While Clemson shares decades of conference history with ACC foes like NC State, Georgia Tech, and Florida State, The Athletic identified the South Carolina Gamecocks as the Tigers’ primary gridiron rival.
As part of its “Bragging Rights” series evaluating Power Four rivalries ahead of the 2026 season, The Athletic placed the Palmetto Bowl in its “equal partnerships” tier. The grouping features historic non-conference and intra-state rivalries, including Alabama-Auburn, Ole Miss-Mississippi State, Cal-Stanford, and Army-Navy, after ranking Clemson-South Carolina No. 24 overall on its national list 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.
Historical Context and Series Tradition
Clemson and South Carolina first met in 1896 and have squared off 121 times on the football field. Clemson holds a 74-44-4 lead in the all-time series.
South Carolina, an ACC founding member in 1953, departed the conference in 1971 before joining the SEC in 1992. Unlike other realignment splits, Clemson and South Carolina maintained their annual matchup. The lone interruption over the last 111 years occurred during the 2020 pandemic season when the SEC executed a conference-only schedule.
Historically, games were played every year in Columbia at the South Carolina State Fair (“Big Thursday”) from 1896 through 1959 before transitioning to the modern home-and-home format in 1960.
Modern Era Trends and Head Coaches
Since 2000, Clemson has compiled a 16-9 record against South Carolina, including victories in nine of the last 11 matchups and six straight wins at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.
- Steve Spurrier Era: South Carolina produced its strongest modern run from 2009 to 2013, winning five consecutive games against the Tigers.
- Dabo Swinney Era: Swinney guided Clemson to seven straight wins from 2014 to 2021 by an average margin of victory of 26 points. Swinney holds a 10-7 career record against South Carolina.
- Shane Beamer Era: Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer holds a 2-3 record against Clemson, including wins at Memorial Stadium in 2022 and 2024.
2026 Matchup Details
The 122nd edition of the Palmetto Bowl is scheduled for Nov. 28 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson.
Clemson enters the 2026 regular season ranked No. 23 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll ahead of its Sept. 5 opener at LSU, while South Carolina opens its campaign unranked against Kent State.
