Why Clemson joining the SEC wouldn't be such a bad thing for South Carolina football

3 ways South Carolina football would benefit if Clemson joined the SEC:
The schedule opens up for the Gamecocks

Assuming that the Palmetto State's top rivalry still would be played on an annual basis, a Clemson move to the SEC actually would make the Gamecocks' scheduling efforts more flexible.

If the Tigers were part of USC's 8-game SEC slate each season instead of occupying an out-of-conference game, Carolina would have four non-conference games open on the schedule each year instead of just three.

The Gamecocks have seemed to like scheduling teams from North Carolina (especially North Carolina, NC State, and East Carolina), and opening up a game would allow the Gamecocks the ability to play those border rivals more frequently.

There also still are a large number of teams in America that have never played against the South Carolina Gamecocks. With an extra game available each year, that list could shrink as more out-of-conference opponents could pop onto the schedule.

Adding Clemson to the SEC improves the quality of the league without increasing the Gamecocks' schedule difficulty. Clemson and the other SEC teams would face a harder road than their current yearly slates, so the schedule changes work as a bit of a win-win for South Carolina.