Clemson football fans won't have to travel very far for bowl season if USA TODAY Sports' latest postseason projection for coach Dabo Swinney's Tigers pans out.
USA TODAY Sports analyst Erick Smith's updated bowl and College Football Playoff projections entering Week 8 has the Tigers taking on an SEC team during the bowl game slate.
Smith has Clemson headed to the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte for a matchup against the Mississippi State Bulldogs from the SEC. The Duke's Mayo Bowl is Saturday, Dec. 26 and is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
The Tigers and Bulldogs haven't met on the gridiron since before the dawn of the millennium. Clemson faced Mississippi State in the 1999 Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, a 17-7 victory by the 15th-ranked
Bulldogs over coach Tommy Bowden's squad.
Clemson (4-2, 2-1 ACC) will have plenty of chances to improve its bowl outlook in the coming weeks. After dispatching in-state foe Charleston Southern, 37-0, in Week 7, the Tigers have five consecutive games against ACC competition, beginning with Saturday's game against Virginia Tech (5-2, 2-2).
The Tigers visit Florida State for their annual rivalry against the Seminoles (3-4, 1-3) and Syracuse (2-4, 0-4) in back-to-back weeks. Clemson hosts Georgia Tech (2-4, 1-2) on Nov. 14 before closing ACC play with a Friday night trip to Duke (4-2, 1-2) on Nov. 20. The Tigers host South Carolina (3-3) in this year's Palmetto Bowl rivalry on Nov. 28.
Kickoff for Clemson-Virginia Tech in Week 8 of the 2026 college football season is 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.
ESPN reveals TV announcers for Clemson football vs. Virginia Tech
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) October 20, 2026
📸 Ken Ruinard, Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY NETWORK https://t.co/6PHN1NKeUa pic.twitter.com/58DoZBBxH8
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: USA TODAY Sports projects Clemson vs. SEC football team in bowl game
