Clemson vs. South Carolina football game today: Kickoff time, TV channel, score
The 2024 Palmetto Bowl is here.
Clemson and South Carolina’s nationally ranked football teams meet on Saturday afternoon in Memorial Stadium for one of the biggest games in rivalry history — and one that will command an even greater national audience because of its College Football Playoff implications.
Here’s your gameday guide.
Clemson vs. South Carolina game, TV info
- Who: No. 15 South Carolina (8-3, 5-3 SEC) at No. 12 Clemson (9-2, 7-1 ACC)
- When: noon Saturday
- Where: Memorial Stadium in Clemson
- TV: ESPN
- Broadcast crew: Roy Philpott, Sam Acho, Taylor Davis
- Stream: Via ESPN or the ESPN app
- Clemson radio: 105.5 FM in the Clemson area (see all affiliates here)
- South Carolina radio: 107.5 FM in the Columbia area (see all affiliates here)
- Satellite radio: SiriusXM Channel 161 or 193
- Series history: Clemson leads 73-43-4 and won last meeting
Vegas odds, point spread
Clemson is a 2.5-point favorite against South Carolina, according to the VegasInsider.com consensus betting line. The over/under is 49 points.
It’s the closest point spread in a Clemson-USC game since the 2014 game in Clemson (Clemson by 4.5). This is also the Gamecocks’ best road spread against Clemson in 14 years, dating back to when USC was a 1-point favorite at Clemson in 2010.
South Carolina hasn’t been favored against Clemson since 2013. Still, it’s a dramatic shift from the two- and three-touchdown Clemson spreads that dominated the series during the Tigers’ seven-game winning streak from 2015 to 2021.
Early in the week, 55% of bets against the spread had been placed on Clemson to cover, with 45% placed on South Carolina to cover.
As of early Saturday, that’s shifted to 65% of bets placed on USC (meaning two thirds of the general public thinks the Gamecocks will will or stay within two points).
Weather forecast for Clemson, SC
If you’re coming to the game, bundle up: Saturday’s high in Clemson is 46 degrees. It’ll be 25 degrees when tailgating lots open up at 6 a.m., per forecasts, and slowly creep up to 41 degrees around the time of the noon kickoff.
One positive: It’s sunny, and there’s no rain expected.
Temperatures will peak at 46 degrees around 3:30 p.m., around the time the Clemson-USC game is finishing, and start dropping again from there.
Top storylines: CFP implications, great QB play
If this game feels bigger to you than various other rivalry meetings, you’re spot on. Thanks to the expanded College Football Playoff field, Clemson and South Carolina are more or less playing a CFP elimination game on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers were No. 12 and the first team out of the bracket in Tuesday’s updated CFP Top 25 rankings, and South Carolina was No. 15. Both teams cannot and should not feel totally confident about their chances of making the 12-team field with a win. But their chances would jump significantly if they win. Clemson’s chances would move from 36% to 62% (+26), and USC’s chances would improve from 20% to 46% (+26), per ESPN’s Allstate Playoff Predictor.
The Tigers and Gamecocks have played each other 120 times, and the 2024 meeting stacks up with the best of them in all sorts of measures. Clemson and USC have 17 combined wins, tied for the fifth-most entering the game in series history (the record is 19 combined wins in 2012 and 2013). It’s also the seventh time in history Clemson and USC will meet as AP Top 25 ranked opponents, and only the fourth time they’ll meet as teams ranked within the AP top 16 (1987, 2012, 2013). In six previous AP ranked meetings against Clemson, South Carolina is 5-1.
Get ready for a great young quarterback battle. Clemson junior Cade Klubnik and South Carolina redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers may have different playing styles, but they’re the do-it-all leaders of offenses that enter averaging 37.6 and 34.1 points per game, respectively. Klubnik has improved dramatically from his first year as a starter and has 3,136 yards of total offense and 34 touchdowns responsible for (29 passing, five rushing). He’s tied for third nationally in that category. Sellers, a first-year starter, has stepped right in for Spencer Rattler and put up 2,599 yards of total offense (489 rushing) and 22 scores. And that comes with him missing 1.5 games with an ankle injury. Fifteen of Sellers’ 17 touchdown passes have come over the last five games.
Thanks to the standout duo of Georgia Tech transfer Kyle Kennard and true freshman Dylan Stewart, South Carolina boasts one of the nation’s fiercest pass-rushing attacks. USC had just 21 sacks in 12 games last year but is up to 39 this year — third nationally behind Ole Miss and Boise State. Kennard (11.5 sacks this year) only trails Jadeveon Clowney on the programs single-season list and Stewart has 6.5 sacks of his own. It’ll be interesting to see how much that impacts strategy for Clemson, which only allowed eight sacks over its first eight games but has surrendered nine in its last two games against power conference teams (Virginia Tech and Pitt). The Tigers are also dealing with a handful of offensive line injuries.
Clemson vs. South Carolina injury report
According to USC coach Shane Beamer, WR Jared Brown is “fine” and will play against Clemson, WR Vandrevius Jacobs (hamstring) won’t play and the team remains in “we’ll see” mode with injured tight ends Josh Simon and Michael Smith.
Clemson is dealing with a few more injuries. Coach Dabo Swinney revealed Wednesday that Trent Howard, a key rotational offensive lineman who’d started the past two games because of injuries, tore his ACL during practice earlier this week and is done for the year.
Swinney also said that starting TE Jake Briningstool (hamstring) and safety R.J. Mickens will be ready to go. LT Tristan Leigh (ankle), LG Marcus Tate and LB Wade Woodaz (thigh/calf) are all “getting better” after missing two or three games apiece.
Another key injury situation to monitor is the status of Tigers starting defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart (ankle), who has missed the past three games and wasn’t listed on this week’s depth chart. Swinney has not explicitly ruled Capehart out.
Clemson 2024 schedule
Aug. 31: vs. Georgia in Atlanta, L 34-3
Sept. 7: vs. App State, W 66-20
Sept. 14: OPEN
Sept. 21: vs. NC State, W 59-35
Sept. 28: vs. Stanford, W 40-14
Oct. 5: at Florida State, W 29-16
Oct. 12: at Wake Forest, W 49-14
Oct. 19: vs. Virginia, W 48-31
Oct. 26: OPEN
Nov. 2: vs. Louisville, L 31-22
Nov. 9: at Virginia Tech, W 24-14
Nov. 16: at Pitt, W 24-20
Nov. 23: vs. The Citadel, W 51-14
Nov. 30: vs. South Carolina, noon (ESPN)
South Carolina 2024 schedule
- Aug. 31 – South Carolina 23, Old Dominion 19
- Sept. 7 – South Carolina 31, Kentucky 6
- Sept. 14 – LSU 36, South Carolina 33
- Sept. 21 – South Carolina 50, Akron 7
- Oct. 5 – Ole Miss 27, South Carolina 3
- Oct. 12 – Alabama 27, South Carolina 25
- Oct. 19 – South Carolina 35, Oklahoma 6
- Nov. 2 – South Carolina 44, Texas A&M 20
- Nov. 9 – South Carolina 28, Vanderbilt 7
- Nov. 16 – South Carolina 34, Missouri 30
- Nov. 23 – South Carolina 56, Wofford 12
- Nov. 30 – at Clemson – noon, ESPN
Clemson 2024 depth chart
As of Nov. 25
Offense
QB: Cade Klubnik (Christopher Vizzina)
RB: Phil Mafah (Jay Haynes OR Keith Adams Jr.)
Outside WR: T.J. Moore (Cole Turner)
Slot WR: Antonio Williams (Misun Kelley)
Outside WR: Bryant Wesco Jr. OR Adam Randall (Cole Turner)
TE: Jake Briningstool (Olsen Patt-Henry)
LT: Tristan Leigh (Mason Wade)
LG: Marcus Tate (Trent Howard)
C: Ryan Linthicum (Harris Sewell)
RG: Walker Parks (Trent Howard)
RT: Blake Miller (Mason Wade)
Defense
DE: Jahiem Lawson (A.J. Hoffler)
DT: Payton Page (Vic Burley)
DT: Peter Woods (Tré Williams)
DE: T.J. Parker (Cade Denhoff)
Strongside LB: Wade Woodaz (Jamal Anderson)
Middle LB: Wade Woodaz (Sammy Brown OR Dee Crayton)
Weakside LB: Barrett Carter (Sammy Brown OR Dee Crayton)
CB: Avieon Terrell (Ashton Hampton)
SS: Kylon Griffin OR Tyler Venables (Ricardo Jones)
FS: R.J. Mickens (Tyler Venables)
Nickelback: Khalil Barnes (Sherrod Covil Jr.)
CB: Jeadyn Lukus OR Ashton Hampton (Branden Strozier)
Special teams
PK: Nolan Hauser (Robert Gunn III)
P: Aidan Swanson (Jack Smith)
KO: Robert Gunn III
LS (PK): Holden Caspersen
LS (P): Philip Florenzo
H: Clay Swinney
PR: Antonio Williams
KOR: Jay Haynes (Phil Mafah)
South Carolina 2024 depth chart
As of Nov. 25
Offense
QB: LaNorris Sellers (Robby Ashford)
RB: Raheim “Rocket” Sanders (Juju McDowell OR Oscar Adaway III)
TE: Josh Simon (Nick Elksnis)
TE: Michael Smith (Maurice Brown II)
WR: Nyck Harbor OR Jared Brown OR Dalevon Campbell
WR: Mazeo Bennett Jr. OR Payton Mangrum OR Luke Doty
WR: Gage Larvadain OR Vandrevius Jacobs
LT: Josiah Thompson (Tree Babalade)
LG: Kamaar Bell (Markee Anderson)
C: Vershon Lee (Ryan Brubaker)
RG: Torricelli Simpkins III OR Trovon Baugh
RT: Cason Henry (Jatavius Shivers)
Defense
Edge: Kyle Kennard (Gilber Edmond)
DT: Tonka Hemingway OR T.J. Sanders (Monkell Goodwine)
DT: Alex “Boogie” Huntley (Nick Barrett OR DeAndre Jules)
Edge: Dylan Stewart (Bryan Thomas Jr. OR Jatius Geer)
Midde LB: Demetrius Knight Jr. (Fred “JayR” Johnson)
Weakside LB: Debo Williams (Bam Martin-Scott)
Nickel: Jalon Kilgore (Kelvin Hunter OR Jalewis Solomon)
CB: O’Donnell Fortune (Emory Floyd OR David Spaulding)
FS: Nick Emmanwori (David Bucey OR Gerald Kilgore)
SS: DQ Smith (Peyton Williams)
CB: Judge Collier (Vicari Swain)
Special teams
PK: Alex Herrera (Mason Love)
P: Kai Kroeger (Mason Love)
KOS: Alex Herrera (Mason Love)
LS: Hunter Rogers (Cole Rasmussen)
H: Kai Kroeger (Mason Love)
KOR: Juju McDowell (Nyck Harbor)
PR: Juju McDowell (Gage Larvadain)
This story was originally published November 29, 2024 at 6:50 AM.
