Bulldogs Should Equal Tigers
posted by David Cloninger, 9/12/2009 03:45:00 AM
----------------------------------- FOO FIGHTERS
It never fails to amaze me just how “up” South Carolina gets to play Georgia. Whether it’s because of so many Georgia natives on the USC roster or the proximity or that it’s usually the first SEC game, the Gamecocks play the Bulldogs tight almost every year.
Why isn’t it that way when they play Clemson?
The series records are strikingly similar. USC trails Georgia 45-14 with two ties while trailing Clemson 65-37 with four ties. The Gamecocks have beaten the Bulldogs three times and the Tigers twice in the past 10 years.
But in terms of passionate, lip-biting rivalry intensity, there’s no contest. Georgia feels a lot more wrath from USC than Clemson ever does.
There are obvious factors that cause it. Most importantly, Georgia is a conference (and divisional) rival. The Gamecocks know that if they are to have any shot at winning the SEC, beating the Bulldogs is a big step.
That ties into the scheduling, which has had the Bulldogs as USC’s first or second SEC opponent every year since joining the league. The Gamecocks are usually as healthy as they’re going to be when Georgia comes around, since it’s always in September.
The Tigers, on the other hand, are always lurking at the end of the year, when the weather and the leaves have turned and bowl berths are sometimes on the line. Perhaps some injuries have occurred and the non-conference factor linked next to Clemson’s name may be in consideration – winning the game won’t get USC any closer to the SEC championship, even in a year where the Gamecocks contend for it.
Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier each said that winning the rivalry game was extremely important, but if the Gamecocks were preparing for the SEC championship the next week, it would make common sense to focus everything on winning the league title. That is a perfectly valid and sensible argument, and if USC was ever in that situation, losing to the Tigers wouldn’t be so bad.
But that’s only happened once.
In Spurrier’s first year (2005), the Gamecocks were thought to be forever off the SEC championship wish list when they lost their first three conference games. As it turned out, USC won its final five, and with the way the conference shook out that year, one upset would have put the Gamecocks into the championship game.
Kentucky played Georgia on the same day USC played Clemson. If the Wildcats won, USC was going to Atlanta. That didn’t happen, and the Gamecocks lost by four points to the Tigers.
Excusable, sort of, because USC didn’t know if Georgia would win or lose that day. Although the first game started at 12:30 p.m. and the Gamecocks didn’t kick off until 7 p.m., they didn’t know when they woke up if they’d be in Atlanta the next week or back on the practice field in Columbia.
The other seasons, though, when the SEC championship has been next year’s goal at the season’s midpoint, have featured loss after loss after loss to the Tigers. Some have been hard-fought; some, like last year’s game, have been listless affairs.
In listening and writing about USC fans over the years, some have pooh-poohed the Clemson game as to being a championship program and some are the extreme opposite – beating the Tigers is the first and most important goal every season. I have seen the latter group regress in recent years and have wondered why, but figured that 2-8 record over the past decade had something to do with it.
I would hate to see that continue. Rivalry games are something to be cherished and put on high. Those are the games that define players’ careers in other classic rivalries, and if USC truly wants that to happen with its program, emphasizing the Clemson tilt has to be a priority.
Watch the Gamecocks warm up today, watch how they greet their fans at Sanford Stadium, watch how they will celebrate after every play, no matter how routine.
Then imagine you could see it at the end of every season as well.
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“Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?”
----------------------------------- FOO FIGHTERS
It never fails to amaze me just how “up” South Carolina gets to play Georgia. Whether it’s because of so many Georgia natives on the USC roster or the proximity or that it’s usually the first SEC game, the Gamecocks play the Bulldogs tight almost every year.
Why isn’t it that way when they play Clemson?
The series records are strikingly similar. USC trails Georgia 45-14 with two ties while trailing Clemson 65-37 with four ties. The Gamecocks have beaten the Bulldogs three times and the Tigers twice in the past 10 years.
But in terms of passionate, lip-biting rivalry intensity, there’s no contest. Georgia feels a lot more wrath from USC than Clemson ever does.
There are obvious factors that cause it. Most importantly, Georgia is a conference (and divisional) rival. The Gamecocks know that if they are to have any shot at winning the SEC, beating the Bulldogs is a big step.
That ties into the scheduling, which has had the Bulldogs as USC’s first or second SEC opponent every year since joining the league. The Gamecocks are usually as healthy as they’re going to be when Georgia comes around, since it’s always in September.
The Tigers, on the other hand, are always lurking at the end of the year, when the weather and the leaves have turned and bowl berths are sometimes on the line. Perhaps some injuries have occurred and the non-conference factor linked next to Clemson’s name may be in consideration – winning the game won’t get USC any closer to the SEC championship, even in a year where the Gamecocks contend for it.
Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier each said that winning the rivalry game was extremely important, but if the Gamecocks were preparing for the SEC championship the next week, it would make common sense to focus everything on winning the league title. That is a perfectly valid and sensible argument, and if USC was ever in that situation, losing to the Tigers wouldn’t be so bad.
But that’s only happened once.
In Spurrier’s first year (2005), the Gamecocks were thought to be forever off the SEC championship wish list when they lost their first three conference games. As it turned out, USC won its final five, and with the way the conference shook out that year, one upset would have put the Gamecocks into the championship game.
Kentucky played Georgia on the same day USC played Clemson. If the Wildcats won, USC was going to Atlanta. That didn’t happen, and the Gamecocks lost by four points to the Tigers.
Excusable, sort of, because USC didn’t know if Georgia would win or lose that day. Although the first game started at 12:30 p.m. and the Gamecocks didn’t kick off until 7 p.m., they didn’t know when they woke up if they’d be in Atlanta the next week or back on the practice field in Columbia.
The other seasons, though, when the SEC championship has been next year’s goal at the season’s midpoint, have featured loss after loss after loss to the Tigers. Some have been hard-fought; some, like last year’s game, have been listless affairs.
In listening and writing about USC fans over the years, some have pooh-poohed the Clemson game as to being a championship program and some are the extreme opposite – beating the Tigers is the first and most important goal every season. I have seen the latter group regress in recent years and have wondered why, but figured that 2-8 record over the past decade had something to do with it.
I would hate to see that continue. Rivalry games are something to be cherished and put on high. Those are the games that define players’ careers in other classic rivalries, and if USC truly wants that to happen with its program, emphasizing the Clemson tilt has to be a priority.
Watch the Gamecocks warm up today, watch how they greet their fans at Sanford Stadium, watch how they will celebrate after every play, no matter how routine.
Then imagine you could see it at the end of every season as well.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
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David Cloninger. David is a full-time staff writer for GamecockCentral, and covers Gamecock football, men's basketball, baseball and recruiting. He may be reached by email at david(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.