It seems that for the first time since 1909, South Carolina and Clemson will not meet on the football field.
For former Clemson coach and Alabama football player Danny Ford, he knows that if it was the Iron Bowl at risk, the powers that are would get the job done and the rivalry would be played this season.
“I just know if it was Alabama and Auburn, they don’t have to face that situation, but they would find a way to play,” Ford said.
Ford knows all about the Alabama-Auburn rivalry, too. He grew up in Gadsden, Alabama and played football for the Crimson Tide from 1967-’69 under legendary head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Ford later became an assistant coach for Alabama.
Because of the SEC and ACC going to conference-only schedules this season, the Tigers and Gamecocks are set to not face each other for the first time in 111 years.
Auburn and the Crimson Tide aren’t exactly strangers to not playing, though. From 1908-47, the two schools could not agree on terms of the game and one of the nation’s biggest rivalries was on hiatus.