Keys to Victory: Clemson at South Carolina

The Match-Up:

Clemson (6-5, 4-4 ACC) vs. South Carolina (4-7, 1-7 SEC)

Clemson will conclude its 2025 regular season slate when the Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks meet in search of Palmetto State supremacy for the 122nd time in series history.

One of the nation's most-played rivalries has belonged to the visitors in each of the series' last five installments. The last win by a home team in the series was a 56-35 Clemson win during the Tigers' 2018 national championship season. In the years since, Clemson won in Columbia in 2019, 2021 and 2023, South Carolina won in Clemson in 2022 and 2024, and the series was not played amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

• When: Saturday, Nov. 29, 12:00 p.m.
• TV: SEC Network (Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, Alyssa Lang)
• Radio: Clemson Athletic Network (Don Munson, Tim Bourret, Reggie Merriweather) | Sirius XM 106 or 193
• Venue: Williams-Brice Stadium | Columbia, S.C.

Storylines:

Regardless of the outcome on Saturday, the Tigers will be in a bowl for the 27th consecutive season -- including the 2004 campaign in which they declined bowl participation -- after defeating Furman 45-10 last week. Clemson has played in a bowl game in 20 straight seasons, which ranks as the nation's fourth-longest active streak and tied for the 11th-longest streak in FBS history. If not for Clemson declining a bowl in 2004, the Tigers' streak would currently rank as the 5th-longest all-time.

Fun Fact:

According to Stats Perform, the Clemson-South Carolina series is one of only eight active series in the FBS in which the road team has won each of the last five or more contests. The Bowling Green-Central Michigan series has seen seven straight road wins, and seven series have an active streak of five such games: Clemson-South Carolina, Georgia Tech-Pitt, Louisiana-South Alabama, Louisiana Tech-Western Kentucky, Bowling Green-Buffalo, Arkansas-Auburn, and USC-UCLA.

Series History:

• OVERALL: Clemson leads series, 73-44-4
• HOME: Clemson leads series, 19-12-1
• ROAD: Clemson leads series, 54-32-3
• LAST MEETING: Nov. 30, 2024 (17-14, L)
• STREAK: Clemson, Lost 1

Swanny’s Rant & Reality Check:

“So how does Clemson win this game? That is the $64,000 question, because what you haven’t seen from Clemson is consistency. As I said earlier in the week, if you hand me the script and the script is “Team A punches Team B in the face for three and a half hours,” I think South Carolina wins this game.

Now I think Clemson fans would prefer to go in there and 63–17 this thing — put up 21 points so fast that Gamecock fans are leaving before you sit down. That would be a way to win this game, though — come out and stun South Carolina. Stun them to the point where the 4-7 begins to ring in their ears. The resignation of the fact that they’re not going to a bowl game rings in their ears. Get them playing off-kilter because they’re facing the end. You’re facing the end of the season, and now you’re down 14. Can you muster up the fight to get back in the game?”

Keys to Victory:

1. Contain Sellers

Last season’s game came down to a pretty obvious fact: LaNorris Sellers was the best player on the field. The Tigers did a poor job throughout the game getting to Sellers, and multiple times, Clemson had him in their grasp only to watch him break free. Today, in Williams-Brice Stadium, you can expect the Gamecocks to try and lean on Sellers’ legs to carry the day in tough spots. If Clemson can keep him hemmed in, the Tigers' chances of winning increase.

2. Settle In

Going on the road to South Carolina always presents a great environment for the Palmetto State rivalry. Fans of both sides are always amped to the max, and the team must get settled in. If the Tigers want to come away with another win on the road in the state capital, they need to get comfortable in a hurry. It doesn’t bode well for Dabo Swinney’s squad if they stumble out of the gate because they are too worked up about what’s at hand.

3. Spin It

So one thing I’ve been doing lately is looking back at some of Clemson’s former quarterbacks and the way they’ve commanded the field. Watching Trevor Lawrence, Deshaun Watson, Tajh Boyd, and Charlie Whitehurst spin the football downfield is a thing of beauty, but here’s the rub: Cade Klubnik can flat-out spin it as well. I think Clemson certainly needs to establish the run, but more than anything, let Klubnik challenge the Gamecocks downfield. Think back to the Texas game last season. The Texas Gunslinger needs to be in Columbia today. 

Prediction:

This game is another one of those matchups that can certainly go either way. The Tigers are underdogs in this game for the first time in 12 seasons, and it’s rightfully earned given the way the Tigers have played this year. On the other hand, South Carolina has been equally poor, and the Gamecocks will be home for Christmas. Let’s just hope the Tigers have enough in the tank to deliver a lump of coal to Shane Beamer’s team.

The Pick: Clemson 27, South Carolina 21

Season Record: 7-4

Swanny’s Predictions:

✅ = Correct Prediction