The Clemson-South Carolina football rivalry used to be played on "Big Thursday" but has been played on Saturdays since 1960. According to a report from David Hood of TigerNet.com, though, the 2024 version of the game nearly was set to be played on a different day altogether.
The game is scheduled for Saturday, November 30th, but according to Hood, ESPN and the ACC contacted the Clemson Tigers athletic department (the game will be in Clemson this season) about moving the contest to a new date. A Black Friday rivalry contest would have been a great television draw, and ESPN had promised to put the game on primetime on their flagship station, but Clemson refused the offer. Had they accepted, a return Black Friday contest in Columbia would have followed.
In Hood's report, Clemson's decision to decline the opportunity to move the game to Black Friday did not make the ACC or ESPN very happy. In an email from the ACC to Clemson, the ACC Senior Associate Commissioner Michael Strickland said that the conference was "disappointed" with that team from the Upstate and argued that the school did not negotiate "in good faith" with the league and ESPN in an effort to fight against the ACC's future well-being.
Clemson has been vocal in recent months about their desire to leave the ACC for another conference. Whether or not that reality played into their decision-making is unknown, but the ACC clearly thinks so. Either way, it seems like the Tigers and Gamecocks will play on Saturday, November 30th as scheduled.
It is unclear based on Hood's report if USC or the South Carolina football program were part of these discussions.
The last time the Gamecocks and Tigers matched up in Clemson's Memorial Stadium, South Carolina came out victorious and ended the Tigers' ACC record of 40-straight wins at home.