For decades, the rivalry games between Clemson-South Carolina and Florida State-Florida have been staples of the college football season.
These matchups, traditionally played the week before conference championship weekend, have provided unforgettable moments, bragging rights, and playoff implications. Well, at least for Clemson and Florida State.
But if things move forward as the SEC and Big Ten want them to — a new era with a 14-team or 16-team College Football Playoff, where the SEC gets four automatic bids while the ACC only gets two — Clemson and Florida State might have to start asking a difficult question: Is the rivalry game even worth it?
The case for Florida State & Clemson to cancel their rivalries
At first glance, canceling these games might sound like heresy, but if the ultimate goal is making the College Football Playoff, then it becomes a little more questionable, at least in my mind.
The biggest risk is injury. Playing an intense rivalry game right before the ACC Championship — or a play-in game for the conference's second automatic qualifier — means that Clemson or Florida State could go into that game banged up. If either team has already secured an appearance during that week, what’s the upside in risking key players against an SEC team that doesn’t have the same playoff pressures?
There’s also the matter of what actually helps a team’s postseason chances.
If the ACC is guaranteed two spots in the playoff — as reports indicate — winning the conference becomes the single most important goal. A non-conference loss to Florida or South Carolina the week before won’t technically eliminate either team, but it could impact their seeding or momentum heading into championship weekend. Meanwhile, the SEC hoards four automatic bids, meaning their teams have more margin for error. Clemson and Florida State? Not as much.
Instead of playing their in-state rivals, both programs could be better off scheduling a “gimme” game against an in-state FCS opponent or lower-level Group of 5 team. Then, you get a chance to mostly rest your starters and get prepared for postseason play.
Could Notre Dame play a factor here?
There’s another option that might make even more sense than continuing their SEC rivalries—having a regular-season series with Notre Dame.
Florida State and Clemson both already play Notre Dame in ACC scheduling rotations, but turning that into an annual game—one played earlier in the season, rather than late November—would provide the same high-profile matchup without the downside of a brutal rivalry game right before conference championship weekend. Beating Notre Dame would still carry weight in the playoff discussion and would create TV revenue, but the timing wouldn’t put Clemson or Florida State at a disadvantage heading into the postseason.
It Won’t Happen—But Should It?
Of course, the idea of canceling these rivalry games probably won’t happen. The history and tradition in Clemson-South Carolina and Florida State-Florida make these matchups untouchable for now. But, let the SEC and Big Ten keep making unilateral changes, and it just might finally push the wrong button.
Again, we highly doubt that either team will cancel their in-state rivalry games, but everything at least needs to be on the table when you're discussing the new world of college football.
We'll know more one the actual playoff format is announced, but for now, this is just one of many things in college football that could go by the wayside as the sport moves closer and closer to only caring about money and not the fan.