The South Carolina Gamecocks football team travels to Clemson University to play the hated Tigers in a rivalry game to close out the 2010 regular season for both teams. The Gamecocks have split the last two with Clemson in Pickens County but have lost five of the last six against the Tigers. The Gamecocks won last year by the largest margin since a 52-20 throttling of the Tigers in 1975. South Carolina will be trying to win back-to-back games in the series for the first time since 1968-1970.
It is safe to say in games like this records do not matter but for the Gamecocks beating Clemson on their home turf will continue the emergence of the Gamecocks program and continue to push Carolina past Clemson in football.
The amount of hate amongst the fans in this state has always been so great that this game stands on its own. It needs no conference implications (though of course it used to have them); it needs no national implications; the "state championship" is enough to make this game "Big Time," if only around the state of South Carolina. Because of that, Gamecock fans have always seemed to view the game differently from the rest of their schedule.
In conference, Carolina fans talk about moving ahead of Tennessee or moving ahead of Georgia on our way to the top of the SEC East. When USC fans talk about Clemson, they don't really talk in terms like that.
Perhaps Carolina fans don't talk that way because it's obvious that as a fan of USC they want to be ahead of Clemson University in everything. Perhaps SC fans don't because they don't want to acknowledge the possibility of Clemson being ahead of us. What is for certain is South Carolina fans need to begin to think in that mindset of moving past Clemson as this has seemed to be the one thing holding the program back. Emphasis on this rivalry game needs to be on the "high priority" level this season and every season from here on out as it is key to moving past Clemson in the "New Carolina" era.
Facing facts, any Gamecock fan has to admit that Clemson has won more games than South Carolina has in this series. That's not a revelation; even casual observers know that. And at times it seems that if you look at the rivalry from that perspective, the deficit the Gamecocks have to make up can seem insurmountable. Knowing this it has led the school to look at each Clemson game on its own merits, ignoring the overall series, and while that may keep the fan focused on the game at hand, it doesn't lead to a long-term, overarching push for moving ahead of Clemson University.
South Carolina has started the process of moving ahead of Clemson without even knowing it, and tonight's game will be the next step in that process. This year has seemed to be a breakthrough year for the Gamecocks on so many different levels. It is not just for the football team but also for the baseball team, and to some degree in terms of how USC approaches Clemson.
The South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team won the first major men's national championship in school history this past June. In accomplishing this feat, they beat Clemson not once but twice in Omaha to advance to the championship series. That win seemed to have a devastating effect on the Clemson faithful if for no other reason than it was the second time USC has beaten the Tigers in Rosenblatt Stadium in this fashion.
The Gamecocks football team has ridden the momentum from the baseball season, and to an extent, the momentum for last year's Clemson win to a breakthrough year in 2010. The wins over Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Florida have propelled the Gamecocks to the SEC East crown and a trip to Atlanta for a chance to win the best conference in college football.
And despite all this, Gamecock fans are approaching the Clemson game the way they always do: a combination of apprehension and hope. The time for those feelings has passed, and the tide has turned.
USC fans should approach this game with enthusiasm and the knowledge that not only can they beat Clemson, but that the odds are in their favor. South Carolina fans must realize and embrace that this is a new era of Gamecock resurgence and, dare it be stated, superiority over Clemson on the football field.
This South Carolina team is different; this Clemson team isn't. This South Carolina team is getting huge production out of its stars like Alshon Jeffery, Marcus Lattimore and Stephen Garcia. This Clemson team's stars are more hype than substance (see Parker, Kyle). This South Carolina team hasn't faltered in November; this Clemson team has faltered all year en route to a 6-5 (4-4) record. This South Carolina team wins the games it needs like Alabama, Tennessee and Florida. This Clemson team loses games it should win like Boston College, North Carolina and Florida State.
The Gamecocks can stake their claim to this rivalry. They can back up last year's win and start a streak with a win at Clemson. South Carolina can show that its football team's success has staying power, and, perhaps best of all, South Carolina can keep those Clemson fans quiet for this year and years to come.
Enjoy watching the Gamecocks continue to usher in a new era of Gamecocks sports and a new mindset against Clemson. 2010 will be the year USC fans point to and say that was the year of new beginnings.
Danica Patrick Daniella Alonso Danneel Harris Deanna Russo Denise Richards
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