Reports: Clemson vs. South Carolina game not looking likely to happen
The latest reports don’t bode well for us seeing Clemson vs. South Carolina in 2020
The 2020 Clemson football schedule was changed greatly Wednesday afternoon when it was announced that the ACC Board of Governors had approved plans to play a 10-game conference schedule that included provisions for each team to play one non-conference game, making for 11 games total.
As part of that plan, the ACC team could only play a non-conference game as long as the game was played in its home state. That provision, as many noted, was put in place to ensure that the in-state rivalry games with the SEC could still be played with ease, but placed tension on games like UNC at Auburn, which couldn’t happen unless the Tigers agreed to travel to Chapel Hill instead.
Following that decision, reports surfaced from Sports Illustrated that the SEC wasn’t necessarily pleased with the ACC’s scheduling announcement.
Since that point, numerous outlets have reported that the SEC is now moving towards a 10-game conference-only schedule for the 2020 season. That doesn’t bode well for Clemson football fans who were hoping to see the in-state rivalry game remain intact.
The Clemson vs. South Carolina game is in a bit of jeopardy
While Clemson’s schedule will certainly be interesting with 10 conference games, that included the additions of Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Miami while keeping Notre Dame, there still was big hope the Tigers would be able to keep their rivalry game against South Carolina.
If the SEC moves forward with the plan to play a conference-only schedule, though, that could leave Clemson, as well as the other ACC teams with SEC rivals out to dry.
SEC Presidents are expected to ‘seriously’ consider the proposal today and could very well decide to vote before the meeting is adjourned. Analysts say the SEC could delay the decision until next week, but many insiders are expecting to hear an announcement sooner rather than later.
Clemson could be stuck with playing a conference-only schedule in 2020 and it certainly seems the Tigers may have to replace their game against South Carolina, assuming the two leagues don’t make provisions to keep the in-state rivalry games. At this point, it’s not sounding promising in terms of what the SEC is considering.