By : Colton Towns
(Photo/Chad Price-The Mojo Network)
For the first time in more than a decade, Clemson football is staring at a future that doesn’t include championship talk. The Tigers entered the season ranked fourth in the nation, but a 3–4 start has taken nearly everything off the table. After last weekend’s loss to SMU, Dabo Swinney’s team used the bye week to take a hard look in the mirror and figure out what’s left to play for.
The immediate goal is simple — get to a bowl game. Clemson has reached the postseason 20 straight years, one of the longest active streaks in college football, and keeping that alive means finding three wins in the final five games. The path won’t be easy, but it’s realistic. ESPN’s analytics favor the Tigers against Duke next week and heavily against Furman in their home finale. That Furman game, which also doubles as Senior Day, is as close to a guaranteed win as possible, with Clemson holding a 98.9 percent chance to take it. The rest of the slate will test them. Trips to Louisville and South Carolina loom large, both matchups where the Tigers are projected as underdogs. Florida State, once seen as untouchable, has trended down lately, and Clemson will get that one at home. Each game will carry weight, and if the Tigers can rediscover balance on both sides of the ball, there’s still a path to keeping the streak alive.
The rivalry with South Carolina always matters, but this year, it could mean even more. Both teams are struggling for bowl eligibility, and by the time they meet in late November, the Palmetto Bowl could be the difference between ending the season early or extending it. Clemson fans saw a similar storyline two years ago when the team sat at 4–4 before rallying to win five straight, capped by a gritty 16–7 victory in Columbia. Winning in South Carolina’s stadium again wouldn’t just mean bragging rights; it could inject some much-needed momentum heading into the offseason.
That offseason will be one of transition. Clemson will likely lose several of its key players — Cade Klubnik, T.J. Parker, Peter Woods, and Avieon Terrell are all potential NFL departures. Others could leave via the transfer portal in search of opportunity. That puts added importance on these next five games as an audition for the Tigers’ next core. Young playmakers like Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore could take on bigger roles, while quarterback Christopher Vizzina might get a chance to show what he can do if the coaching staff chooses to look toward 2026. On defense, Will Heldt and Sammy Brown are emerging as future cornerstones. For Clemson to reestablish its identity, those younger names need meaningful reps now, not later.
This isn’t the kind of season Clemson fans are used to. The playoff dreams are gone, the national spotlight has dimmed, and the team that once set the standard in the ACC is now playing for pride. But how the Tigers handle these final five weeks will say plenty about where they’re headed next. The bye week offered a pause — now comes the response.