Clemson vs South Carolina Football Rivalry

Clemson and South Carolina have been football rivals since 1896. The in-state collegiate rivalry is held between the two biggest universities in South Carolina State, the Clemson Tigers and the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The annual Clemson–South Carolina football game has been known as the Palmetto Bowl since 2014. It is also sometimes referred to as the Battle of the Palmetto State. The annual football game is the most important sports event in the state which was first played in 1896. The game has continued every year from 1909 to 2019 and is considered to be one of the longest-uninterrupted rivalries in the history of college football.

Clemson vs South Carolina Football Rivalry History

South Carolina and Clemson have been facing each other in the Palmetto Series ever since 2015. Earlier, they used to compete for the Hardee's Trophy from 1980–2014. Meanwhile, the series includes more than a dozen athletic and head-to-head contests every school year. While South Carolina is in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the Clemson team is in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and hence, the two sides play in the two different premier conferences.

Instead of competitive collegiate sports, the rivalry kicked off long ahead of Clemson receiving its charter and becoming a college. While South Carolina College was founded in 1801, the Clemson Agricultural College was founded in 1889; almost 88 years, the difference between the two. The two colleges met each other for the first time on Thursday, November 12, 1896, and Carolina was able to grab the victory.

Clemson vs South Carolina Rivalry Head-to-Head Stats

South Carolina and Clemson have met each other for 120 times with the Tigers leading the head-to-head record with 73–43–4.

Clemson vs South Carolina Winner Year-by-Year