Swinney vs. Venables in Jacksonville?
By: Gavin Oliver May 7, 2026

Could 2026-27 bowl season feature a matchup between Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and one of his former longtime assistant coaches?

This national outlet thinks so.

CBS Sports recently released its post-spring college football bowl and College Football Playoff projections.

Of course, Clemson hopes to bounce back from a disappointing 7-6 campaign in 2025 and return to the playoff this year.

However, CBS Sports doesn’t currently see that happening and instead projects the Tigers to face off against Oklahoma – led by Sooners head coach and former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables – in the Gator Bowl.

The 82nd TaxSlayer Gator Bowl will be played on Saturday, December 27, 2026 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., and will be televised nationally on ABC.

“Dabo Swinney vs. Brent Venables in Jacksonville? Organizers at the Gator Bowl would love to get the Sooners and Tigers on Dec. 27, pitting the two-time national champion against his former apprentice. Both coaches have their eyes on a CFP appearance — not here, however,” CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford wrote.

Dabo Swinney and Brent Venables reacts after a goal-line stop during the fourth quarter of the Tigers’ game against SC State on September 11, 2021 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. (Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider)

Last season, Clemson fell to Penn State, 22-10, in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York. Meanwhile, Oklahoma went 10-3 overall under Venables last season and returned to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019, losing at home to Alabama in a CFP first-round game.

The Tigers have won two national titles, nine ACC titles and made seven CFP appearances under Swinney, who is entering his 19th season (and 18th full season) as Clemson’s head coach in 2026 and has a career head coaching record of 187-53, as Clemson’s all-time winningest coach and the winningest coach in ACC history.

Venables has compiled a 32-20 overall record across his first four seasons as Oklahoma’s head coach from 2022-25. He won two national titles with Clemson during his ultra-successful 10-year stint as defensive coordinator from 2012-21, and he helped the Tigers win ACC titles each year from 2015-20. He received the Frank Broyles Award in 2016 as the nation’s top assistant coach after being a finalist in 2015.

Clemson has a 3-2 all-time record against Oklahoma, most recently a 37-17 victory in the 2015 College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl. Clemson’s last Gator Bowl appearance came in 2023, when the Tigers defeated Kentucky, 38-35.