There’s nothing quite like a college football game that interrupts your tryptophan coma the day after Thanksgiving. So, you’ve just battled Black Friday crowds, maybe wrestled a million guys for a flatscreen at your nearby Costco, and now you’re flipping on primetime college football. But what if that game happened to be your team’s biggest one of the year, under the holiday spotlight, with the eyes of the nation (and ESPN execs) locked in? Sounds fun, until one side of the matchup starts throwing red flags.
The rivalry game between the Tigers and the Gamecocks began in 1896. An in-state rivalry that started during the annual State Fair. Just like every other rivalry, it has had its fair share of moments, some unpleasant ones where crowds had to be dispersed. The game saw an uninterrupted stretch between 1909 and 2019, a 111-year period that was then halted by COVID-19.
Last year, the ACC made headlines when it came out during Clemson’s lawsuit against the conference that the latter was trying to move the Tigers’ annual game against South Carolina to November 29 (Black Friday, a day after Thanksgiving) instead of November 30. What did Clemson say? Thanks, but not happening. The game was played on November 30. The Gamecocks beat the hosts 17-14. However, the conference is still actively considering its options.
The ACC is still eyeing the possibility of moving the game to Black Friday, a shift that would mess with decades of tradition. ACC senior associate commissioner Michael Strickland isn’t backing off the idea. In a recent interview with The State, Strickland reaffirmed the league’s stance: “Our job is to try to find ways to maximize opportunities for each individual school and, at the same time, work for the collective good of the ACC.”
The ACC believes that the Friday spotlight is beneficial for business, particularly when it involves historic programs. Michael Strickland praised Georgia Tech for embracing the Black Friday opportunity, highlighting their epic eight-overtime thriller against Georgia in the 7:30 p.m. ABC primetime slot. Not only did that game deliver a classic matchup, but it also generated strong TV ratings, which now play a crucial role in how the ACC distributes extra revenue based on viewership across football and basketball. This kind of high-profile national stage translates directly into financial benefits for schools willing to say yes to non-traditional scheduling.
Internal emails from last year revealed Strickland told Clemson’s athletic director, Graham Neff, the league was “disappointed” with the school’s refusal. “As has been indicated to you during this process, the Conference Office is disappointed in Clemson University’s lack of cooperation on this matter,” Strickland said in a letter to Neff.
He added, “As all ACC members know, it is incumbent upon the ACC and its institutions to work in good faith with ESPN on football scheduling issues. This cooperation maximizes the value of our relationship with our media partner and strengthens our collective future. Clemson’s decision not to do so in this instance is harmful toward that goal.”
The ACC and ESPN had even offered “scheduling concessions,” including a future Black Friday game hosted by South Carolina, to sweeten the pot. But Clemson pushed back, reportedly concerned about holiday travel stress and the logistical nightmare of hosting a major game during the Friday frenzy. The drama didn’t stop there.
The Gamecocks were ready to commit to hosting the Tigers on Black Friday at Williams-Brice Stadium in 2025 until they found out Clemson wouldn’t agree to return the favor. Clemson’s track record with non-Saturday games isn’t spotless; they’ve hosted Thursday night games in 2013 and 2019, but Swinney has been vocal about preserving the fan experience during holiday weekends. For him, this is about tradition, travel, and respecting what this game means to the people who pack Memorial Stadium every fall.
So now the ball’s back in the ACC’s court. Clemson’s drawing a line in the turf, and the league is pressing on. Will Black Friday become the new battleground for the Palmetto State’s biggest showdown? Or will Dabo and company hold firm, standing between tradition and the primetime calendar? Either way, the rivalry’s already heating up, and we haven’t even kicked off.
ACC’s incentives for pushing Clemson-South Carolina to Black Friday
The ACC repeatedly emphasizes that scheduling conversations is ongoing, with flexibility depending on the schools involved. Strickland made it clear that while some programs, like Georgia Tech, eagerly embrace these prime TV opportunities, others, like Clemson, have so far declined.
Theoretically, the 2024 and 2025 Clemson-South Carolina clash could have followed the Georgia-Georgia Tech model, swapping their traditional Saturday games for Black Friday primetime showdowns on ABC. These exclusive TV windows represent a golden opportunity to maximize “exposure” and “rewards,” not just for one school, but for the ACC as a whole
At its core, the ACC’s priority isn’t one team or one rivalry; it’s the collective benefit of the league’s membership. Strickland plainly stated, “I just want the opportunities and the rewards to flow to an ACC member. So if it’s Clemson, great. If it’s not, and it’s somebody else that gets to benefit from that opportunity, that’s great as well.”
In other words, while Clemson might resist the Black Friday move, the ACC is confident enough in its pool of programs to ensure every available primetime window gets filled and that the conference’s bottom line and national spotlight only grow. For Clemson and South Carolina fans, that means the battle over Black Friday kickoff times could continue well into the future.
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