Dabo Swinney hopes that rivalry games can be salvaged through realignment

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney hates to see how conference realignment has caused the end of so many rivalry games in college football. Annual battles between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State as well as Oregon and Oregon State are a couple of the casualties as the Sooners and Ducks move to new leagues.

With Clemson set to play South Carolina this week in an in-state rivalry between two schools from different conferences, Swinney spoke on the importance of these kinds of games. He lamented the loss of what he feels makes college football special, questioning why teams can’t find a way to keep the tradition alive.

“It’s great for the fans, obviously,” Swinney said. “It’s great for the players, too, to go to college and to be able to experience playing in games like this that are so meaningful to just everything. Everybody that you interact with, it’s just really meaningful. That’s the one thing you worry about with where college football’s going. Five years from now, it’s totally different. That’s just the way it is.

“So a lot of these type of games will go away. Already they’re not playing Oklahoma-Oklahoma State. Are you kidding me? How the heck are we not playing Oklahoma-Oklahoma State? It doesn’t make any sense. Can you imagine not playing Clemson-South Carolina?”

It has already been confirmed that the Bedlam battle between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will end after this season. The Sooners and Cowboys have played every season since 1910, making the rivalry the second-longest uninterrupted series in the FBS. For fans, players and staffs on both teams, it is an unfortunate reality.

Oregon and Oregon State are set to play what could potentially be their final game Friday in a rivalry dubbed the “Civil War.” The rivalry began in 1894, making it one of the oldest in the history of college football. Both teams have expressed interest in keeping the rivalry alive, but the game has not yet been scheduled for the 2024 season.

Swinney is hopeful that game and many others can continue. Clemson and South Carolina are not the only teams from the same state in different conferences that continue to play every year. Other examples include Florida State vs. Florida and Iowa State vs. Iowa.

“I understand how we’ve gotten here. I hate that for the kids. I hate that for the fans as a guy who grew up in rivalry games, played in ’em and coached in ’em for a long time. It’s what makes college football unique. It’s what makes it special. It is what it is right now. Hopefully, somewhere down the road when this whole thing kind of gets blow up — and it will — maybe we can salvage some of those things.”

At least one pair of teams, Washington and Washington State, have agreed to continue their rivalry series despite the Huskies moving to a new conference. The two schools recently agreed to extend the Apple Cup five more years, meaning fans can look forward to seeing the matchup at least through 2028.

Unfortunately, not all rivals schools were able to come to such an agreement, and some of the games we’ve come to love are surely to be lost. Perhaps someday in the future we’ll see these matchups again, but it won’t be the same as looking forward to it every season.

At least Clemson and South Carolina fans don’t have to worry about losing the rivalry for now. Kickoff between the two schools is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in Columbia.