Clemson wanted one more game. Not for style points. Not for padding stats. Just one extra chance to breathe before being thrown straight into the fire.
According to a new report, Clemson formally requested a Week Zero game ahead of its Sept. 5 season opener at LSU, essentially asking the NCAA for a tune-up before walking into Death Valley to start the 2026 season.
The Tigers even had a plan: move their FCS matchup with Charleston Southern up to the final weekend of August.
The request? Denied.
Why Clemson Asked in the First Place This wasn’t some random scheduling whim. Clemson’s athletic department, led by AD Graham Neff, submitted a waiver request in the fall citing student-athlete welfare and the unique travel demands baked into the 2026 schedule.
The biggest concern? The West Coast.
Clemson is scheduled to travel to Cal in Week 4, marking the program’s first-ever conference road trip to the West Coast. Clemson’s scheduling staff made it clear they wanted to “create more recovery opportunity” in a season that now includes cross-country ACC travel.
And Clemson wasn’t alone. The ACC submitted a waiver request on behalf of every league team that has to play road games at Stanford or Cal — a byproduct of conference expansion that still hasn’t fully settled into something logical. The NCAA’s Answer: Nope In December 2025, the NCAA officially denied the request. So Clemson stays at 12 games, one bye week, and a season that opens with LSU on the road — no warm-up, no easing in.
Translation: not happy, but not whining either.