The Clemson-South Carolina rivalry matchup is upon us and this year the stakes are as high as they’ve ever been.

Both teams have College Football Playoff aspirations. The Tigers are sitting at No. 12, meaning a win over the Gamecocks might very well put Dabo Swinney’s program in prime position for an at-large bid. Clemson also still has ACC Championship Game hopes, as a Syracuse win over Miami would send the Tigers to Charlotte.

For the Gamecocks, things aren’t quite as clear. They are currently No. 15, so you’d think a win over the Tigers would also put them in position for an at-large bid. However, two of their three losses came against Alabama and Ole Miss, two teams ahead of them in the rankings. Head-to-head is carrying a lot of weight with the committee this year so they might still need some help even if they win on Saturday. But they are absolutely in the conversation.

After starting the season 3-3, South Carolina has now won five straight, including a dominating win at home over No. 10 Texas A&M. The Gamecocks are also 3-1 away from home and that includes going into Norman and thrashing Oklahoma. This team won’t likely be intimidated by the environment.

This is also the best defense Clemson has seen since the Georgia game. In some ways, it might even be better. South Carolina is third in the nation with 39 sacks. Those two defensive ends, Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart, know how to get after the quarterback.

The Gamecocks also bring the nation’s 12-best rush defense to town. So, on top of making like miserable for the quarterback, they’ve also been pretty good at making teams one-dimensional. Although, Missouri found success in the running game two weeks ago, particularly in the second half.

On the offensive side, South Carolina leans heavily on its running game, and the Tigers have been fairly inconsistent when it comes to stopping the run. Rocket Sanders is a tough, hard-nosed runner, who seems to have gotten better as the season has gone along.

However, the key will be not letting quarterback LaNorris Sellers beat you with his legs. Taking sacks out of the equation, Sellers has rushed for just under 700 yards. The redshirt freshman is not your typical running quarterback. He is a bruiser, he runs with physicality. He will run right through an arm tackle. If you get hands on him, you best bring him down and this Clemson defense has had its share of issues when it comes to tackling and taking bad angles.

At the same time, the Gamecocks have struggled protecting Sellers. South Carolina quarterbacks have been sacked a whopping 36 times, ranking 124th nationally in sacks allowed. They’ve been much better in recent weeks, having allowed just five in the past three games. Three of those did come last week in the win over Wofford.

Having said all that, this game comes down to how well Clemson performs, and on both sides of the ball. If you see the aggressive defense seen in the wins over Virginia Tech and Pitt, the Tigers can win this game. As much as slowing down that running game matters, getting after Sellers is also imperative. While he is much improved over what he was over the first half of the season, he’s still young and can be harassed into making a mistake or two. He’s been prone to fumbles, but to be fair, most of those came in the first half of the season.

If the Tigers are going to come away victorious, it will be because of their quarterback, Cade Klubnik. The junior signal caller is going to have to be on point. It’s going to take a Heisman-type performance, so to speak. Klubnik will have to excel in the face of what will likely be enormous pressure.

Those young freshmen wideouts are also going to have to bring it. Show why they are former 5-stars. That South Carolina secondary is elite, and Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore are going to have to be better against the Gamecocks than they were against Louisville’s physical corners. Antonio Williams can not carry the entire load. Same goes for Jake Briningstool.

Another thing that can not be discounted is the fact that the Gamecocks’ roster features more than 30 seniors. That is a lot of experience. Fortunately, for Clemson they also have a ton of experience along the lines of scrimmage, so that might be a wash. Where it could really factor in, though, is the older, more experienced South Carolina defensive backs on the young Clemson wideouts.

This is just the sixth time in the history of the rivalry that both teams come in ranked inside of the Top 20. The Gamecocks have won five of those games.

Every fiber of my being is telling me to pick South Carolina here. In fact, I did earlier in the week. When a team shows you who they are, believe it. And this Clemson team has shown time and again that it’s just not as good in run defense as it should be. This offense has also shown it tends to go into hiding against some of the better defenses its faced.

BUT… there is this little voice inside of my head that keeps reminding me that these are the kind of games that Swinney typically finds a way to win. Not always, but far more often than not.

Would I be surprised at all if the Tigers lost? Absolutely not. The Gamecocks are really good this season. Not great, but really good. I could, no doubt, see a blocked field goal or an untimely turnover costing Clemson. Or even the Tigers once again struggling against the run.

What I think will happen, though, is Clemson wins the turnover battle. The Tigers are +13 in the margin this season while South Carolina is only +3. Turnovers decide games all the time and Klubnik has been exceptional when it comes to protecting the football. The entire offense has.

I see a critical South Carolina turnover late being the difference-maker. The Gamecocks have also missed five field goals this season. After Saturday, that number will be six while Nolan Hauser hits his only attempt of the contest.

Make no mistake, this one should be a nailbiter that could go either way, but I see Klubnik turning in a masterful performance, with both his arm and his legs. The quarterback leads the Tigers to a win in what will be a career-defining type of day.

Clemson 24 South Carolina 21

A limited number of signed replica road signs from Cade Klubnik are available!  Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!