Clemson football to face Iowa State in Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando on Dec. 29

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney with players for the Walk of Champions before the game at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina Saturday, November 27, 2021.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney with players for the Walk of Champions before the game at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina Saturday, November 27, 2021.

A trip to the Sunshine State in late December isn’t a bad consolation prize.

The Clemson football team, which missed out on a College Football Playoff berth for the first time since 2014, has accepted an invitation to play in the Cheez-It Bowl on Dec. 29 in Orlando, Florida.

The Tigers (9-3) will face Iowa State (7-5) of the Big 12 Conference in the game, which is set for a 5:45 p.m. kickoff at Camping World Stadium.

After a 4-3 start, the Tigers have won five games in a row, giving themselves a chance at extending a program record with an 11th consecutive season with 10 or more victories.

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Iowa State, which was ranked No. 8 in the preseason coaches poll, suffered four of its five losses by a touchdown or less, including a two-point loss at eventual Big 12 champion Baylor on Sept. 25.

Clemson has played in the Cheez-It Bowl, albeit in its previous incarnations, on three occasions previously – most recently in 2014 when it was known as the Russell Athletic Bowl. The Tigers rolled past Oklahoma in that game, 40-6.

Clemson also played in the game when it was known as the Champs Sports Bowl in 2005, defeating Colorado 19-10, and in the Mazda Tangerine Bowl in 2002, when it lost to Texas Tech 55-15.

The 2021 season marks the 23rd consecutive year that Clemson has been bowl eligible, and the Cheez-It Bowl will be the 48th bowl in program history. The Tigers’ 25 bowl victories rank 11th in FBS history.

The Cheez-It Bowl will be Clemson's 24th bowl game in the state of Florida, and its seventh to be played in Orlando.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson Tigers to face Iowa State in Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando Dec. 29