“It was an ugly history. And then football, when it started being played in 1894, became kind of an outlet for these emotions—to beat up on each other,” as historian Evan Faulkenbury put the bitter history between South Carolina and Clemson. In 1896, the Gamecocks witnessed a crowd of over 2,000 people hooting at their football stadium. It was their first rivalry game, which was more like a family feud dating back for ages, and it has only grown bigger and explosive over the years. But with the SEC moving to newer heights, will it affect the  Tigers’ duel with the Gamecocks, the way they have done for ages?

The Palmetto Bowl is the battleground where the Clemson-South Carolina face off, complete with bragging rights. As per the new intel by the Clemson Insider, the answer to that is positive. “Yes, it appears the South Carolina rivalry will not be affected by the SEC’s new conference schedule,” it stated. Although the first game was won by the Gamecocks, over the historic feud, Clemson has the edge with 73 wins and four ties, per the Palmetto Bowl. This season, the fandom holds its breath for the highly anticipated game, scheduled for late November.

Moving on, Tiger’s schedule with other programs does not seem that solid. Oklahoma and Georgia’s future “could be on the chopping blocks,” as a Clemson Insider put it. Presently, the Tigers are scheduled to play the Bulldogs four times come 2029, in addition to three more matchups in 2030, 2032, and 2033. As for the Sooners, they are scheduled to face off against Clemson in a home-and-home series in 2030,2032, and 2033. But with the SEC shakeup, things might not be sailing as smoothly. And it’s all about the new sheriff in town: ‘record strength’.

ESPN’s Heather Dinich broke this story. The renewed stress and weight given to the more dominant team will make the cutoff. The rewards for beating them would be more fruitful, while a loss would earn a minimized penalty. The key takeaway? It is going to be a blast. Talk about college football getting competitive as ever. And the powerhouses? Even they are treading carefully. Cushioning your schedule with not-so-dominant teams will do no good now.

But the ACC is still an eight-league game, so how will Clemson go about it? Here it gets interesting. With the added metrics, as per the sources, Dabo Swinney wants to keep the Georgia and Oklahoma playoffs intact. With the archrival Gamecocks and 12-year Notre Dame playoffs, they will have 10 Power 4 games every year until 2029, and then the 11th will begin for the first time. On the other hand, Clemson is also scheduled to play Georgia, Notre Dame, and South Carolina in 2029. The same will follow in 2030, 2032, 2033, 2035, and 2036. But there’s one slight change. Oklahoma will replace the Bulldogs in 2035 and 2036.

The Tigers are among the few teams to take the SEC by the horns. 25 matchups to be exact, against the most competitive conference on the turf, since the inception of the CFP era back in 2014. But here it gets interesting. The Tigers are 15-10 in those 25 clashes. And much to Swinney-loyalists’ delight, the 60% win-percentage against the SEC would sit at the fifth rank in the current SEC.

But the biggest headline is yet to be made, when the Cade Klubnik-led offense will face off against Arch Manning’s O-line at the trenches of the Memorial Stadium. But with South Carolina be affected? They are due to face off in late November.

SEC dips to the 9-game schedule

The SEC has made some noise. If you do not know, then you gotta keep up the pace. The 2025 season’s first snap hadn’t been played, but Birmingham witnessed one of the major headlines of the pre-season. While the 16-team playoff chatter grabbed eyeballs during the media days. The SEC has announced that it will dip to a 9-game schedule come next season.

SEC Athletic Directors announced a new era for the Southeastern Conference. The changes? Well, each SEC team will play three permanent conference opponents, which will be rotated through six others each season, starting from the 2026 season. Moreover, each team will face every other SEC program at least once every two years, while every rival home turf every four years. Moving on, each team has to play one Power 4 opponent ot Notre Dame every year.

“Adding a ninth SEC game underscores our universities’ commitment to delivering the most competitive football schedule in the nation,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement released by the school. “This format protects rivalries, increases competitive balance, and, paired with our requirement to play an additional Power opponent, ensures SEC teams are well prepared to compete and succeed in the College Football Playoff.”

SEC is as competitive as it gets. Add another round-off, and expect the gridiron to shake. But that’s what gets the fandom excited. More snaps, claps, and delicious rivalries to feast on. This year has brought forth a lot of groundbreaking changes to the college landscape. The year 2014 shook college football with the inception of playoffs then came After the NCAA vs House Settlement shook the gears of the college landscape, the league is moving towards a nine-game schedule.