Clemson Tigers Face Huge Season-Opening Game vs. Georgia Bulldogs

The Clemson Tigers travel to Atlanta to take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the AFLAC Kickoff Classic on Saturday.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney talks with media before the Clemson first football August practice in Clemson, S.C. Thursday August 1, 2024. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

The No. 14 Clemson Tigers face the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs for the second time in four years on a neutral site as part of the AFLAC Kickoff in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday.

The Tigers are trying to erase last year’s record from memory — 9-4 with a bowl victory but falling short of the College Football Playoff for the third straight season. It was also the first time the Tigers failed to win 10 games in a season since 2011, when Clemson went 6-7.

Clemson will get first crack at the Bulldogs, the team most believe has the best shot at winning the national title in the expanded CFP format. Georgia has won two of the last three titles and is 42-4 in the last three seasons under coach Kirby Smart.

It’s a massive chance for the Tigers, who haven’t beaten the Bulldogs in more than a decade.

Here is a preview of the Tigers and the Bulldogs.

Clemson (0-0) vs. Georgia (0-0)

Mercedez-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.

Time: Noon, ET

TV: ABC/ESPN+

Radio: WCCP 105.5 FM (flagship)

Coaches: Clemson — Dabo Swinney (170-43 at Clemson and for his career); Georgia — Kirby Smart (94-16 at Georgia and for his career).

Fun fact: Of course, the pair have Alabama ties. Swinney, a Birmingham native, walked on as a receiver for the Crimson Tide and was a part of Gene Stallings’ 1992 national title team. He was also an Alabama assistant from 1993-2000 before joining Clemson.

Smart, a former Georgia defensive back, coached under Nick Saban at both LSU and Alabama before he took over as Georgia’s head coach in 2016.

All-Times Series: Georgia leads series, 43-18-4.

Last meeting: Georgia def. Clemson, 10-3 (2021).

Series notes: The Bulldogs have the overwhelming lead in the series that dates back to 1897. But, once upon a time, Clemson beat Georgia in seven straight games from 1900-06. The streak snapped, coincidentally, when the game first moved to a neutral site in 1907 in Augusta, Ga., the site of The Masters every April. In a 28-game stretch from 1907-73 Georgia went 24-2-2

About Clemson: The talk around Clemson this offseason was about what Swinney hasn’t done as opposed to what he has — that is, tap into the transfer portal for new talent. The Tigers didn’t import a single transfer and he’s banking that his player development and recruiting will help put them back in the CFP after a three-year absence.

Swinney has built a standard so high that when his program wins nine games, as the Tigers did a year ago, it feels like a downturn. But Clemson finished last season No. 20 in the final AP Top 25 and an expanded playoff offers it more leeway to get back into it.

The progress of quarterback Cade Klubnik will be key to putting Clemson in a position to win the ACC once again.

About Georgia: Smart waited years for the right job to come along, learning everything he possibly could from Saban before he took over his alma mater in 2016. It appears that none of Saban’s mentors learned more than Smart. He has now built a Georgia program that is the standard in the game, much like what Saban built with the Crimson Tide.

Players like quarterback Carson Beck, who had a massive year and could have gone to the NFL, come back because the Bulldogs are a program that can offer what few can — a legitimate pathway to a national title.

The roster is loaded with plenty of returning starters, five-star recruits and quite possibly the best college football coach in the country.

Next Up: Clemson returns home to host Appalachian State on Sept. 7. Georgia returns home to host Tennessee Tech on Sept. 7.