As many Tiger fans look more forward to the escape that is Clemson Football, we now have some bowl projections. Sporting News recently went over the expectations for the 2020 postseason that features 44 bowl games between FBS teams.
Of course, the bowl season will end once again with the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla on January 11th. The semifinals this year are scheduled for January 1st and will be played at the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl.
Including Clemson, Sporting News has a total of 9 ACC teams in bowls. They have
- Wake Forest vs Washington St- Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
- NC State vs Michigan State- Belk Bowl,
- FSU vs TCU- Cheez-It Bowl
- Virginia Tech vs Iowa- New Era Pinstripe Bowl
- Miami vs Arizona State- SDCCU Holiday Bowl
- Louisville vs Tennessee- TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
- Virginia vs Memphis-Ticket Smarter Birmingham Bowl
- Clemson vs Bama- Allstate Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
- North Carolina vs Penn State- Capital One Orange Bowl (New Year’s Day 6)
- Clemson vs Ohio State- College Football Playoff Championship game.
Sporting News’ stated that their Playoff picks were due to the top heavy state that college football has at this point with Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Ohio State havIng combined for 17 of the 24 total appearances under the current system. They gave projections for all 44 bowl games in their article. These projections, as always, will be updated throughout the season as dates for bowls outside the New Year’s Day 6 are revealed. Their projections for the bowl games in 2020’s FBS postseason are listed below:
| Bowl | Teams |
| FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl | UCF vs. Arkansas State |
| Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl | Washington State vs. Wake Forest |
| Vrbo Citrus Bowl | Wisconsin vs Florida |
| Outback Bowl | Michigan vs. Auburn |
| Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl | Baylor vs. Mississippi State |
| AutoZone Liberty Bowl | Iowa State vs. Kentucky |
| Gasparilla Bowl | Tulsa vs. South Carolina |
| Bahamas Bowl | Central Michigan vs. Southern Miss |
| Belk Bowl | Michigan State vs. N.C. State |
| Camellia Bowl | Kent State vs. Louisiana |
| Cheez-It Bowl | TCU vs. Florida State |
| Cactus Bowl | Kansas State vs. Indiana |
| Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl | Temple vs. FAU |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Buffalo vs. Air Force |
| Fenway Bowl | Cincinnati vs. Pitt |
| LA Bowl | San Diego State vs. Stanford |
| LendingTree Bowl | Ohio vs. Georgia Southern |
| Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | Western Kentucky vs. SMU |
| Military Bowl | Navy vs. Marshall* |
| Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl | Utah vs. Ole Miss |
| Myrtle Beach Bowl | Miami (Ohio) vs. Troy |
| NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl | Toledo vs. Utah State |
| New Era Pinstripe Bowl | Iowa vs. Virginia Tech |
| New Mexico Bowl | BYU* vs. Fresno State |
| Quick Lane Bowl | Western Michigan vs. Purdue |
| R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | Appalachian State vs. Louisiana Tech |
| Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl | Army vs. Cal |
| Redbox Bowl | Nebraska vs. Washington |
| SDCCU Holiday Bowl | Arizona State vs. Miami |
| SERVPRO First Responder Bowl | Wyoming* vs. West Virginia |
| SoFi Hawaii Bowl | Hawaii vs. UAB |
| TaxSlayer Gator Bowl | Louisville vs. Tennessee |
| Ticket Smarter Birmingham Bowl | Memphis vs. Virginia |
| TransPerfect Music City Bowl | Minnesota vs. Texas A&M |
| Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco Bowl | Houston vs. FIU |
| Valero Alamo Bowl | Oklahoma State vs. USC |
*Denotes breaks bowl tie in
The following are the Sporting News’ projections for the New Year’s Day 6 bowls and The College Football Playoff:
| Date | Bowl | Teams |
| Dec. 30 | Goodyear Cotton Bowl | Texas vs. Boise State |
| Jan. 1 | Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl | LSU vs. Notre Dame |
| Jan. 2 | PlayStation Fiesta Bowl | Georgia vs. Oregon |
| Jan. 2 | Capital One Orange Bowl | North Carolina vs. Penn State |
| Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl Game (semifinal) | Ohio State vs. Oklahoma |
| Jan. 1 | Allstate Sugar Bowl (semifinal) | Clemson vs. Alabama |
Then Sporting News gave their projection for the College Football Playoff Championship game and as of right now expect Clemson and Ohio State to meet up in a rematch of the 2019 semifinal game that saw the Tigers make a 16 point comeback to take the game 29-23
| Jan. 11 | CFP championship game | Clemson vs. Ohio State |
Many think a Clemson/Ohio State rematch is inevitable. With the two best quarterbacks in the nation leading each team, it is more than plausible.
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