Clemson Tigers Head Coach Dabo Swinney Takes A Shot At ESPN
11/26/2024 11:44 AM
Clemson will conclude its regular season by hosting South Carolina in the annual Palmetto Bowl. Dabo Swinney wondered why the rivalry game isn't receiving a bigger spotlight from ESPN.
The No. 17 Tigers will face the No. 18 Gamecocks on Saturday at noon ET. ESPN will broadcast the matchup after holding College GameDay at College Station ahead of a significant SEC showdown between Texas and Texas A&M.
On his weekly Tiger Hour radio show, Swinney implied that ESPN didn't choose Clemson as its College GameDay location because the school refused a request from the network.
"I guess it's the highest-ranked rivalry game in the country this week," Swinney said, via On3. "So you know, how cool is that? You'd have thought GameDay would've been here, but I think they're mad at me because I didn't move the game to Friday."
This weekend will mark the 18th straight time Clemson and South Carolina play each other the Saturday after Thanksgiving. However, ESPN and the ACC inquired about pushing the showdown up a day.
South Carolina would have moved a future home game to Friday as part of the arrangement, but Clemson declined.
"It's what's best for Clemson," Swinney said Sunday, per The State's Chapel Fowler. "It's what's best for the community here. This is a small town. This is not some big city. This is a small town, and we have a lot of businesses that depend on these gamedays."
Swinney added that moving the game to Friday would hurt recruiting by going up against high school football playoff games. His players would also have to return to campus on Thanksgiving to make the game.
College GameDay wouldn't have been an option had Clemson agreed to tweak tradition with a Black Friday game. Swinney may wonder if ESPN spurned his program out of retaliation, but the No. 3 Longhorns and No. 15 Aggies are ranked higher than the Tigers and Gamecocks. The matchup will determine who plays in the SEC Championship Game.
Yet this year's Palmetto Bowl also has high stakes for Clemson, which is one win away from playing for the ACC title.
Related: College Football Fans Not Happy With Clemson vs. South Carolina Kickoff Time
