Clemson has finalized its 2027 non-conference schedule, but with a measure change to how the Tigers will open their campaign. Earlier, Dabo Swinney’s team was supposed to go against Dave Doeren’s NC State. However, that season opener has now been replaced by a home game against Georgia State.
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According to contract documents obtained by The State, Clemson has finalized a $1.5 million guarantee to have Georgia State on Saturday, August 28, next year. Usually, that slot is reserved for Week 0 of a college football season. This year, UNC played TCU on August 29 (Saturday) in Week 0 to start the FBS 2026 calendar.
However, things will have a different look next year due to a calendar change. In June 2026, the NCAA updated its bylaws that deal with the start of a college football season for both FBS and FCS.
From fall 2027, the FBS season will span 14 weeks, including 12 games and two bye weeks. But it will conclude on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. As a result, the 2027 season’s Week 0 will now be Week 1.
The matchup between Clemson and Georgia State was originally scheduled for November 6, 2027, but the agreement was amended in June to move the contest to the start of the season. Clemson will pay Georgia State USD 1.5 million for the non-conference game, with the balance owed by February 15, 2028.
With the change in its schedule, August 28 will be the earliest calendar date for a season opener in Clemson history. The previous record was August 29, when Clemson played Georgia Tech at home in 2019.
With Georgia State locked into the opening weekend slot, Clemson’s 2027 non-conference schedule is now fully set:
- August 28: vs. Georgia State
- September 11: vs. Wofford
- October 30: vs. Notre Dame
- November 27: at South Carolina
The ACC has yet to announce who Clemson will play in the conference for 2027. In the conference’s new format, Dabo Swinney’s team will have eight conference games next season, while other ACC teams will play nine. This is on a rolling basis because the conference has an odd number of teams. That complicated its move to non-conference games.
The Georgia State season-opener will come as a relief for Dabo Swinney. The Tigers have Notre Dame and South Carolina on their non-conference teams. Major CFB powerhouses have now moved to scheduling easier non-conference games, preferably against FCS teams. A loss in such games does not help any team’s playoff hopes.
Last season, Texas lost to Ohio State in its non-conference game and finished 9-3 in the regular season. A 10-2 record would have guaranteed a playoff spot for Steve Sarkisian’s team. However, there is a chance that CFP could have 24 teams as soon as next season if the Big Ten and the SEC reach an agreement on a new playoff format. That would ease some pressure on tough non-conference games.
Having an easier season opener will also mark a change for Dabo Swinney. Clemson has faced defeat in five of its last six season openers. Last year, it lost to LSU at home. This year, it again lost to LSU. But this time, the defeat came more embarrassingly at Baton Rouge.
Swinney himself has talked about having easy wins to start the season, which is good for the team’s morale. “You have so many new people every year… I think every coach would probably prefer to be like most of these teams,” Swinney said on his weekly radio show, as per The State. “They usually play somebody that they should beat.”