Listening to ESPN Radio this afternoon, I heard someone who did a great job of summarizing the Clemson football program: "You can count on Clemson to lose two or three games to teams that aren't as good as they are, and you can count on them to beat South Carolina." That's about right. Year after year, Clemson starts off ranked #8, or # 12, or something like that. Then in late September or early October they lose a few games to teams like Wake Forest, or UNC, or Boston College, and they disappear from the polls. And then, at the end of the year, they beat Carolina and scrape their way into a minor bowl.
Clemson leads the all-time series against Carolina with a record of 65-38-4. Carolina did win last year's game, but Carolina has not beaten Clemson two years in a row since 1970. During the period from 1971 to the present, Clemson leads the series 27-11-1.
Don't get me wrong. Clemson hasn't had it easy. In fact, this is really one of the most underrated rivalries in college football. These two teams -- and their fanbases -- truly hate each other, and they almost always play extremely hard-fought games. Nevertheless, Clemson usually ends up on top.
On the other hand, this Carolina team has already beaten Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida. They have consistently surprised me -- winning UCFC games against Alabama and Florida I thought they would certainly lose, and losing a UCFC game against Kentucky that they should have won with ease. So I can't say I will be surprised if they beat Clemson. But I will less surprised if Clemson beats them.
One final comment: this game is extremely important for determining the future path of the UCFC. This is Clemson's last game of the regular season. If the Tigers win the UCFC today, they will finish the season 7-5 and defend the title in some third-tier bowl such as the Music City Bowl. That means we will have to wait until next year for a UCFC game that involves top-10 competition. On the other hand, if Carolina wins, they will defend the title next week against Auburn in the SEC Championship game. The winner of that game will play in a BCS bowl -- and, if Auburn takes the title, it will probably play for the national championship. Because my own preference is for the UCFC and the national title to be held by the same team -- and because Carolina is in the SEC and I'm an SEC fan -- I will be rooting hard for the Gamecocks.
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