Look: Clemson unveils surprise uniform combo for Boston College game
Clemson football made another uniform pivot Saturday.
The Tigers wore orange pants for their 41-10 ACC road win over Boston College at Alumni Stadium. Clemson (3-3, 2-2 ACC) paired the orange pants with their traditional road orange helmets and white jerseys.
Wearing orange pants — or “orange britches,” as they’re often called around the program — is a notable (and somewhat controversial) choice. Clemson football traditionally only wears orange pants in big games, postseason settings and/or when a championship is on the line. The tradition dates back to the Danny Ford era.
It’s the earliest Clemson has worn orange pants in a game since 2014.
Saturday’s game at Alumni Stadium against Boston College (1-5, 0-4 ACC) was not any of those — although it is a “trophy game.” Clemson and BC have been playing since 2008 for the O’Rourke-McFadden Trophy, which pays tribute to a 1940s star of each team. The winning team’s MVP is awarded with a replica leather helmet.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney explained the decision postgame.
“I just wanted to have some fun,” Swinney said, adding that “we don’t wear the orange pants unless there’s some type of trophy on the line. ... We put ourselves in a hole, and I don’t know how many championships we’re gonna get this year, so we said, ‘Let’s break them out.’”
Clemson’s decision to wear orange britches on a nontraditional stage prompted a mixed reaction from the fanbase, given the team’s struggles this season and the fact those pants are usually reserved for major games late in the season.
“What in the heck? Orange britches for a game to get to .500?” one fan noted on X/Twitter.
Other replies to Clemson’s post included “Desperation?” and “Horrible.”
Clemson, for example, wore orange pants during the 2024 ACC championship game vs. SMU in Charlotte and its first-round College Football Playoff game at Texas. The Tigers also wore orange pants for their 2023 road game at South Carolina (which is both a rivalry game and “trophy game”) and their 2022 home game vs. Louisville when they had a chance to clinch the ACC’s Atlantic Division title outright.
The Tigers’ traditional road uniform is orange helmets, white jerseys and white pants. That’s the combination they wore during last week’s win at UNC.
Swinney said part of Saturday’s orange pants decision also stemmed from wanting to honor his 2008 team that won a road game at Boston College. It was Swinney’s first career win with the school after being named interim coach.
“Just having some fun and bringing a little bit more juice to it,” he said.
Clemson’s second time making 2025 uniform change
This was the second time Clemson football has made a notable uniform change for a 2025 game. The Tigers wore the rare combo of orange helmets, purple jerseys and white pants for their Sept. 13 road loss at Georgia Tech.
That combination was made possible because GT wore all-white jerseys. It was the first time Clemson had worn orange helmets, purple jerseys and white pants since a 2008 home game vs. Maryland (17 years ago).
Swinney said the GT jersey decision was not a motivational tactic and based on the fact Georgia Tech wore all white at home, which meant Clemson could not wear its usual road uniforms.
“It’s something we talked about,” Swinney later said on his radio show. “Guys wanted to maybe look at doing that when we do go on the road, you’re not the home team and the home team wants to wear white. It doesn’t happen very often. They looked good. We just didn’t play as good as we needed to.”
This story was originally published October 11, 2025 at 5:08 PM.
