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New CFP projection for next season has Clemson's natty hopes falling just short

Clemson is expected to compete for a National Championship in 2025 but one new playoff projection has the Tigers coming up just short of reaching that goal.
ByMatthew Conner|
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) passes the ball for a first down against the Texas Longhorns during the second half of the CFP National Playoff first round game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) passes the ball for a first down against the Texas Longhorns during the second half of the CFP National Playoff first round game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

It is no surprise to see the Clemson Tigers projected to make the 2025-26 College Football Playoff. Virtually every expert in America has head coach Dabo Swinney's team in the top-10 heading into the offseason and the Tigers are going to be heavy favorites to win the ACC title next fall.

However, the bar at Clemson is higher than that. After all, Clemson won the ACC and made the playoff in 2024 and fans expect the program to take the next step in 2025-26.

If next season is going to be a success, Swinney and Co. will have to truly be in the mix for the National Championship. In one new 2025 CFP projection, that's what will happen.

In a recent article, On3 Sports' Ari Wasserman released his early 2025-26 College Football Playoff projection and Clemson makes quite a bit of noise in his 12-team bracket. In fact, he has the Tigers coming up just shy of playing for the National Championship.

Wasserman's bracket has Clemson as the No. 3 seed in next year's playoff. In his scenario, the Tigers would earn a bye to the second round. Then, Wasserman has a fascinating matchup playing out in round two.

Wasserman also has Clemson's in-state rival, South Carolina making the field as the No. 11 seed. What's more, he has the Gamecocks beating No. 6 Notre Dame in the first round to set up a meeting with Clemson in a playoff game that might break the state of South Carolina.

Fortunately, Wasserman has the Tigers winning that rivalry game and moving on to the semifinals. There, though, the Tigers' run comes to an end with a loss to No. 2 Ohio State. That would leave Clemson one game short of playing for the championship.

Ultimately, Wasserman sees No. 1 seed Texas beating Ohio State to win the National Championship. Of course, Texas eliminated Clemson from the 2024-25 playoff by beating the Tigers in Austin in the first round.

Would a run to the 2025-26 College Football semifinals be good enough for Clemson fans? Or, is nothing short of another national title going to be considered a success? The answer to that is up to each individual fan but every Tiger can agree that they hope that Clemson at least gets a shot to be a more significant part of the playoff party next season.

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