CLEMSON — At last week’s SEC’s Spring Meetings, the league decided to table whether it will go to a nine-game conference schedule, though it appears it is headed in that direction.

Besides moving to a nine-game schedule, the league also discussed the possibility of adopting a scheduling agreement with the Big Ten, where teams in both conferences will play one another on an annual basis.

However, not everyone is big on either of these moves, especially South Carolina. Though they understand playing a ninth league game and Big Ten team will bring the SEC more money, the Gamecocks are one of four teams who play an in-state rivalry game with a member from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Could the SEC moving to a nine-game schedule and adding a Big 10 opponent to the football schedule prevent the Clemson-South Carolina game from being played in the future?

“That is non-negotiable from our lens, for sure,” Clemson athletic director Graham Neff said Monday on the Gramlich & Mac Lain podcast.

But what if Clemson does not have a choice?

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey says it will be difficult to mandate his schools to play a Big Ten team every year. But it is still in play and some SEC coaches are pushing for an SEC-Big 10 challenge, if you will, such as LSU’s Brian Kelly.

“If you wanted to go schedule two FCS teams, you could,” said South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer in an article in the State (Columbia) Newspaper last week. “Ours is different, because we’re saying nine, plus Clemson, plus a Big Ten alliance. … I don’t know if that makes a lot of sense, but just looking at it from our standpoint.”

It does not mean Beamer wants to eliminate Clemson from the equation, far from it. Like Neff said, it is a non-negotiable situation in the eyes of South Carolina, too.

The same can be said for the Florida-Florida State, Georgia-Georgia Tech and Kentucky-Louisville rivalries. Most teams in the SEC do not have to play an in-state non-conference rival, which gives them a little more wiggle room than South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Kentucky.

“I think it’s ironclad. Now, there’s people above me to make those decisions,” Beamer said. “But I would never want that game to go away. Rivalries, and rivalry weekend, is what makes this sport great. I know what it means. We’re in a state in South Carolina, there’s no pro sports. That game is a big deal.”

The only thing that could happen in regard to the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry is it could be moved to a Friday or Thursday.

“Where it fits in the grand scheme (of when to play the game), that is certainly fair discussion,” Neff said.

Do not tell Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney they could possibly move the game to a Friday, even if it could mean more eyeballs on the game and ultimately more television revenue thanks to the ACC’s new television revenue share agreement.

Last May, Neff approached Swinney about ESPN’s request to move the South Carolina game to Black Friday.

Swinney shot the idea down, at least when the game in being hosted by Clemson. He feels Saturday is the best fit for the rivalry when it is being played at Memorial Stadium.

“It is what is best for Clemson. It’s what is best for the community here,” he said last November. “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 game days.

“It affects recruiting. It affects the opportunity to get here. It affects our students, so there are a lot of reasons and that is really the biggest thing.”

The Clemson coach said last July, if South Carolina wants to move the game to Black Friday on the years the Gamecocks are hosting the game in Columbia, then that is fine with him, but when the rivalry is being played in Clemson, it will be played on Saturdays.

“Our (students) go home for Thanksgiving and they get a chance to travel back on Friday and create a great environment and atmosphere for us on Saturday, as opposed to having to leave on Thanksgiving Day and not being with their families if they want to come back and go to the game,” Swinney said. “So, there are a lot of reasons but one of the main reasons for me is it is what is best for this community and it’s what’s best for our program when it comes to recruiting and getting people here and all of those things.”