Rivalries drive college football. The annual showdowns between programs that can't stand one another are at the heart of the sport.
Of course, Clemson has its in-state rivalry with South Carolina. That series was first played in 1896 and has been contested every year since 1909 with Clemson holding a 73-44-4 advantage.
Now, though, a prominent voice in the sport wants to start a new annual rivalry with Clemson. But would it make sense?
This week, Notre Dame Fighting Irish Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua spoke about setting up a yearly game between the Fighting Irish and the Tigers.
“When we play a team like Clemson," he said, "I think that has become such a great rivalry in such a short amount of time,” he said. “I would tell you that’s the type of game I’d love to play every year.”
Notre Dame AD: "When we play a team like Clemson, I think that has become such a great rivalry in such a short amount of time. I would tell you that’s the type of game I’d love to play every year."
— Matt Baker (@MattBakerCFB) January 19, 2025
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Of course, since 2014, Notre Dame has had a scheduling agreement with the ACC that sees the Irish rotate five ACC opponents yearly. In fact, in 2017, the Irish's ACC opponents through the year 2037 were set.
As part of that deal, the Irish will play at Clemson in 2027 before hosting the Tigers in 2028. The teams are also set to open the 2031 season in Clemson before the Tigers head to South Bend in 2034. Finally, the teams are also scheduled to meet in Clemson in week one of the 2037 season.
Would it make sense for the two teams to meet annually, though? While there is no historical rivalry between the two programs, a yearly meeting would boost each team's profile by increasing the strength of schedule for both.
However, it would also mean that both schools would trade one of their yearly cupcake games for a showdown with an elite program. That would make the schedule far more daunting for each team, which, might not make sense, especially for the team that loses.
The teams have met only eight times with the first game between the two being played in 1977 and the most recent in 2023. Clemson leads the series 5-3.
Right now, there is no plan to rearrange the schedule and make this an annual game. However, there is motivation from the Irish to make that happen, and should that transpire, it would give the ACC and both programs another marquee game to help improve their resume.
That would seem to benefit the Irish the most, though, given that they need to beef up their schedule each season since they do not have a guaranteed path to a College Football Playoff spot as an independent program. Meanwhile, the Tigers don't need Notre Dame on their schedule every year because they can earn an automatic playoff bid simply by winning the ACC crown as they did in 2024.
So this idea seems a bit self-serving on Notre Dame's behalf. While it would be fun to see these storied programs meet each season, the reality is that the Irish need Clemson more than Clemson needs the Irish.