In the latest rankings from the College Football Playoff selection committee, No. 17 Clemson clocked in two spots ahead of in-state rival and No. 19 South Carolina. And the two arrived in the teens of the rankings with much different resumes.

While Clemson has mostly dominated a weaker ACC since getting throttled by Georgia in the opener, South Carolina has been a bit more volatile. Either way, not much separates the teams save for one win or loss either way — Clemson is 8-2 and South Carolina is 7-3.

“Well, both are coming off wins,” Manuel said. “The win by Clemson and South Carolina’s win versus Missouri. The difference, as you can see, Clemson has lost two games. They bounced back from that Louisville loss and had back-to-back road wins against Virginia Tech and Pitt. Significant loss to Georgia at the beginning of the season, but they’ve come back. Cade Klubnik has really controlled the offense and done very well. That run to end the game against Pitt was phenomenal. I just think they are playing good football as well as South Carolina.”

The question in ranking the two might come down to valuing mindlessly winning like Clemson had until stumbling against Louisville or the flashes of upside that South Carolina has shown.

The Gamecocks hold the best win of the two teams, pulverizing Texas A&M at home. But Clemson’s road wins clearly hold some weight with the committee. And given the two teams are mere spots apart in the rankings, there’s not much to separate them in the eyes of the committee.

Which should make it all the more exciting when the two teams face off to end the season, as the Tigers will also potentially be monitoring results around the ACC with a path to the title game still open.

“So it’ll be interesting to see — as you can see they’re very close,” Manuel said. “The committee feels that Clemson and South Carolina are very close to each other as it relates to how we see those two teams.”

South Carolina will welcome the Wofford Terriers for the last home game of the season inside Williams-Brice Stadium. Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer spoke on the matchup and challeneged fans to show up for a special night.

Coach Beamer opened the press conference announcing this game as the Salute to Service game. This is a special moment for Beamer as it gives his program an opportunity to thank those who have served or are currently serving.

“Saturday is our Salute The Troops game,” Coach Beamer said. “It’s always one of the highlights of the season for me. So grateful for them. All of the miliatry branches, the men and women,the sacrifices they make for their service to our country. Really proud and honored to be able to recognize them this Saturday.”

Not only is it the Salute to Service game, but with it being the last home game of the 2024 season it’s also Senior Night. Coach Beamer wants to send a special group of seniors out the right way.

“We need to make sure we honor the seniors the right way on Saturday. Gamecock Walk needs to be electric because for so many of those seniors that will be getting honored on Saturday that is the last Gamecock Walk they’ll ever get to do. We will honor them right after pre-game warmups, right around 3:30ish,” Coach Beamer said about Senior Night.

Then a challeneged was issued to Gamecock fans. This is the last time these players will get to walk into Williams-Brice Stadium and suit up in front of a raucous crowd. Coach Beamer stressed the importance of getting there early and being loud.

“I would ask all of our fans to shut the tailgates down early. There’s plenty of opportunities in the future, God willing, to tailgate. This will be the last opportunity, and only opportunity, to recognize a really special group of seniors. I would love nothing more than for Williams-Brice Stadium to be absolutely packed thirty miniutes before kickoff, so we can give those seniors that’ll be playing their last game in Williams-Brice Stadium the recognition with their families on the field and the ovation that they deserve,” Coach Beamer on the fans importance for this game.

Saturday’s matchup against Wofford will be the first meeting between the two schools since 2017. Wofford comes into the game with over 30 players on their roster from the state of South Carolina. The staff knows how excited the Terriers will be for this matchup.

“Coach Watson has done a nice job there in his time,” Coach Beamer speaks on this week’s game. “The improvements they made from last to this season are evident. Proud program with a ton of tradition. Obviously 37 players on their team from the state of south carolina, so we know how juiced up they’ll be for this week.”

Finally, Coach Beamer gave an update on the team’s injury list heading into the weekend.

“Obviously Brady Hunt won’t play. Outside of that, I would say that we’re optimistic on everyone else that didn’t finish the game. Judge Collier should be fine. He practiced today,” Coach Beamer updates the team’s injury.

You Might Also Like:

Join the community:

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking “Follow” on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to follow us on X at @GamecocksDigest and on Facebook!

South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and his coaching staff have less than three weeks before National Signing Day. (Remember when recruits signed in February?) The Early Signing Period begins Wednesday, December 4th, and the majority of teams’ high school recruiting classes will be completed by the time the Early Signing Period ends on Friday, December 6th. In the weeks leading up to NSD, GamecockCentral will profile each player in the 2025 recruiting class. Today, we will look at wide receiver Malik Clark.

Malik Clark (4-star, Wide Receiver, 6’2.5″, 180 pounds)

What the rankings say: 4-star in On3 industry rankings, No. 177 nationally, No. 2 in South Carolina, No. 23 among all wide receivers; Malik Clark is a consensus 4-star prospect

[See the Gamecock discussion on The Insiders Forum!]

Malik Clark is a stud. The Rock Hill High School product is everything a coach could want in a wide receiver. He’s fast (clocked in the 10.5 range in the 100-meter and 4.35 in the 40-yard dash). He’s big (listed at 6’2.5″ and 180 pounds with a frame that could hold more weight). And he’s got ridiculous hands (check out the catch at this line).

Clark is a consensus 4-star prospect for a reason. He is extremely talented, and it’s not all just future potential; he’s already really good. Before the playoffs even began, Clark put together the first 1000-yard receiving season in Rock Hill High history this season.

The type of receiver who can develop into “the man” on the outside, Clark can beat defense deep but has enough wiggle in his bag to be a factor in the quick game or in the short-to-intermediate passing game, as well. He is fast, but he also plays with real physicality. He excels at winning contested catches and bouncing off of weak tackle attempts.

[On3 App: Get South Carolina push notifications from GamecockCentral]

Clark’s combination of size and speed will make him a special teams candidate as soon as he steps on campus. However, he’s good enough that he might play immediately on offense. Playing time will be available for the Gamecocks at wide receiver in 2025. With at least three players leaving via graduation, youngsters like Clark could force their way onto the field. In fact, it seems likely that at least one of the freshmen will earn significant early playing time. It could be the in-state standout.

Clark is one of five receiver commitments in the South Carolina football recruiting class of 2025, along with Jayden Sellers, Brian Rowe, Lex Cyrus, and Jordon Gidron. With a chance of adding another name, this year’s haul of pass-catchers is one of the best in the country.

[Win two tickets to the South Carolina-Wofford football game]

You can watch some of Clark’s film below.