More Issues Arise Between Clemson And The ACC

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With college football season right around the corner, fans of Clemson and the University of South Carolina are already eagerly anticipating this year’s big rivalry game.

After losing 16-7 to Clemson last year, the Gamecocks ended their 2023 campaign with a brutal record of 5-7, while Clemson finished the season at 9-4. That was the Tigers’ worst record since 2010 – and first time in a dozen years the program failed to win ten games.

Hoping to best the Gamecocks once again, the Tigers encountered some issues this week with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) – the league they are currently attempting to exit. According to Tigertown brass, the conference was pushing for the biggest game in the Palmetto State to be moved from Saturday (November 30, 2024) to Black Friday (November 29, 2024).

Clemson athletics director Graham Neff refused – prompting a rebuke from the league office in Charlotte, N.C.

“The conference office is disappointed in Clemson University’s lack of cooperation on this matter,” an email uncovered by The Greenville News noted. “As all ACC members know, it is incumbent upon the ACC and its institutions to work in good faith with ESPN on football scheduling issues. This cooperation maximizes the value of our relationship with our media partner and strengthens our collective future. Clemson’s decision not to do so in this instance is harmful toward that goal.”

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Tigers’ head coach Dabo Swinney was quick to give his input on the matter during an on-campus media day on Tuesday (July 16, 2024). Although Swinney told reporters that he would be happy to do the game in Columbia instead, hosting the game on a Friday is not what’s best for Clemson.

“Sometimes we just need to do what is best for Clemson,” said Swinney. “(Playing on Friday) is not what is best for this town. This is not what is best for this community. This is not a big city. People in this town make their hey off of Saturdays.”

Swinney went on to say students would be adversely impacted by the scheduling shift – as would recruiters.

“(Playing on Saturday) is what is best for our students, what is best for this town and what is best for our fans,” he said. “It is also what’s best for recruiting. (Rivalry weekend) is a big official visit weekend. We are trying to get recruits here, and asking them to leave their homes on Thanksgiving, that is hard to do. Some of them are playing on Friday.”

Clemson and South Carolina have played each other on the gridiron since 1896. With the exception of a controversial cancellation in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the programs have played continuously since 1909 – making the series one of the longest uninterrupted rivalries in all of college football.

Prior to 1959, the game was played at the state fairgrounds in Columbia, S.C. each year on “Big Thursday” – which according to the South Carolina Encyclopedia was “the biggest social event of the year” in the Palmetto State. In 1960, the two schools began alternating as hosts – with the Tigers welcoming the Gamecocks to Clemson in even-numbered years and the Gamecocks welcoming the Tigers to Columbia in odd-numbered years.

Clemson leads the all-time series with a 73-43-4 record.

The contentiousness over the scheduling of this year’s game underscores the acrimony which currently exists between the ACC and Clemson, as both parties are involved in two pending lawsuits – one in South Carolina and one in North Carolina. Clemson filed a lawsuit against the ACC in Pickens County, S.C. back in March – challenging the ACC’s contract that covers television rights and the exit fee that would be owed if schools were to to leave the conference early.

Clemson has referred to the $140 million penalty the school would be forced to pay as “unconscionable” and “unenforceable.”

The ACC then filed a countersuit against Clemson the following day in Mecklenburg County, N.C. – which is where their headquarters are located.

After seeking to keep the case in North Carolina with the countersuit, Pickens County judge Perry Gravely denied the ACC’s motion on Friday (July 12, 2024), saying that he believes Clemson has established a case for specific jurisdiction.

For now, the litigation process will continue as originally filed by Clemson …

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Clemson has been a member of the ACC since its inception in 1953 – along with Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, NC State, South Carolina, Wake Forest and Virginia. South Carolina left the ACC in 1971, while Maryland departed the conference in 2014.

In 1991, Florida State became the second school to join the ACC following Georgia Tech in 1979. Since then, Miami (2004), Boston College (2005), Notre Dame (2013), Pitt (2013), Syracuse (2013) and Louisville (2014) have all joined.

The ACC is set to welcome California, Stanford and Southern Methodist in 2024.

As our founding editor Will Folks noted earlier this month, South Carolina has competed in the Southeastern Conference since 1992 but will play a revised schedule in 2024 as the conference moves to a new, non-divisional format following its most recent expansion.

UPDATE |

Clemson Stuck With The ACC … For Now.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from J. L. Mann High School in 2021. She is currently a senior at the University of South Carolina majoring in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.

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