What College GameDay said about South Carolina-Clemson

On Saturday, College GameDay was in Ann Arbor, Michigan for “The Game” between Ohio State and Michigan. The battle between BIG Ten historical programs saw the usual panel of Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, and Kirk Herbstreit in attendance. The show (understandably) spent much of its time talking about the Buckeyes and Wolverines. Even so, there was other college football talk, as well. The Palmetto Bowl rivalry between South Carolina and Clemson made the cut.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina football!

Earlier in the show, Kirk Herbstreit was asked about the most underrated rivalries in college football. His first mention? South Carolina-Clemson. Herbstreit said that records and stakes don’t matter that much because the two programs and fan bases have a lot of hate for the other team. With a chuckle, he added that there might be a “pregame brawl” on Palmetto Bowl Saturdays. Someone else off-camera added, “Or in-game.”

Every Saturday, College GameDay also picks what they deem the best games of the weekend. Other marquee rivalry matchups, including Gamecocks-Tigers, joined the Ohio State-Michigan headliner.

The panel presented a divided front for the Palmetto Bowl.

Desmond Howard went with the Clemson Tigers in “an ugly game.” Nick Saban cited LaNorris Sellers as the reason why he likes South Carolina in the game. Pat McAfee, in true McAfee style, just said, “Give me ‘Cocks.” Celebrity guest picker Aiden Hutchinson (after chastising McAfee) agreed with Saban, explaining, “I like the quarterback.” Kirk Herbstreit joined Howard in picking the visiting Tigers and predicted a strong game for Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik. However, Herbstreit warned about the potential for a hostile environment in Columbia making things difficult.

This was the first time since September that College GameDay picked a South Carolina football game.

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South Carolina (4-7; 1-7) and Clemson (6-5; 4-4) will kick off at noon at Williams-Brice Stadium. SEC Network will carry the television broadcast, while the ESPN app will make the conference clash available via streaming.

South Carolina enters as a 2.5-point favorite, according to BetMGM. Both teams fell from the ranks of the top 10 and haven’t been ranked in over two months. Williams-Brice Stadium will be sold out for the season finale.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina football!