Five non-conference opponents still on the table for Clemson football
As we progress closer to the start of the 2020 Clemson football season, there still is a major opening during Week 2 of the currently scheduled slate.
While the schedule is subject to change, the Tigers are expected to open up their season on the road against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday, Sept. 12. The week following, Clemson football has an opening for a non-conference opponent- and that has yet to be filled.
Coach Dabo Swinney told the media following the Tigers’ first practice that Clemson would likely fill that spot between The Citadel and Akron- two opponents who were originally scheduled to play on the previous schedule.
The problem, though? Akron just had its season canceled with the MAC’s announcement that it won’t play until the spring and more than 30 Citadel football players sat out the team’s first practice a little less than a week ago, striking plenty of doubt that they’ll field a football team this fall, even if the FCS elects to play- which is a big ‘if’ at this point.
So, that leaves Clemson football with a bit of a dilemma and not too many options. After all, there could be cancellations from the Group of 5 before it’s all said and done and that may leave the Tigers with no other choice than to just have an open date.
That being said, here are five non-conference opponents that are still on the table.
5. Coastal Carolina
Playing in the Sun Belt, Coastal Carolina is one of the Group of 5 programs that has a better-than-decent shot at still playing the season this fall.
The Sun Belt came out Monday and said that it was moving forward with plans to play in the fall and Coastal Carolina has some openings on its schedule, including Sept. 19 when Clemson has its opening.
It really only makes sense that we could see these two programs match-up, but I have one more idea for you: Since it’s a weird year anyway and fans are going to be minimal no matter what, why don’t we play the game down in Conway?
It would give Clemson football fans a unique chance to see the Tigers play on the teal turf and would be a fun experience for those athletes, nonetheless.
4. Appalachian State
Appalachian State, just like Coastal Carolina, is in the Sun Belt Conference and the expectation- at least at this point- is that the conference is going to play.
App State has an opening the same week as the Tigers currently on its schedule and it would be a short trip for the Mountaineers to make from Boone to Clemson.
This is about as close to a ranked opponent as Clemson could get on this schedule in the non-conference and would certainly be an exciting match-up to watch.
3. BYU
With the announced cancellation of the MWC, BYU has seen its schedule basically decimated.
The Cougars currently only have three opponents still scheduled and there is speculation that they could shut it down. That gives Clemson all kinds of leverage when it comes to negotiations.
At this point, the message from BYU is that they just want to play games. They’re willing to travel and they’re willing to play in away venues.
They have an opening the same date that Clemson needs to fill its schedule and that could be an answer for both program’s current dilemmas.
2. USF
The American is another Group of 5 conference that has yet to cancel its fall football season and it’s clear that the players and coaches in this league are advocating to play.
The AAC made an announcement just a week ago that it would play eight conference games and then allow its members to schedule as many non-conference games as possible, up to 12 total games.
If that holds, the University of South Florida could be the perfect answer to Clemson’s scheduling problem. USF Coach Jeff Scott already has the trust of the current Clemson football coaching staff and this would be a fun reunion for the two staffs.
1. South Carolina
There are other programs in the Sun Belt and the AAC that could potentially play the Tigers that we could’ve covered here, but we decided to end this post with a little bit of a ‘bang.’
Yes, the Clemson-South Carolina game is canceled. No, it doesn’t look like they’ll be added back.
That being said, everyone in administration for both Universities- as well as state politicians- have expressed their disappointment with the decision. Clemson AD Dan Radakovich said that it does seem the decision is final, but it’s 2020 and anything can happen.
So, let’s set the scene.
The SEC is currently hoping that the ACC and Big 12 join them in playing this fall with the Big Ten and Pac-12 potentially looking to postpone or even move their seasons to the spring. If that’s the case, the ACC could use leverage to get the in-state rivalry games reinstalled.
Or, think about this: Clemson and South Carolina both get the same open date. What if they just got releases from their two conferences to play an ‘exhibition game’ that same week? It wouldn’t technically go in the record books, but it would still accomplish the desire of playing the game.
It’s not likely at this point, but you can’t completely rule anything out in this day and age.