Rivalry week college football matchups are some of the best of the year, and one of the matchups that we are going to be keeping a close eye on this November is the clash between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers. These two teams hate each other, and they usually have very chippy battles. It is one of the most underrated games of the season virtually every year, and though it is rare that National Championship hopes are on the line, these two are often both Top 20 teams, making this a big time momentum building game for both as they head into the bowl season or their respective conference championship games.

South Carolina Gamecocks @ Clemson Tigers Picks & Info
South Carolina Gamecocks @ Clemson Tigers Date: Saturday, November 24th
South Carolina Gamecocks @ Clemson Tigers Location: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC
South Carolina Gamecocks @ Clemson Tigers Spread: Clemson Tigers -2.5

Head Coach Steve Spurrier has done a remarkable job getting his Gamecocks on the map, and now, they are one of the most dominating teams in the SEC East. This is going to be a bit of a frustrating year, knowing that QB Stephen Garcia and WR Alshon Jeffrey are both gone, and RB Marcus Lattimore is injured and likely will be out for the year. The good news is that RB Brandon Wilds really showed a heck of a lot of promise in his time on the field last year as well. It is definitely going to be a year where the defense is going to have to be key. There are six returners coming back from this unit, but three of them are in the secondary, which was one of the best in the SEC a season ago. Watch out for DE Jadeveon Clowney, who is going to be one of the best pass rushers in the nation.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Clemson Tigers Past Games (Since 1995)
2011: South Carolina 34 – Clemson 13
2010: South Carolina 29 – Clemson 7
2009: South Carolina 34 – Clemson 17
2008: Clemson 31 – South Carolina 14
2007: Clemson 23 – South Carolina 21
2006: South Carolina 31 – Clemson 28
2005: Clemson 13 – South Carolina 9
2004: Clemson 29 – South Carolina 7
2003: Clemson 63 – South Carolina 17
2002: Clemson 27 – South Carolina 20
2001: South Carolina 20 – Clemson 15
2000: Clemson 16 – South Carolina 14
1999: Clemson 31 – South Carolina 21
1998: Clemson 28 – South Carolina 19
1997: Clemson 47 – South Carolina 21
1996: South Carolina 34 – Clemson 31
1995: Clemson 38 – South Carolina 17

The Clemson offense is only returning seven starters, but the men that are going to be out there on the field are going to be Heisman Trophy types of players. QB Tajh Boyd is on the Heisman Watch list to start out the season, but he is only going to go as far as WR Sammy Watkins takes him. Watkins is just a sophomore, but he proved to be one of the best and most exciting players in the entire nation this past season. RB Andre Ellington is back once again too, and he had a heck of a season in 2011. All four of the defensive backs are going to be returning, but up front, there are a lot of problems on both lines of scrimmage. There is just one returner to the defensive line and two to the offensive line, though we do know that C Dalton Freeman is going to be an All-ACC player this year if he stays healthy.

South Carolina @ Clemson Free Picks^^: The Gamecocks are going to be the stronger of these two teams at the end of the season as we see it. The fact that we are going to be getting them a plus points is great right now, and it is a point spread that we are going to be taking advantage of. Remember that South Carolina has won three games in a row in this series, and the “Ol’ Ball Coach” isn’t going to take this one lightly regardless of whether there is a National Championship on the line or not.

^^Note: These college football picks are independent of the picks of our Expert NCAA Football Handicappers. These NCAA football picks are made as of 8/12/12, though we will keep the college football matchup page updated for this clash on the week of the game.

When the South Carolina @ Clemson odds are on the board on the week of 11/24, we will have our college football picks that you won’t want to miss!