watched games of the non-playoff slate. According to The Athletic, last year's matchup pitting Georgia Tech against BYU drew 8.7 million viewers. The Citrus Bowl, also in Orlando, drew 9.1 million viewers for its SEC-Big Ten showdown between Texas and Michigan.
"More people tuned in for those games than for regular-season matchups like Alabama-Tennessee, Georgia-Florida and Ohio State-Penn State, plus two of the four first-round CFP games," The Athletic noted.
The Pop-Tarts Bowl is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 29. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Clemson faces Virginia Tech (5-2) in Week 8 of the 2026 college football season Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ESPN.
ESPN predicts the winner of Clemson football vs. Virginia Tech
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) October 21, 2026
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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, 7 p.m., ESPN
- Oct. 31: at Florida State Seminoles, 7 p.m., ACC Network
- Nov. 7: at Syracuse Orange, TBA
- Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, TBA
- Nov. 20: at Duke Blue Devils, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
- Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks, TBA
Record: 4-2 overall, 2-1 ACC.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: The Athletic logs 'tasty' bowl game projection for Clemson football
