Why did South Carolina-Clemson suddenly become the rivalry’s most anticipated game in years?

For years, the best South Carolina could do was play spoiler. The Gamecocks entered the final week of the season with a goal that wasn’t necessarily to create greatness, but to prevent it.

Clemson has been ranked in the Palmetto Bowl every year since 2014. In five of those seasons, the Tigers were among the top 4 teams competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

And they would meet a South Carolina team hoping to disrupt Upstate happiness.

Only once during that span (2017) have the Gamecocks also entered ranked play. USC was ranked 24th that year and lost by 24 points.

After No. 18 South Carolina (8-3) beat Wofford 56-12 and No. 17 Clemson (9-2) blew out the Citadel, Next Saturday’s Palmetto Bowl is believed to be the eighth Top 25 matchup in the rivalry’s 121-year history. The Gamecocks were 5-2 in the previous seven games, with their last win coming 11 years ago.

The Gamecocks have one win over Clemson (2022) since Connor Shaw, Jadeveon Clowney and those guys left Columbia in 2013. How big was it? Shane Beamer’s profile photo on X still a photo from that day. In this image, he has his right arm raised and an expression of pure happiness on his face.

That moment was arguably the pinnacle of Beamer’s head coaching career, as it capped a seven-day stretch that included defeats by No. 5 Tennessee and the No. 8 Tigers.

But the win was more about what it meant to Clemson. The Tigers have been eliminated from College Football Playoff contention. Their 40-game home win streak ends. And it was all because of their rivals.

So what did he actually do to South Carolina? Yes, it did raise South Carolina’s profile a bit. This would help fundraise and build excitement heading into 2023. But it gave the Gamecocks their eighth win and sent them to the Gator Bowl. Where they lost to Notre Dame.

That’s all to say: Saturday’s matchup at Clemson is arguably the most important South Carolina game in more than a decade.

Saturday will be more about the Gamecocks than the Tigers. In fact, No. 18 South Carolina might be preferred over No. 17 Clemson. And most importantly, it travels to South Carolina on Saturday, with its fate largely tied to the first year of the expanded College Football Playoff.

The Gamecocks are ranked No. 10 at Texas A&M, No. 24 at Vanderbilt and No. 24 at Missouri and have three wins better than Clemson. There’s no worse loss than this Clemson’s home loss to Louisville (7-4). And the strength of the Gamecocks’ schedule (No. 8) Way above the Tigers (No. 47).

Even if it beats Clemson, South Carolina will still need a lot of help to make the first 12-team playoff. But in the Gamecocks’ season of what-ifs – most revolve around LSU and Alabama games — none could be worse than other ranked teams losing and South Carolina having to ask itself: “What if we beat Clemson?”

“If you don’t win football games, nothing matters. So what do we need to do to be ahead 1-0?” Here’s what Shane Beamer said in the post-game press conference after Wofford. “Then after that – we did the best we could at this point.”

South Carolina entered the weekend with a 12% chance of making the College Football Playoff, according to ESPN metric. If he wins, those odds rise to 34%. It wasn’t immediately clear what South Carolina’s chances were. Improved after No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Alabama, No. 9 Ole MissNo. 14 BYU, No. 15 Texas A&M and No. All 16 Colorados lost.

Whatever the odds, they’re down to zero with a loss against Clemson.

You can immediately see how this Palmetto Bowl affected South Carolina more than Clemson.

A win against the Tigers will open up a week of playoff talk around Beamer’s team. Even if the Gamecocks don’t make the playoffs, consider this: The early signing period begins Dec. 4. The play-offs will not be announced until December 8. At the beginning of December, the excitement and excitement increases greatly.

Losing feels like running a marathon, but the entire last mile is barefoot on Legos. You won’t remember the smooth ride for the first 25 miles. You will think about the last one causing pain, suffering and misery.

South Carolina’s national ranking won’t matter. The current five-game winning streak will be a minor footnote. Eight wins in the regular season would be quite an accomplishment, but the Gamecocks did the same thing two years ago.

There will be no new ground. It will be possible to beat Clemson on Saturday and get into the play-off talks.