ATHENS, GA - AUGUST 30: Keith Marshall #4 of the Georgia Bulldogs is tackled by Tavaris Barnes #9 and D. J. Reader #48 of the Clemson Tigers at Sanford Stadium on August 30, 2014 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)Clemson and Georgia announced that they will open the 2021 season on Tuesday. The two sides will open the season at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
The Tigers and Bulldogs don’t share a conference, but the two sides have found a way to play pretty regularly. Now, with both as true year-in, year-out national championship contenders, these games take on serious significance. Luckily for those of us who love big early season games like this, we’ll get a number of them. The 2021 game will be the first in six future games currently scheduled in the series.
Scheduling the game this late in the general cycle for college football required some maneuvering for both schools. For Georgia, that meant a $1.8 million buyout of San Jose State, who had been on the schedule.
Clemson’s payout is slightly less dramatic, but still significant. The school will pay previously-scheduled Wyoming $1.1 million. Scott Keepfer of The Greenville News reported on the payout on Wednesday.
Clemson to pay Wyoming $1.1 million to buy out their contract to play in 2021 https://t.co/DqYksifgJF pic.twitter.com/tHMBDwzMXU
— Scott Keepfer (@ScottKeepfer) February 19, 2020
Per his report, the Tigers and Cowboys were slated to face off on Sept. 18, 2021. That date is now open, and will likely either be a bye, or an early ACC game. Conference dates for the 2021 season have not yet been announced.
While this adds a hole to Wyoming’s schedule, the Cowboys can certainly view this as a win. They miss out on a cool trip and experience, but now get a big pay day without having to make a cross-country trip, and the likely football bloodletting that goes along with it.
As for Clemson and Georgia, the two teams last played in 2013 and 2014, splitting that home-and-home series. The all-time series by the geographic rivals has been pretty lopsided, with UGA holding a 42-18-4 lead. We are, of course, in the best era in Clemson football history now, with the Tigers taking home two recent national championships.
The two sides will play again in 2024 as the Chick-fil-A kickoff game in Atlanta, and then have a four game series in 2029-30 and 2032-33. Clemson hosts the 2029 and 2033 games.
