Shane Beamer: 'Everybody better get used to' College Football Playoff implications in Palmetto Bowl

For the first time since 2017, the Palmetto Bowl will be a ranked matchup on Saturday when Clemson hosts South Carolina at Death Valley. Not only that, but both teams are still vying for a College Football Playoff berth as the regular season comes to an end.

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said during his press conference on Tuesday that he expects the Palmetto Bowl to be a ranked matchup, with CFP implications, for years to come.

“This is fun and exciting to be a part of. And to me, this is going to be a yearly occurrence. Like, we’re not going anywhere, our program,” Shane Beamer said. “We’re only continuing to ascend. And Dabo and Clemson have shown they’re not going anywhere.

“And I think a battle of ranked Carolina vs. ranked Clemson, with playoff implications, in my mind is going to be a yearly occurrence around here. So everybody better get used to it.”

As Shane Beamer said, Dabo Swinney and Clemson have been in College Football Playoff contention just about annually over the past 10 years. However, the Gamecocks have joined them in the discussion in 2024.

South Carolina has won five straight games after a 3-3 start and is as hot as just about anybody in the country. Beamer expects his program to build on this success and continue to rise.

“That’s what I’ve told our guys is this is fun and this is exciting. But at the same time, once the game starts, it gets down to block and tackling and playing with great fundamentals and that’s what’s going to win this game,” Shane Beamer said.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney joined Beamer in talking up the South Carolina-Clemson rivalry earlier on Tuesday, sharing that he loves that there are national implications this year.

“That’s probably the other difference. The Alabama-Auburn game, my background, always had a little bit more of national implications than this game has had, from a national standpoint,” Dabo Swinney said. “But that’s different this year. This is the game that’s got a lot of national implications. You know, that one down there’s just going to be bragging rights.”