<p>
Rivalry Week has arrived in College Football, which will renew some of the oldest and most fierce rivalries in college football, especially after numerous rivalries were put on hiatus from last year's COVID-19 shortened schedules. While there are a few high-profile rivalry match-ups with heavy favorites in the Iron Bowl and in the Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate rivalries, my attention is focused on one of the most underrated rivalries that will take place at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC, when the South Carolina Gamecocks try to end a six-game losing streak to the Clemson Tigers.
</p>
<p>
Under Head Coach Dabo Swinney, the Tigers have been among the most prominent programs during the College Football Playoff era and are tied with Alabama (6) for the most CFP appearances. However, Clemson has taken a step back in 2021 in the wake of former starting QB Trevor Lawrence's departure. The Tigers turned to freshman QB D.J. Uiagalelei was supposed to be the next superstar quarterback at Clemson, following predecessors like Deshaun Watson, Kelly Bryant, and Trevor Lawrence. However, Uiagalelei has not provided the elite talent that most Tigers' fans expected. The entire Clemson offense has underperformed this season, averaging just 26 points per game despite a very easy schedule. As a result, this may be South Carolina's best chance to take back control of the rivalry in recent memory, and rest assured everyone inside Williams-Brice Stadium will be ready for that opportunity on Saturday.
</p>
<h2>
Gamecocks Bowl Eligible<br />
</h2>
<p>
Head Coach Shane Beamer inherited a mess in Columbia this season. Former Head Coach Will Muschamp left the program in terrible shape, and the Gamecocks took a chance on Beamer, who is the son of Hall of Fame Head Coach Frank Beamer, who coached at Virginia Tech. Thus far, Beamer has done a great job of turning the culture at South Carolina around despite the lack of talent. The Gamecocks have played with tremendous grit, which was seen last week in their upset over Auburn. Despite trailing 14-0, the Gamecocks fought their way back into the game with a big help from the defense. It was the 2nd time in the last three games, the Gamecocks defense came up big to deliver a surprising upset. With the most recent victory over Auburn, the Gamecocks became bowl eligible for the first time since 2018, which nobody expected going into the season, and perhaps they have enough recent momentum to challenge Clemson on Saturday.
</p>
<p><section></p>
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-size:16px;"><b><span style="color:#008000;">Get more details:</span></b> <a class="advblue" href="https://www.sportsbettingstats.com/ncaaf/matchup/1394261">Clemson at South Carolina 11/27/21 Betting Stats</a> </span>
</li>
</ul>
<p></section></p>
<h2>
Clemson Tigers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks Betting Analysis<br />
</h2>
<p>
The good news for Clemson fans looking to keep their winning streak over South Carolina alive is the fact the Tigers are arguably coming off their best performance of the season. Clemson routed no. 10 Wake Forest by a score of 48-27 last week. Despite another extremely average performance by Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei, the Tigers rumbled for over 300 yards on the ground between tailbacks Kobe Pace and Will Shipley to provide their best offensive performance of the season. Clemson's defense and ground attack will be the key to getting past the Gamecocks on Saturday.
</p>
<p>
While Clemson's recent breakout performance will likely gain some square betting action, I would be quick to point out that Wake Forest was overrated before the game began, and Clemson presented a nightmarish match-up for the Demon Deacons. In this Saturday's road trip to South Carolina, I don't believe Clemson will be able to run the football with as much success against South Carolina. The Gamecocks actually have one of the better pass defenses in college football and will put a lot of focus towards stopping the run as they did against Auburn last week when they held the Tigers to just 3 points in the 2nd half. Ultimately, this is a solid match-up for South Carolina's defense, and if they can come up with a few big plays; this game could get really interesting.
</p>
<p>
The difficulty for South Carolina in this match-up will be to create scoring opportunities. The Gamecocks have juggled quarterbacks throughout the season and have most recently landed on the talent of QB Jason Brown. Brown is what I would call a game-managing style quarterback, and that will likely be his job on Saturday against Clemson. The Gamecocks have plenty of talent in their backfield, led by the likes of ZeQuandre White, Kevin Harris, and Marshawn Lloyd. As long as the defense holds up their end of the agreement, I expect South Carolina to attack with a relentless ground attack and try to steal one from Clemson in a low-scoring affair.
</p>