Prominent CFB Analyst Argues with Clemson Fan Over Real "Death Valley"

This well-known SEC analyst got into a rather heated debate with a Clemson fan recently over whether or not the Tigers' stadium is the real "Death Valley."

Oct 5, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; SEC Nation analyst Paul Finebaum looks on prior to the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers are one of the most tradition-rich programs in all of college football. One of the focal points of this rich history has long been the Tigers' home stadium, Memorial Stadium, which has long been known by it's nickname of "Death Valley" due to the level of difficulty opposing teams face when playing there.

Curiously enough, there is also another tradition rich program located in the southeast who's mascot is the Tigers, and who also call its stadium Death Valley.

The LSU Tigers, who play in the SEC, have long held many similarities with their ACC counterparts up in South Carolina. Most of these have also have been hot topics of contention between the two fanbases for a long time as well.

One of the most intense areas of debate revolves around who's home stadium is the real Death Valley. It's something that players, fans, and analysts have always argued about, and it recently got brought back into the public eye again when prominent SEC analyst Paul Finebaum got into a spirited debate with a Clemson fan who called into his talk show on the SEC Network.

The real Tiger Stadium & Death Valley reside in Baton Rouge, but for some reason Clemson fans can't handle the truth... pic.twitter.com/8xfw0vPC0F

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) April 18, 2025

Per the video, the exchange began when a Clemson fan named Jerry called into Friday's episode of The Paul Finebaum Show. Jerry invited both Finebaum and recently retired College Football Gameday host Lee Corso to the week one matchup between LSU and Clemson.

Jerry joked that corso could put on a mascot head for whichever team he thought was the real the Death Valley, and that would settle the debate. Despite the gracious offer though, Finebaum wasn't open to having a discussion over which team had the best claim to the monikur, as that debate was already settled in his view.

"I can settle that for you right now, Jerry," Finebaum said. "I don't have to come to Clemson. It's in Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. It doesn't matter (how much longer Clemson has been called Death Valley than Tiger Stadium). Sometimes it's just the way it feels."

It shouldn't come as too much of a shock that Finebaum feels this way, as the longtime SEC Network stalwart has a history of poking fun at both Clemson, and their current head coach Dabo Swinney.

That being, said it's a known fact that Clemson has called its Memorial Stadium Death Valley for much longer than LSU has been, a reality that Finebaum himself acknowledges.

At the end of the day, it's just one of those things where both fanbases and teams are always going to feel like they have the better claim to the name, and nothing is going to change their minds.