Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is looking forward to Saturday’s 4 p.m., kick against Wofford at Death Valley.
“Wofford is obviously a local school (in South Carolina). It will be a fun day,” Swinney said at his weekly press conference on Tuesday. “I am sure they will bring a lot of fans as well. It will be a fun day.”
The Tigers, ranked third in the latest Amway Coaches Poll, play at least one FCS team from the Palmetto State every year. They have played either Wofford, Furman, The Citadel, Coast Carolina, S.C. State or Presbyterian every year since 2007.
Clemson has at least one game scheduled every year up to the 2027 season with the Terriers, the Paladins, S.C. State, The Citadel and Charleston Southern.
“I think it has been really good for our state. It is an opportunity for both teams, so we are excited about it,” Swinney said.
The Tigers (8-0, 6-0 ACC) come into the in-state matchup with plenty on the line. It’s the Saturday before the first College Football Playoff Committee Poll is released, and a win more than likely will have the Tigers in the top 4.
At this point in the season, every game for Clemson is considered a playoff game, including Saturday’s contest against the Terriers.
Though Saturday’s game will not have any effect on their playoff chances at the FCS level, the Terriers are cautious about playing Clemson. Head coach Josh Conklin wants to make sure his players come out of the game as healthy as the Tigers do.
Wofford (5-2, 4-1 SoCon) is tied with Furman in the conference standings as it tries to earn a spot in the FCS Playoffs. The Terriers have won five straight games. They’re coming off a 35-34 overtime victory over UT-Chattanooga last Saturday.
Against the Tigers, Wofford is just going to come out, play football and have a little fun.
“I think that is exactly how we are going to approach it,” Conklin said on the Terriers’ YouTube channel. “I don’t think anybody expects us to be in the football game or expect us to give them much of a game. So, our thought process is let’s go down there, let’s prepare as well as we can and let’s go down there and compete hard for sixty minutes.
“Let’s just try to execute as well as we can. If we can do that it will get us in better position moving forward for what we want to do in terms of trying to win this conference and getting into the playoffs.”
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