Who are the Clemson Tigers' true rivals on the college football field? If you don't have to ask, you probably already know the answer.
Nonetheless, The Athletic recently put together a fun list of every Power Four team's biggest rivals with less than two weeks remaining until Week 1 of the 2026 season.
While Clemson has long-running ACC rivalries with schools it has shared a conference with since the league was formed in 1953 -- NC State, Georgia Tech, and more recently Florida State after the Seminoles joined in the early 90s -- the Tigers' biggest rival sits just over two hours to the southeast of campus.
Clemson and the South Carolina Gamecocks first met on the gridiron in the late 19th century; in 1896, to be exact. The schools have met 121
times since then, with the Tigers holding an all-time series lead of 74-44-4.
South Carolina, which helped found the ACC in 1953, left the league in 1971 and became an independent for 20 years until joining the SEC in 1992. Unlike Texas and Texas A&M, however, Clemson and South Carolina continued to play each other.
The only time in the past 111 years the schools haven't met was during the 2020 season when the SEC played a 10-game, conference-only schedule amid the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. Clemson ended its regular season that year against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg while South Carolina wrapped the year against Kentucky.
The Athletic's recent look at college football rivalries through its "Bragging Rights" series (subscription required for full access) included Clemson-South Carolina in its equal partnerships tier of fall Saturday rivalries, joining such dignitaries as Alabama-Auburn, Ole Miss-Mississippi State, Cal-Stanford and Army-Navy.
Clemson-South Carolina ranked No. 24 on its list of college football's best rivalries last year.
"The 'Palmetto Bowl' has been dominated by Clemson historically, but South Carolina has had some good stretches in the 21st century," The Athletic's Joe Rexrode said.
The Gamecocks' truly good stretch came during Steve Spurrier's tenure in Columbia. The Head Ball Coach led South Carolina to five straight wins over Clemson from 2009-2013. Spurrier and Swinney landed a few jabs at one another in the process.
Even with the Gamecocks winning two of the three most recent meetings, both at Clemson's Memorial Stadium, the Tigers own a 16-9 lead in the rivalry since 2000.
Swinney guided the Tigers to seven straight wins over the Gamecocks from 2014-2021. Clemson's average margin of victory in that span was 26 points.
Clemson and South Carolina will meet for the 122nd time in football history on Nov. 28 at Memorial Stadium. The Tigers open the season against LSU on Sept. 5 in Baton Rouge. The Gamecocks face Kent State in their Week 1 opener at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Clemson is ranked No. 23 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll; South Carolina is unranked.
Clemson football vs South Carolina rivalry at a glance
Clemson leads the all-time series, 74-44-4. According to Clemson Sports Information, the Tigers hold a 19-12-1 lead in games played at Memorial Stadium, and a 55-32-3 lead in Columbia. That's because from 1896-1959, the game was played at the South Carolina State Fair in Columbia, known then as "Big Thursday."
Clemson has won nine of the series' last 11 meetings, which includes six straight victories at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. Since the dawn of the new millennium, the Tigers have gone 16-9 in head-to-head meetings against the Gamecocks.
Dabo Swinney's career record against South Carolina is 10-7. Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer is 2-3 against Clemson.
Clemson vs South Carolina: last 10 head-to-head results
- Nov. 29, 2025: Clemson 28, South Carolina 14
- Nov. 30, 2024: South Carolina 17, Clemson 14
- Nov. 25, 2023: Clemson 16, South Carolina 7
- Nov. 26, 2022: South Carolina 31, Clemson 30
- Nov. 27, 2021: Clemson 30, South Carolina 0
- Nov. 30, 2019: Clemson 38, South Carolina 3
- Nov. 24, 2018: Clemson 56, South Carolina 35
- Nov. 25, 2017: Clemson 34, South Carolina 10
- Nov. 26, 2016: Clemson 56, South Carolina 7
- Nov. 28, 2015: Clemson 37, South Carolina 32
Clemson football schedule 2026
ESPN predicts Clemson football's 2026 bowl game and opponent
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) August 22, 2026
📸 Ken Ruinard / staff, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect https://t.co/UXcK3MdYDX pic.twitter.com/6trgqcisqE
Here's a game by game look at the Tigers' full 2026 schedule. All start times Eastern.
- Sept. 5: at LSU Tigers, 7:30 p.m., ABC
- Sept. 12: vs. Georgia Southern Eagles, 7:30 p.m., ACC Network
- Sept. 19: vs. North Carolina Tar Heels, noon, ESPN
- Sept. 25: at California Golden Bears, 10:30 p.m., ESPN
- Oct. 3: vs. Miami Hurricanes, TBA
- Oct. 17: vs. Charleston Southern Buccaneers, TBA
- Oct. 24: vs. Virginia Tech Hokies, TBA
- Oct. 31: at Florida State Seminoles, TBA
- Nov. 7: at Syracuse Orange, TBA
- Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, TBA
- Nov. 20: at Duke Blue Devils, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
- Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks, TBA
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: The Athletic names the Clemson Tigers 'real' college football rival
