South Carolina Football: History of the Palmetto Bowl Rivalry With Clemson
By Ryan Fleming
It’s Palmetto Bowl week for South Carolina football fans, and this in-state rivalry with the Clemson Tigers has a storied history.
Block C and Tiger paw flags stream from car windows all across South Carolina. Will Muschamp and Dabo Swinney analyze footage from one another’s teams and prepare their game plans. Fans sling mud and talk trash at work, at school, in public, and on social media.
It’s that time of year again for South Carolinians. The annual battle of the Palmetto State – or Palmetto Bowl as it has been officially christened since 2014 – when the South Carolina Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers meet is a mere four days away.
The Georgia Bulldogs and Auburn Tigers’ rivalry holds the distinguished title of The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. However, the Palmetto Bowl is the oldest consecutively played matchup in the Southeast and second-oldest in upper-division college football. This Saturday marks the 114th matchup ever and the 107th uninterrupted contest.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for Clemson – who are fighting to remain in the playoff race – and the Gamecocks would like nothing more than to completely spoil the season for the orange mob by the lake.
Let’s take a moment to delve into the rich and colorful history of this Deep South classic.