Clemson Refused Request by ESPN and ACC to Move Their Rivalry Game
With Clemson becoming a national brand and a perennial national championship contender, all their games are important. During the past four-team College Football Playoff format, just one loss could take a team out of the mix.
But, even knowing all of that, there is one contest that is circled on the schedule every year: their rivalry game with the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Taking place as their last regular season game, the Tigers always want to win this one regardless of how successful or disappointing the year has been.
With that in mind, the date this game will take place during the upcoming season has been known for a while, with it occurring on November 30. According to TigerNet, ESPN and the ACC wanted to move this contest to the day after Thanksgiving, or "Black Friday," something Clemson refused to do.
In an email sent to Clemon's Athletic Director, Graham Neff, the ACC's Associate Commissioner for Football, Michael Strickland, said that he was "disappointed" in their lack of cooperation to move the game, and said their "decision not to do so in this instance is harmful" towards the goal of having a solid relationship with their media partner.
ACC teams in the past have switched times of their games and moved dates.
The Tigers didn't want to do that for their massive rivalry game with their instate opponent.
Those court documents also revealed some concessions that Clemson, the ACC and ESPN made that included a scheduled noon game the week before their South Carolina matchup, switching the scheduled 2027 Labor Day matchup at NC State to a home game, and limiting two of their ACC road games to primetime matchups.
Still, the Tigers decided not to move this game.
Clemson has been frustrated with the ACC in the past and is currently in the midst of a lawsuit, so their relationship hasn't been running smoothly.
This will certainly not help things.
BRAD WAKAI