After Tommy West 's dismissal following the 1998 season , Clemson hired Tommy Bowden , son of Bobby Bowden and coach at Tulane . Bowden led the Tigers to a 6 – 6 record and a Peach Bowl bid in 1999 , with the team that navigated its way through a schedule that included MAC champions and undefeated Marshall , Big East champion and BCS runner-up Virginia Tech ( who went undefeated during the regular season ) , and eventual National Champion Florida State ( who finished the year undefeated ) . The 1999 meeting between the Tigers and Seminoles was dubbed the " Bowden Bowl " and was the first time that a father and son coached against each other in Division I football . FSU won the game 17 – 14 in front of the largest crowd in the history of Death Valley
Big East
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
Clemson Tigers football