South Carolina's coach aims to preserve the iconic Clemson rivalry amidst conference realignments and schedule pressures.
The SEC and Big Ten play nine conference games a year now.
The new format is supposed to help those programs have a better shot of making the College Football Playoff. While conference games are ever more important, non-conference rivalry games are in jeopardy.
The new format is supposed to help those programs have a better shot of making the College Football Playoff. While conference games are ever more important, none-conference rivalry games are in jeopardy.
One of college football's greatest intersectional rivalries, Notre Dame and USC, will not happen again for at least the next seasons.
ND didn't want to play the Trojans in Week 0. USC didn't want to play the Fighting Irish in the middle of its Big Ten schedule.
There has been chatter that Clemson could lose its annual rivalry with South Carolina after the SEC made the bump from eight games to nine.
Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer wants to do all he can to keep the rivalry going.
“I’m all for competition,” Beamer said, via On3’s Andy & Ari On3. “I love those regional rivalries and would love to continue those. But at the same time, with us going to nine SEC games — we’re in a little bit of a different situation.
"Us, Georgia, Kentucky, and Florida in the SEC because we all play an in-state rival already… I want to continue to play that Clemson game. It’s great for the state of South Carolina and I love the rivalry and I don’t want to give that up anytime soon.”
The Palmetto Series started in 1896 that the Tigers lost 12-6.
Clemson leads the all-time series 74-44-4. The Tigers won the most recent matchup 28-14 on Nov. 29 of last season.
With the Gamecocks prioritizing Clemson, other Power 4 games against regional teams will be by the wayside, so Beamer's squad has a better chance of making it through a daunting SEC schedule.
South Carolina will not play NC State or Virginia Tech in the near future.
“It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me if there’s 12 other schools in the SEC that are playing nine SEC games plus a power four opponent,” Beamer said. “And then we decide to play nine SEC games plus two power four opponents.
"I’m all about the competition but you’ve also got to be smart with the competitive balance and health of your own roster.”
It's a hard balance for teams in the Big Ten and SEC. Programs want to play rivalry games because it's good for the sport and sells tickets.
But going to the CFP is more important.
At least one rivalry is saved.