LOUISVILLE, Ky — With the College Football Playoff garnering so much attention in today’s landscape, the secondary bowls have basically become an afterthought.

For Clemson, this season was supposed to be the year that the Tigers returned to prominence, by not only returning to the playoff, but possibly making a deep run once there. But things just haven’t worked out that way.

Dabo Swinney’s team struggled out of the gate, dropping three of the first four games. The Tigers’ playoff hopes had been snuffed out almost as quickly as the season had begun.

After a couple of road wins over Boston College and North Carolina, Clemson returned home and dropped two more games to SMU and Duke. Sitting at 3-5, there were serious questions about whether this team would even qualify for one of those secondary bowls.

After knocking off Florida State and holding on for a one-point win on the road against a ranked Louisville team, Clemson now only needs a win over Furman this weekend to qualify.

While some on the outside looking in might wonder why this team, one with such high expectations coming in, would even want to play in a meaningless bowl game, quarterback Cade Klubnik said the reasoning is quite simple.

“Another opportunity to go play with the guys that I have lived life with,” he said.

Assuming the Tigers do beat Furman and secure that sixth win, the Tigers are bound to have some opt-outs, but listening to Klubnik speak, it sounds like he very much plans to play in any postseason game Clemson might qualify for.

“To go play with Ryan (Linthicum) and Adam (Randall) and Tristan (Leigh) and all these guys,” Klubnik added. “It is probably going to be my last time ever being teammates with them. A few weeks from now, we are all going to be in different parts of the country.”

For Klubnik, it’s about having one more chance to suit up and play with his teammates. The guys he’s gone to war with for the past four years. It’s also about having one more shot at representing the school and coaching staff that believed so heavily in him coming out of high school.

“It gives us an opportunity to go play and spend a few more weeks together,” Klubnik said. “That is what we are fighting for, and that is why this (Louisville) game meant so much. Now we got to go punch that ticket next week.”

Photo by Bart Boatwright