CLEMSON – As trees shed leaves, temperatures grow colder, and the smell of sweet potatoes and cinnamon waft through kitchens across America, the air starts to feel like the only thing in November more consistent than pumpkin pie and dressing: College football rivalry week.

From snowy stalemates to high-flying shootouts, rivalry games on the last Saturday of November are often a defining moment of a college football season. For Clemson, frequently the most memorable regular-season game is the annual brawl between the Tigers (5-5, 4-4 ACC) and the South Carolina Gamecocks (3-7)

The two programs– separated by 130 miles and 29 more Clemson wins -– have played 121 total times, dating back to 1896. While the Tigers have played and defeated South Carolina more than they have any other opponent, the Furman Paladins, an in-state FCS foe, are not far behind on the Tigers’ win list, most recently in a 35-12 Clemson win in 2022.

Despite the urge to peek into the 122nd installment of the Clemson-Carolina game in two weeks, similar to children stealing into the stash of Christmas movies before the Thanksgiving turkey is cut, head coach Dabo Swinney said that his attention is fully focused on his team’s matchup against the Furman Paladins (6-5) this weekend. 

“We just locked in on Furman,” Swinney said at his weekly press conference. “We just one at a time… I’m just locked in on the Paladins.”

Swinney’s mindset is especially timely this year, as the Tigers faced a tough matchup against Troy, a non-Power Conference team back in September. At halftime, the Tigers trailed 16-3 to the Trojans, and had to score 24-straight points to secure a final victory. With this scare still fresh in the rearview mirror for Clemson, the Tigers are fully locked in on not letting it happen again this weekend against the Paladins at Memorial Stadium.

“We got to lock in,” Swinney said. We got a game and that’s what you better focus on.”

While the matchup against Furman in an all-purple affair for Military Appreciation Day will give the Tigers a chance to improve to 45-10-4 all-time against the Paladins, it also offers Swinney’s squad a chance to become bowl eligible for the 27th consecutive year.

After a rocky 3-5 start, the Tigers won two straight conference games over Florida State and Louisville, allowing a win over Furman to be the final sixth win needed to travel to a bowl game.

“Just want us to play well,” Swinney said about the prospect of eligibility. “It’s an opportunity to punch our ticket to the postseason again… Just proud of the guys for battling all the way. And that’s a streak that we have an opportunity to keep alive and  create some more momentum. I mean, it’ll be three in a row and an opportunity to again finish, on a strong note.”

With a win over the Paladins, the Tigers’ postseason fate would not be held in the hands of the South Carolina game. With a Gamecocks’ loss last Saturday, Clemson’s oldest rival will not be bowl-eligible even with a win over the Tigers. For the Tigers, this gives all the more incentive to focus on the Paladins. 

You miss out if you skip Thanksgiving to look ahead to Christmas, and as a fan, you miss out if you bypass caring about a Furman win and bowl eligibility to focus on South Carolina. The Tigers will have their chance to improve over the Paladins Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. and coverage will be shown on the CW Network.