More often than not over the past decade, Clemson football is fighting for a spot in the College Football Playoff and Dabo Swinney has actually led the Tigers to seven of them since its induction in 2014.
That's right, Clemson makes the playoff more often than not nowadays which makes the Tigers one of those perennial powerhouses that has the 'CFP or bust' mindset.
Clemson has been one of the best teams in the country for the past decade and that doesn't look to be ending any time soon as the Tigers are projected to be one of the top teams in the country heading into the 2025 season. They return arguably the best quarterback in the ACC along with the best receiving corps in the nation and an elite defense.
The Tigers should probably expect to be a playoff team come December when the field is selected which means that fans need to keep an eye on dates so they can go to these games to support Clemson.
On Tuesday, the College Football Playoff actually released its dates, so here's what we know:
Bowl | Date/Time/Channel |
|---|---|
Cotton Bowl (quarterfinal) | Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN |
Orange Bowl (quarterfinal) | Jan. 1 at Noon ET on ESPN |
Rose Bowl (quarterfinal) | Jan. 1 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN |
Sugar Bowl (quarterfinal) | Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN |
Fiesta Bowl (semifinal) | Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN |
Peach Bowl (semifinal) | Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN |
National Championship | Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN |
Per a press release, Rich Clark, the executive director of the College Football Playoff explained the changes for the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day quarterfinal games.
"This New Year’s Day schedule adjustment is the result of a thoughtful collaboration between the CFP, ESPN, the Capital One Orange Bowl, the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential, and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. All three bowls shifting their start times allows us to place each game in an ideal window on New Year’s Day and provide the optimal viewing experience. New Year’s Day and college football are synonymous with each other, and these changes only strengthen that relationship."Rich Clark, executive director of CFP
The three games on New Year's Day definitely give fans a better viewing experience than most being on New Year's Eve. No one wants their New Year's Eve party ruined by their team losing a playoff game at midnight. The Cotton Bowl is the only thing close to that and it starts at 7:30 so that shouldn't be an issue.
Mark your calendars, Clemson fans. January is going to be a busy time for Tiger fans (hopefully).