Gamecock Football Rivalries

Rivalries are natural developments in any competitive sport, and when a team as successful as the Gamecocks takes the field, it’s a safe bet that there are several other teams that want to beat them for the bragging rights. Rivalries can be geographic or league based.

The Clemson Tigers are the Gamecocks’ main rival, since the two schools are only 125 miles apart. They have targeted each other since 1889, when Clemson was founded. The South Carolina – Clemson game is the largest sporting event held in South Carolina. Originally the game was played in Columbia and was called “Big Thursday”, but when the games began to alternate between each teams’ home field, it became known as the Palmetto Bowl.

The annual game between the Gamecocks and the Tennessee Volunteers is another big rivalry, as both teams are in the eastern division of the Southeast Conference.

While at University of Florida, Steve Spurrier said things about the UT program that were not very nice. Now that he’s the Gamecocks’ head coach, UT fans have turned their ire to follow him. Three of USC’s wins against the Volunteers have been with Spurrier in charge. 

The main SEC rival that South Carolina faces is the Georgia Bulldogs. This rivalry exists, again, mainly due to geographic closeness. They were rivals long before the Gamecocks joined the SEC.

There is a rivalry brewing between the Gamecocks and the Florida Gators. This is because the Gamecocks’ head coach, Steve Spurrier, used to be the Gator’s head coach. To make things more interesting, in 2005 USC cost Florida the SEC Championship by beating them, then in 2010, USC took the eastern division from the Gators by beating them at in Gainesville 36-14.

The Gamecocks play the Wildcats every year, as they are both members of the SEC’s eastern division. While at Florida, Spurrier never lost to the Wildcats. With a 15-7-1 series lead, it looks to Wildcats fans that they might not be able to close the gap any time soon. However, 4 of the last 6 games between the two teams were decided by one touchdown or less.

The Wolfpack rivalry dates back to the days of “Big Thursday” in 1959. From 1968 through 1991 the two teams faced off annually, but since the Gamecocks moved to the SEC in 1993, there have been only 3 meetings, all of them televised. So far The Gamecocks have a 2-1 lead in the latest series.

The Tarheels are a natural rival again because of geography. The rivalry dates back to 1903, and the Tar Heels hold a 34-17-4 lead in the series, but the Gamecocks have won 10 out of the last 15 games. 

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