5 final thoughts, prediction for South Carolina football vs. Clemson
Saturday afternoon, South Carolina and Clemson will play football against each other for the 122nd time.
As far as stakes, there is little beyond bragging rights and pride. Clemson (6-5) has already secured a bowl trip. South Carolina (4-7) heads into the final week of the season with no chance for bowl eligibility.
The game will kick off at Williams-Brice Stadium at noon Saturday. It will be the third time in four years that Carolina and Clemson have faced off at noon. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network. And, as of Wednesday evening, the Gamecocks were 2.5-point favorites.
Those are some facts. Here are some thoughts.
1. A South Carolina win would be historic
Scrolling through the results of the Carolina-Clemson game is fascinating. It also underscores what a Gamecocks win would mean historically.
Yes, Clemson holds a 73-44-4 record in the Carolina-Clemson rivalry. But beyond that, the Tigers have rarely lost in back-to-back seasons.
If South Carolina wins Saturday, it would be the first time the Gamecocks won two in a row over Clemson since they won five straight under coach Steve Spurrier (2009-13).
But before that marvelous Spurrier-era run, the Gamecocks hadn’t beaten Clemson in back-to-back seasons since 1969 and 1970!
In other words: South Carolina went 40 years without having an actual winning streak against Clemson. And presently, the Gamecocks have gone over a decade without back-to-back wins over the Tigers. But that can change on Saturday. After that magical victory at Clemson last season, South Carolina can start its own winning streak this year.
2. Shane Beamer is returning
On Tuesday night, South Carolina Athletic Director Jeremiah Donati confirmed to The State that head coach Shane Beamer will return in 2026 — regardless of the Clemson outcome.
First off, I can’t imagine South Carolina wanted to: 1) pay Beamer’s buyout (~$25 million) and the buyouts of his assistant coaches (~$14 million), as well as 2) get onto a coaching carousel that already includes Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss and Penn State, among others.
Beyond that, I think it would have set a terrible precedent to fire a head coach one year removed from one of the best seasons in program history.
Sure, if Beamer had lost the locker room, and it looked as if his team were quitting, you could consider pulling the trigger early.
But that’s not what happened. South Carolina was merely doomed by one of the worst offenses in America.
Yes, it is Beamer’s fault for hiring offensive coordinator Mike Shula. He is also to blame for waiting until mid-November to can Shula. So, ultimately, this 4-7 season falls on his shoulders.
But in this transfer portal era — when one or two additions can be the difference between a good and bad season — success can be volatile. Just ask Florida State.
In the same way Beamer should be blamed for this season, he should be credited for 2024. So, it only makes sense that he gets a chance to right the ship in 2026.
3. What’s the number for Mike Furrey
After South Carolina’s dominant win over Coastal Carolina, I was trying to think what the Gamecocks’ offense would have to do for interim play caller Mike Furrey to get the full-time OC job.
I wrote that “if the Gamecocks go and hang 50 points in a win over Clemson next week,” Beamer could probably call off his OC search then and there.
As I thought about it more, 50 might even be too high. If South Carolina puts up 40 points in an emphatic win over Clemson, I have to imagine Furrey becomes the front-runner to land the job.
And I know there is a subsection of Gamecock fans who are fiercly opposed to that. They watched Mike Shula run South Carolina’s offense into the ground for nine games, so why on earth would they want Beamer to promote another internal candidate?
That’s fair.
But, first, when Shula was promoted to offensive coordinator, he hadn’t called a single game for USC. If Beamer had waited to promote Shula until after the Cheez-It Bowl last year, perhaps he would have done a more thorough search.
Secondly — and this can’t be emphasized enough — Shula and Furrey are complete opposites. Just read this quote from Furrey and think to yourself: In a million years, would that have come out of Shula’s mouth?
“We have just pushed the right people — the leaders — to get into those leadership roles, to practice with a purpose, to demand excellence, to get the huddle going, break out of the huddle, sprint out on the field,” Furrey said. “When you’re doing those things right, it’s hard for people that might want to take a play off to take a play off.”
4. Which fan base would be angrier?
I was listening to a national college football podcast — Split Zone Duo —, this week and one guy asked the other a question:
“Which fan base would be more despondent with a loss here?”
There was silence. It’s a really, really tough question.
But the more I thought about it, the more I sided with Clemson fans.
Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, change is coming to South Carolina. It’s going to hire a new offensive coordinator. It’s going to have further offensive staff shakeup. It’s going to have to attack the transfer portal to ensure it has adequate depth for next season.
For South Carolina, the wheels are already in motion for 2026.
If Clemson lost, though, it would be the most poignant sign yet that coach Dabo Swinney’s program has cratered. It would be an embarrassment — and Tigers fans would grow livid.
Yet, I imagine there are some Clemson fans rooting for the Tigers to lose … if it forces Swinney to change his philosophies and embrace the transfer portal.
5. Sellers vs. Klubnik
In the same way South Carolina and Clemson have endured similar seasons, so have their quarterbacks.
Both LaNorris Sellers and Cade Klubnik were expected to be in the Heisman Trophy picture, at the top of every NFL mock draft and leading their programs into the College Football Playoff.
Instead, both regressed in 2025.
Klubnik has thrown 20-fewer touchdowns than he did a year ago. Sellers has worse completion percentage and has run for 400 fewer yards than 2024.
And, yet, much of that disappointment can be wiped away with a win Saturday.
PREDICTION: South Carolina 27, Clemson 23
