South Carolina-Clemson rivalry ranked among 2025's best games
South Carolina-Clemson is one of the best rivalries in all of college football. The intrigue surrounding the Palmetto Bowl has only grown in recent years as, following a down stretch for USC, the Gamecocks have knocked off the Tigers in two of the past three seasons under head coach Shane Beamer. That includes a thrilling win in Memorial Stadium last season.
This week, On3’s Ari Wasserman ranked his top out-of-conference games on the 2025 college football schedule. It comes as no surprise that the Palmetto State’s rivalry showdown cracked the list.
Slotting in at No. 6, South Carolina-Clemson is the only game on Wasserman’s list played after September.
Said Wasserman, “As things stand right now, you’d think this would be a top-five game on this list. It was hard to put it there because it happens at the end of the season, and it may not be all that important if things don’t go well for one or both of these teams. If history and current roster are any indication, Clemson will likely go into that game firmly alive for the CFP. But what will South Carolina be? They have one of the best young quarterbacks in the country in LaNorris Sellers. But the Gamecocks have a nasty schedule. If South Carolina somehow improves on the special season it had a year ago, this one will be a banger.”
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By Wasserman’s own conclusion, this year’s edition of the rivalry could be deserving of a higher spot on the list depending on how the season goes. If the ACC is weak again, Clemson should be in position to compete for a College Football Playoff spot. South Carolina has the talent to do the same but faces a much more difficult road.
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Last season, a top-15 matchup between the rivals nearly had College Football Playoff stakes. However, the Gamecocks just missed inclusion in the field, and Clemson made it (despite a lower ranking) after winning the ACC Championship Game against SMU.
2025’s Carolina-Clemson rivalry will be played inside the friendly confines of Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks will play nine other games against power conference opponents before the regular season finale, including a stretch of eight in a row from the middle of September to the middle of November. If Beamer’s team can navigate the gauntlet, November 29th could be one of the biggest games in the rivalry’s history.
The games ahead of South Carolina-Clemson on Wasserman’s list included LSU at Clemson (8/30), Texas at Ohio State (8/30), Florida at Miami (9/20), Michigan at Oklahoma (9/6), and Alabama at Florida State (8/30).
