I'm not surprised that a 7-5 team can't sell tickets to a bowl game that would require the fans to be on the road on Christmas Eve. If I were a Clemson fan, I wouldn't buy the ticket to the bowl either. December 23rd is a bad day to have a bowl, especially for a 7-5 team. I don't think this is a bad reflection on Clemson, so much as it's a bad reflection on the bowl.
There are too many bowls.