Another week, another loss for Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers football team, marking the second consecutive loss in a row, this time against NC State football on Saturday. This is unfamiliar territory for Tiger faithful.

Clemson football's loss against the Wolfpack marks the first time since 2010 that the Tigers have lost back-to-back games since 2011, per Greenville News. It's also the first time since 2010 that the Tigers have lost at least four regular season games, all four losses being to ACC opponents. With four games remaining, is it even possible for this team to make a bowl game?

The Tigers are currently sitting at 4-4, which means they only need two more wins to secure their spot in the bowl season. This seems odd to say coming from a team that started as the No. 9 team in the country when they faced Duke in their first game. Or, even a team that took No. 4 Florida State to overtime in late September. But here they are, on the precipice of being in another universe away from playoff contenders and, worse, not even participating in bowl season.

Clemson football has tough remaining schedule

Clemson football has four more regular season games left. They'll host No. 14 Notre Dame this weekend, followed by Georgia Tech, and now an unranked, two-loss North Carolina team. Finally, they'll end their season with the in-state rivalry matchup against South Carolina.

Even before Clemson began to struggle, this was shaping up to be one of their toughest stretches of the 2023 season. Two conference games and two out-of-conference games against Notre Dame and an SEC opponent would be a daunting task for any team, but even more so for this reeling Tigers football team at this point in the season.

Notre Dame vs. Clemson

Notre Dame has won two of the last three matchups. However, one of these games was during the 2020 Covid season when Notre Dame was considered an ACC team, and the Tigers and Fighting Irish met in a rematch from earlier in the season in the ACC Championship, which Clemson won. Notre Dame hasn't won in Death Valley since 1977.

This could be the toughest of games in this last stretch. Notre Dame has arguably had one of the toughest schedules in the country this season, with a close loss at home to No. 6 Ohio State and a 13-point loss to No. 25 Louisville on the road as their blemishes.

This will be one of the better defenses the Tigers face, and with the way Clemson continues to find ways to turn the ball over, this might be a bad day for the Tigers and their third consecutive loss.

Georgia Tech vs. Clemson

This game will depend on which Georgia Tech football team Clemson faces that day. Will it be the Yellow Jackets team that lost to Bowling Green and Boston College, or the one that beat Miami and North Carolina? The most impressive of these wins is the recent victory over North Carolina this past Saturday when they went back and forth with the once top-10 Tar Heels.

More than likely, Clemson football will have its hands full with Brent Key's feisty group, who are likewise fighting for a bowl spot, currently sitting at 4-4 themselves.

North Carolina vs. Clemson

What happened to North Carolina? As soon as everyone started to believe, it was over when the Tar Heels fell to a then one-loss Virginia two weeks ago, then lost to Georgia Tech on Saturday. It will be a high-powered Tar Heels offense versus a stout Clemson football defense. Mack Brown will still be attempting to get back to his second consecutive ACC title game. This is a toss-up game.

Clemson vs. South Carolina

South Carolina got the best of Clemson last season, finishing the end of their regular season strong over a No. 5 Tennessee team and No. 8 Tigers. But this year's Gamecocks team doesn't quite have the same steam, losing their last four games and now sitting at 2-6. If somehow the Gamecocks can make it unscathed until the Clemson game, they'll need to beat the Tigers to make it to a bowl.

Is that what this game will be? A fight for who makes a bowl game? That's a wild scenario here that definitely adds a bit more intrigue to this in-state rivalry.

Clemson football won't make a bowl game and will finish 1-3

Dabo Swinney and Cade Klubnik

Clemson's biggest issue is that they can't score points, having scored 20 or less in their last three games, and a lot of that has to do with their inability to hold onto the ball. Fumbles were the problem, but now quarterback Cade Klubnik can't seem to throw the ball to his own guys, throwing three picks in his last two games, including two against NC State.

Clemson football will have to find wins more than likely against Georgia Tech or South Carolina, but they will only finish 1-3 in this end stretch, missing a bowl game for the first time since 2004 and their first under Swinney.