Dabo Swinney Thinks Clemson Should Play Georgia Annually
Clemson has not played Georgia since 2014, but Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney believes the two teams should face off again soon.
"I think it’d be great for both fan bases," Swinney told The State. "I’ve said that for a long time. We’re going to play somebody like that every year. We go to Texas A&M this year, then they come to us. We played Auburn a bunch of times. So I think that would be great.”
Swinney likes the challenge of testing his Tigers against SEC teams.
They last played Georgia in a home-and-home series in 2013 and 2014. Prior to that, the two teams hadn't met since 2003.
The rivalry used to be an integral part of southern football, with the two teams meeting annually from 1962-1987 except in 1966 and 1972. Georgia holds the upper hand in the all-time head-to-head series with a 42-18-4 record.
Scheduling a game between the two teams could be tricky. The ACC and SEC both require teams to play eight conference games and these respective programs also play in-state rivals annually. That doesn't leave a lot of open space on a 12-game schedule, but Swinney sees an upside to renewing the former tradition.
"To me, it’d be great for the fan bases. You don’t really look forward to playing Georgia. There’s a good chance you can lose,” Swinney said. “But any time you step out of conference and play the Texas A&Ms, Auburns, whoever else we play, those are big challenges, but that’s how we built our program. I would have no problem with it."
