Clemson will head to Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday to right the ship and reclaim the Palmetto Bowl from the Gamecocks after the Tigers’ tragic loss in Death Valley last year.
We can analyze how a physical matchup between the teams will end, but an obvious question remains: Who would win in a bare-knuckle street-fight style brawl between the main faces of one of the most historic rivalries in all of sports: head coach Dabo Swinney of Clemson or Shane Beamer of South Carolina?
Some may view this matchup as a no-brainer, as 46-year-old Beamer holds the slight advantage of youth and may be comparatively more agile and light on his feet than 53-year-old Swinney.
Others may look at this matchup much more logically, considering Swinney always brings his own guts. That mentality has earned the Tigers two national championship rings that would leave a mark on Beamer’s ego — in addition to two very prominent ring indents on his face — which could be the closest he or any South Carolina football player gets to a championship ring, let alone two.
Additionally, Beamer is coming off a tough loss to the undefeated Gatorade cooler. He sustained a broken foot in this year’s matchup with the plastic orange container after the Gamecocks lost to Florida, so he will have to carefully watch his step going into a fight with Swinney.
Beamer’s injury is a great metaphor for how Beamer and the 5-6 Gamecocks’ whole season has gone, and especially how the last game of the season will go.
Finally, Swinney definitely has the cardiovascular advantage thanks to the sprints he has run down The Hill since he came to Clemson two decades ago.
This Saturday, in my opinion, Swinney will beat Beamer like he has beaten many other coaches across the college football landscape and hand him the reality check that the Clemson flag is the only one that flies proudly across the bright blue skies of South Carolina.