Wedding & Event Venue Near Clemson, SC.

An 80-team “Super League.”

European soccer-style relegation.

Television money distributed to players via NIL.

Clemson and South Carolina in the same division?

Those details are the vision of College Sports Tomorrow, a group of influential sports leaders who’ve been pitching conference leaders and other key college football stakeholders on a bold new plan that would modernize but forever change the structure of the sport.

College football is currently in a evolutionary period defined by NIL, the transfer portal and, most prominently, sweeping rounds of realignment that have dramatically altered the sport’s conferences and done away with a number of historic rivalries as schools try to stay afloat in a billion dollar enterprise. The NCAA has faced significant criticism for its handling of modern college sports.

College Sports Tomorrow is aiming to fix some of those issues with a dramatic proposal.

The Athletic first reported on the details of the Super League on April 3, but the plan went fully viral Tuesday on social media after the sports business website Sportico published a story revealing new details about the proposal, including the suggested geographic breakdown for the league.

Sportico’s Daniel Libit and Eben Novy-Williams say they obtained a confidential slideshow “pitch deck” that College Sports Tomorrow circulated to stakeholders in mid-February that revealed, among other details, that the group is pitching an 80-team league with eight 10-team “divisions” arranged geographically.

In the proposal, longtime rivals Clemson and South Carolina are paired together in the super league’s “Southeast Division” with six other current ACC schools (Duke, Florida State, Miami, N.C. State, North Carolina and Wake Forest), one other current SEC school (Florida) and one current Big 12 school (UCF).

NEW: An 11-slide "confidential" @TurnkeyZRG pitch deck from February offers new details for the proposed college football "Super League," including how the 70 permanent members would be divvied up among 7 conferences.More from me and @novy_williams: https://t.co/V5WeZ5fOPA pic.twitter.com/fDWYzAQAgI

— Daniel Libit (@DanielLibit) April 16, 2024

Under the plan, per The Athletic, the changes apply only to football (the clear revenue driver in college athletics), and other sports would “stay in their current conference structure.”

The proposal’s seven geographic divisions are “permanent” and made up of current Power Five schools, with an emphasis on keeping traditional rivalries in place or rekindling those that have been affected by the past decade of college football realignment.

The eighth and final division will be made up of teams from the “Under League” (Group of Five schools), with eight of the 10 teams in that division rotating out annually based on results from that league’s playoffs.

Every team in the super league would play 14 regular-season games across 15 weeks before qualifying teams participate in a 16-team, bracket-style playoff over a five-week period (with flexibility to eventually expand to a 24-team playoff).

The playoff teams would be the eight divisional winners and eight wildcard teams as determined by set tiebreakers (similar to the NFL) with no selection committee.

Here’s a full list of proposed divisions under the Super League (which, as noted by The Athletic and Sportico, faces significant hurdles and realistically couldn’t come to fruition until some time in the 2030s because of Power Five conferences’ current TV contracts):

In the Super League model, eight teams from the Under League will be “relegated” back to the Under League based on results and eight other teams from that league will be “promoted” into the Super League in their place based on playoff results in that league. A number of popular European soccer leagues, including the Premier League, have used this model successfully.

The Under League, Sportico reported, will be organized into eight divisions of seven teams, which were not detailed in the slide deck the website obtained.

The College Sports Tomorrow model also proposes a name, image and likeness setup in which players get shares of a “collectively bargained ‘FB Player Pool’ ” that comes from the Super League’s television revenue and is organized by seniority (5% to all rostered freshmen, 15% to sophomores, 30% to juniors and 50% to seniors and graduate students).

The model, per the pitch deck obtained by Sportico, also “encourages student-athlete persistence” and lays out a stricter transfer portal format “to increase odds of graduation and simultaneously creating an even greater incentive for schools to invest in, retain, develop and graduate players.”

The proposal faces a number of hurdles in getting off the ground. The Athletic reported that conferences have been hesitant to meet with CST leaders on the proposal as to not upset their current broadcast partners, and all of the top conferences have signed TV media deals through at least 2029 (as well as a massive extension with ESPN to broadcast a 12-team College Football Playoff for six years starting this fall).

A Clemson-South Carolina pairing in the Super League’s “Southeast Division” would create an interesting dynamic for two teams who have not shared a conference or division since 1971.

The Tigers and the Gamecocks were both charter members of the ACC starting in 1954 and competed as conference foes for 19 years until USC left the ACC. South Carolina competed against Clemson as an independent until joining the SEC in 1991.

Clemson and USC boast one of the nation’s fiercest and longest-running football rivalries. In fact, before the SEC opted for a conference-only schedule in 2020, blocking the teams from playing that year amid the COVID pandemix, they’d played 111 seasons in a row from 1909-2019, the second-longest active streak behind Minnesota-Wisconsin (1907-present).

South Carolina’s SEC status has long been seen as an advantage Clemson can’t offer to recruits, so the Gamecocks understandably haven’t been thrilled about the idea of their rival Tigers joining the SEC over recent rounds of realignment.

USC’s former athletic director, Eric Hyman, told The State in 2022 that USC made it clear it didn’t want Clemson in the SEC during a 2012 realignment cycle that eventually saw the SEC bring in Texas A&M and Missouri.

During recent rounds of college football realignment, which have seen the SEC and Big Ten emerge as the premier “destinations” over the past few years, South Carolina leaders have also lobbied against Clemson as an expansion candidate, per various national reports.

The Tigers remain in the ACC, where they’ve been a member for 71 years, but took the major step last month of suing their own conference in an attempt to break out of the league’s grant of rights and explore potential moves to other conferences to increase their revenue long-term.

This story was originally published April 17, 2024, 1:39 PM.

Chapel Fowler has covered Clemson football, among other topics, for The State since June 2022. He’s a Denver, N.C., native, a 2020 UNC-Chapel Hill alumnus and a pickup basketball enthusiast with previous stops at the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer and Chatham (N.C.) News + Record. His work has been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the South Carolina Press Association and the North Carolina Press Association.

We’ve talked ad nauseam about the top four QBs in the 2024 NFL Draft. With only a week until the draft, it’s time to focus on some of the other guys at the position outside of the biggest names.

Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. have been considered in the next tier after Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and J.J. McCarthy. Don’t end the group there. There’s another player who can crash the party, and that’s South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler.

Rattler has been through a whirlwind of a college career, starting as the next great Oklahoma QB, before getting usurped by Williams and transferring to South Carolina. Despite not having the best playcalling or protection around him, Rattler still showed growth over his two seasons in Columbia and could see his name get called on the second day of the NFL Draft.

Here’s what him intriguing at the next level.

Spencer Rattler has pro playmaking ability

The first thing that stands out about Rattler is his quick, whip-like release. He’s got enough arm strength packed into a compact, 6’0 frame that allows him to test opponents downfield. Because of South Carolina’s lackluster offensive line, the Gamecocks used Rattler on a lot of rollouts, sprint-outs and getting him out of the pocket, and his release really makes its’ presence known on these rollout concepts.

I really like this rep of Rattler’s from the Missouri game which resulted in a 29 yard completion. Watch him get out of the pocket, but still gain ground to the line of scrimmage, then put this ball on the dot to the receiver running the over route. He can do this at an NFL level, and the talent is evident.

When he has his feet set in the pocket, Rattler is capable of delivering some strikes downfield, showcasing NFL-caliber arm talent and velocity. This rep against Georgia on 3rd and 15 is a good example of that, especially under pressure. South Carolina is running a dagger concept, and Rattler is able to move into a throwing window at the top of his drop. However, this window is quickly closing because of a defender, but Rattler is unfazed, and fires this into the receiver breaking open over the middle to move the chains on third and long.

You can talk me into this!

Now let’s talk about some of those pressure responses because ... they were varied at South Carolina.

Spencer Rattler still tries to do too much, and it’s all over the tape

In his two years playing for the Gamecocks, Rattler was pressured on 36.5 percent of his dropbacks. When pressured, his On-Target Rate actually jumped from 60.9 percent in 2022 to 74.2 percent in 2023, but his sack rate when pressured in 2023 was a horrendous 23.2%. That means when he was pressured in 2023, about 23 percent of the time he was getting sacked. Rattler’s pressure responses varied over the course of his career, and the results were also a mixed bag.

One reason I think his sack rate was so much higher in 2023 than in 2022 was because he was more willing to stand in and deliver passes with guys in his face. This rep is from 2023, and Rattler gets cracked, yet stands in and fires this pass for a first down.

Now, let’s compare to 2022 against Texas A&M. While this pass gets completed, it’s the process that I don’t really like. At the top of his drop this route comes open, and he can throw this pass in there if he wants to. Yet, he turns it down to roll out the pocket and complete the pass. That’s more unsustainable at the NFL level, as we’ve seen with recent draft prospects (cough cough Zach Wilson). Being able to win from the pocket under pressure is what separates the good from the great, and Rattler is still trying to find his groove with that.

I think my biggest gripe with Rattler’s game is how much meat he leaves on the bone with inconsistent ball placement, especially in short yardage areas. Too often, he’s leaving his receivers out to dry with passes that are behind them or too far in front of them. This is a fourth and two from 2023 against Tennessee, and Rattler’s receiver has the leverage to the outside. However, Rattler puts this ball too far on the inside and instead of a first down, it’s a turnover on downs.

Here’s another one, on a similar concept, and Rattler completes the pass, but instead of a touchdown, his receiver has to turn inside and the result is being stopped short.

Wherever Rattler ends up in the draft, he has to be told to make the job easier on himself. He doesn’t have to try and stand in the pocket on every single pressure look, he doesn’t have to try and be the superhero every single play. If he can iron those ball placement and pressure inconsistencies out, a franchise could get a fun young QB.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Clemson (7-4) at South Carolina (5-6), 7:30 p.m. ET, (SEC Network)

Line: Clemson by 7, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record: Clemson leads 72-43-4.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

The rivalry matchup is considered the most important sporting event in the Palmetto State each season. South Carolina ended the Tigers’ seven-game series win streak (the teams did not play in the 2020 COVID-19 season) from 2014-21 a season ago with a 31-30 victory at Clemson. South Carolina hasn’t won this game at home since 2013 when Steve Spurrier was coach.

KEY MATCHUP

South Carolina WR Xavier Legette vs. Clemson CB Nate Wiggins. It’s a one-on-one showdown between two players who’ll likely play on Sunday next season. Legette has been one of the Southeastern Conference’s biggest surprises with 65 catches for 1,187 yards and seven touchdowns. Wiggins is one of the Tigers top playmakers, who chased down North Carolina tailback Omarion Hampton steps from the goal line to force a critical fumble in Clemson’s 31-20 victory.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Clemson: RB Will Shipley snapped out of a mini-slump last week with 126 yards rushing, including a 33-yard touchdown in the win over North Carolina. It was the all-ACC back’s second game with 100 or more yards this season and first since 114 yards in a season-opening loss at Duke.

South Carolina: QB Spencer Rattler has been a dynamic presence in his second season leading the Gamecocks since transferring from Oklahoma. Rattler threw for just 207 yards against Kentucky, but found Legette for a 17-yard fourth-quarter score in a 17-14 victory.

FACTS & FIGURES

Both teams come in with three straight wins, the first time since 2013 that they meet with both on winning streaks of at least three games; they both had won four straight before the 2013 game. ... Clemson will finish with its most losses in a season since coach Dabo Swinney’s second full season in 2010 (6-7). ... South Carolina can become bowl eligible with a win, making coach Shane Beamer three-for-three reaching the postseason in his three years as coach. ... Clemson has not lost to a team with a losing record since falling to 2-5 Boston College in 2010. ... Spencer Rattler has thrown for 10,695 yards with 77 touchdowns and 31 interceptions in his five seasons at Oklahoma and South Carolina. ... Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik threw five interceptions during his team’s 4-4 start. He’s had just two picks in the three games since.

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Full Scoreboard »

31

Final

8

Clemson Tigers

10-2, 6-1 home

30

Passing Yards

SC

25-39, 360 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INTCLEM8-29, 99 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT

Rushing Yards

SC

9 CAR, 29 YDS, 1 TDCLEM15 CAR, 132 YDS, 1 TD

Receiving Yards

SCCLEM

2 REC, 65 YDS

SC

CLEM

SC 31CLEM 30

End of 4th Quarter

According to ESPN Analytics

Team Stats

Possession

33:07

26:53

Full Team Stats

Memorial Stadium (Clemson, SC)

Coverage: ABC

Clemson, SC

Line: CLEM -14.5

Over/Under: 53.5

Attendance: 81,500

Five score in double-figures; Chauncey Wiggins nets career-high; Ian Schieffelin totals double-double

Final Stats

CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson University men’s basketball scored 49 points in the second half and finished with five double-digit scorers in a 72-67 win over South Carolina on Wednesday night.

The Tigers (8-0) overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to reclaim the Palmetto Series trophy. It marked the largest halftime deficit overcome to gain victory by Clemson in series history. The previous was five on Feb. 1, 1992 (trailed 25-20 and won 55-52).

Ian Schieffelin (Loganville, Ga./Grayson) was a menace on the glass, posting his second career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Schieffelin was one of five Tigers’ in double-figure scoring.

Chauncey Wiggins (Grayson, Ga./Grayson) led the way with a career-high 15 points, while PJ Hall (Spartanburg, S.C./Dorman) had 14, Joseph Girard III (Glens Falls, N.Y./Glens Falls) had 12 and Chase Hunter (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) finished with 10.

Hall finished with a season-high-tying four blocked shots in the contest.

Clemson struggled to score in the opening stanza, trailing South Carolina 30-23 at the break. The Gamecocks (7-1) pushed their lead to a game-high 11 points at 44-33 with 15:02 left in regulation.

The Tigers fought back on multiple occasions, closing to within one point twice, before consecutive 3-pointers from Wiggins put Clemson on top 54-51. The lead would see-saw over the next several minutes of game action, until Clemson would push its advantage to six with less than a minute to go.

Free throw shooting helped carry the Tigers to victory in the final minute of regulation to secure the five-point victory.

The 23 first half points tied a season-low (Davidson, 11/12), but the 49 second half points were the second-most score by the Tigers this season.

Clemson returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 9 when it faces off against TCU in the Hall of Fame Series Toronto. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m. on FS1.

Get the latest news on all things Clemson men’s basketball by following us on Twitter (@ClemsonMBB), Facebook (/ClemsonMBB) and Instagram (@clemsonmbb).

Notes: Clemson moved to 8-0 on the season … Clemson moved to 10-8 against South Carolina in games that either team has been nationally ranked … Clemson moved to 13-3 in its last 16 games against the SEC … the Tigers won their fifth game in seven tries against the rival Gamecocks … Head Coach Brad Brownell moved to 7-6 all-time against South Carolina … PJ Hall produced his 19th-straight double-digit scoring game dating back to the 2022-23 season … Hall tied his season high with four blocked shots … Hall now has 1,207 career points (28th all-time) … Joseph Girard III tied Rodney Moore (NC State) on the ACC’s all-time 3-point list with 322 career threes … Chauncey Wiggins set a new career-high with 15 points … Ian Schieffelin totaled his second career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds … Schieffelin now has 43 rebounds in his last three games.

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE