Clemson, UCF Among Teams Scrambling To Become Bowl Eligible

Some bowl season regulars head into the final month of the 2023 college football season with their work cut out for them. Clemson, a postseason behemoth for much of the past two decades, needs two more wins to make the cut and extend its impressive bowl streak.

Led by Dabo Swinney’s Tigers, here is a look at a handful of teams that have typically been bowl bound in recent years, but are flirting with a season that ends Thanksgiving weekend.

Clemson (4-4, 2-4 ACC)

The Tigers have made a bowl 18 consecutive years, the nation’s fifth-longest active streak. They have been to a bowl in 23 of the last 24 seasons with only 2004 serving as a stain on a nearly quarter-century run.

Clemson will fail to win at least 10 games this season for the first time since 2010 and their four losses are the most since 2011. In fact, should the Tigers lose to visiting Notre Dame on Saturday, they will be below .500 in November for the first time since they also slipped to 4-5 after losing to Florida State on the first Saturday in November 2008. That was the year Swinney took over mid-season for Tommy Bowden.

The date with the Fighting Irish (7-2) is the first of three straight games at home as Georgia Tech (4-4/3-2) and North Carolina (6-2/3-2) follow Notre Dame into Death Valley. The annual rivalry game with South Carolina (2-6/1-5 SEC) is in Columbia. Lose to either the Yellow Jackets or Tar Heels and Swinney’s team will finish below .500 in conference play for the first time since 1998 when Tommy West, in his final season at Clemson, went 1-7 in the ACC.

Mississippi State (4-4/1-4 SEC)

At 13 years, the Bulldogs have the seventh-longest bowl streak in the country. That includes 2016 when Dan Mullen’s team went 5-7 in the regular season, but because of a strong academic rating, participated in a bowl (a win) thanks to there not being enough six-win teams to fill all bowl slots.

Though the Bulldogs play three of their four remaining games at home, what is left of the SEC schedule is demanding. They host Kentucky (6-3/2-3) this week, travel to Texas A&M (5-3/3-2) next week and host Southern Miss (1-7/0-5 Sun Belt) ahead of the Egg Bowl with visiting Ole Miss (7-1/4-1) on Thanksgiving evening.

Auburn (4-4/1-4 SEC)

The Tigers had a string of nine straight bowl appearances snapped last year. They went bowling in 12 of 13 seasons and 20 of 22, so to go two straight years without a bowl would be something that has not happened this century. It was 1998 under Terry Bowden and interim coach Bill Oliver, and 1999 in Tommy Tuberville’s first season on The Plains, when Auburn last sat home two straight years.

To prevent that from happening again, the Tigers need to split their final four games. The first two are on the road against the SEC’s last-place teams, Vanderbilt (2-7/0-5) and Arkansas (2-6/0-5). New Mexico State (6-3/4-1 C-USA) visits Jordan-Hare before the Tigers host the Crimson Tide (7-1/5-0) in the Iron Bowl.

UCF (3-5/0-5 Big 12)

The Knights have a seven-year bowl streak on the line. Their first season in the Big 12 has yet to yield a conference win and the window of opportunity is shrinking as only four games, all conference matchups, remain. They meet both of their fellow former American Athletic Conference members in the final four weeks. Given how Cincinnati (2-6/0-5) and Houston (3-5/1-4) have been playing, that may be a couple of wins for UCF.

Gus Malzahn’s squad travels to UC this week and hosts suddenly hot Oklahoma State (6-2/4-1) next week. Then it is off to Lubbock to face Texas Tech (3-5/2-3) before wrapping up against the visiting Cougars.

Cincinnati (2-6/0-5 Big 12)

Speaking of the Bearcats, they were Group of Five giants along with UCF before moving to the Big 12. Scott Satterfield, in his first season after taking over for Luke Fickell, needs his team to win out in order to have the season extended. UC has gone to a bowl game five straight years, 10 of 12 and 14 of 17.

The Bearcats’ four remaining games, all conference tilts, are against visiting UCF (3-5/0-5), at Houston (3-5/1-4), at West Virginia (5-3/3-2) and at home versus Kansas (6-2/3-2).

Boise State (4-4/3-1 MWC)

The Broncos have been bowl eligible 21 consecutive years and played in 16 straight bowls before severe weather (2018) and the pandemic (2020, 2021) played havoc with their recent postseason history.

Boise State needs to break even over their final four games, all conference matchups. On the surface, that should not be much of a chore given only four of 12 Mountain West team head into the first Saturday of November with winning records. However, the Broncos play the top two teams in the league beginning with a trip to Fresno State (7-1/3-1) on Saturday. They host New Mexico (3-5/1-3) next week and travel to Utah State (3-5/1-3) before closing the schedule at home against No. 17 and undefeated Air Force (8-0/5-0).

Wake Forest (4-4/1-4 ACC)

The Demon Deacons have been to seven straight bowls, a streak that followed a run of making the cut only once in seven years. The remaining schedule is challenging, especially with three of four games on the road beginning Saturday with a 75-mile drive east to Durham to meet Duke (5-3/2-2 ACC). Wake’s final home game of 2023 is next week against NC State (5-3/2-2 ACC) before traveling to Notre Dame (7-2) and Syracuse (4-4/0-4 ACC) to conclude the schedule. The game against the Orange could be a must-win for both teams as far as bowl eligibility.

Western Kentucky (4-4/2-2 C-USA)

The Hilltoppers were expected to win a Conference USA title this season. Instead, they need two wins in their final four games against conference foes to attain bowl eligibility. They have been to a bowl four straight years and eight of nine.

Three of four remaining games for Tyson Helton’s team are against the bottom portion of the conference. The Toppers are at UTEP (3-6/2-3) this week, and the next two weeks host New Mexico State (6-3/4-1) and Sam Houston State (0-8/0-5) before traveling to FIU (4-5/1-5) to close the schedule.

TCU (4-4/2-3 Big 12)

The Horned Frogs’ march to the CFP championship game last season snapped a three-year, bowl-less skid. They had been to a bowl in 13 of 14 years 18 of 20.

TCU needs a pair of wins down the stretch. The Horned Frogs travel to Texas Tech (3-5/2-3) this week, host Texas (7-1/4-1) next week and Baylor (3-5/2-3) in two weeks before visiting Oklahoma (7-1/4-1) to close out the slate.