Clemson Football: Is the Cotton Bowl a ‘must-win’ for the Tiger program?

Is the Cotton Bowl matchup against Notre Dame a ‘must-win’ for the future and progression of the Clemson football program going forward?

We received an interesting question from Clemson football fan Gage and it got me thinking.

Gage asked if the Cotton Bowl was a ‘must-win’ for the Tigers as a program. He stated that he felt like it was because of the national perception of the SEC and what the country may think should Clemson exit the CFB Playoff early for a second year in a row.

At first, I didn’t really like it, but after thinking about it, I think he may have a point.

Is it a must-win?

Is this game on the surface a ‘must-win’ for Clemson football? No. The Tigers under Dabo Swinney will presumably have many other chances to get back to the playoff in the next few years and compete for National Championships. Certainly the program will be the favorite to win the ACC for the foreseeable future.

But, this game does mean something to the short-term perception of the program. Here’s what I mean.

Let’s say Clemson loses to Notre Dame next Saturday.

If that happened, the Tigers would lose a game in which they would’ve been almost two touchdown favorites. You and I both know what the narrative would be then.

Analysts would talk about how “Clemson never belonged there” and how “the Tigers played an easy ACC schedule and that’s the only reason they were undefeated.” None of us like it, but we all know that would be the narrative if Clemson were to lose in the first round.

This would create questions for next year. It would almost eliminate any chance the Tigers would have of making it to the playoff with one loss and it would change the national perception.

Now, you can say you don’t care about what analysts think. And that’s all fine and dandy to say, but you can’t argue that ESPN and other national media outlets don’t drive the discussion, narrative, perception and belief that is, in turn, taken in the CFB Playoff selection committee room.

…….See how the committee ranked SEC teams this year, for instance.

Right now, the perception is that Alabama, Clemson and Georgia are heads-and-shoulders better than everyone else.

If you lose to Notre Dame, I think analysts and fans alike put the Tigers back in the “Roy Bus,” to quote our own Dabo Swinney.

While this game won’t make or break the Clemson football program, it certainly has implications for the short-term definition of the Tigers and what the nation thinks about Clemson moving forward.

A win would almost solidify that every analyst in the country considers Clemson a top-three program moving forward for at least the near future. A loss, however, could put the Tigers back behind other programs in terms of “elite perception.”

Perception isn’t reality. But, perception is important. And like it or not, I think a lot will be perceived about this Clemson football program win or lose Saturday against Notre Dame.

Great question, Gage.