Clemson sends clear message to ESPN

The ACC and ESPN wanted Clemson to move its rivalry game with South Carolina up a day to Black Friday, but the Tigers declined the request.

Per The State , according to court filings made by Clemson against the ACC and ESPN, the conference and network made the request earlier this year.

If Clemson had agreed to move the game, ESPN and the ACC would have made several other concessions to the school, per the filing.

• November 23 game versus The Citadel scheduled at noon.
• Confirmed prime time game time for the Friday, November 29 game.
• Agreement to switch the scheduled 2027 Labor Day Monday conference game featuring Clemson (at NC State) to a Clemson home ACC game.
• Limit of two (2) road ACC games in 2024 played in prime time.
• Agreement that the University of South Carolina would reciprocate with hosting a future Clemson vs. South Carolina game on “Black Friday”.

In an email to Clemson athletics director Graham Neff, ACC senior associate commissioner Michael Strickland expressed his disappointment with the school refusing to move the game.

Despite having secured these concessions, and despite other ACC teams having agreed to play on “Black Friday” in previous instances (e.g., Georgia Tech vs. Georgia, Florida State vs. Florida, North Carolina vs. Notre Dame, Virginia vs. Virginia Tech, North Carolina vs. NC State, etc.), Clemson University remains unwilling to do so.

As has been indicated to you during this process, the Conference Office is disappointed in Clemson University’s lack of cooperation on this matter. As all ACC members know, it is incumbent upon the ACC and its institutions to work in good faith with ESPN on football scheduling issues. This cooperation maximizes the value of our relationship with our media partner and strengthens our collective future. Clemson’s decision not to do so in this instance is harmful toward that goal.

Last year’s game with South Carolina, which took place in Columbia, aired in primetime on SEC Network on Saturday, November 25.

On Black Friday, ABC will air the Georgia Tech-Georgia rivalry game in primetime this year. The Clemson-South Carolina game is still scheduled for Saturday, November 30, though a start time and network assignment have yet to be announced.

While I have no idea how much of an impact (if any) these revelations will have on Clemson’s lawsuit against the ACC, it’s an interesting look at the horse-trading that goes on between schools, conferences, and networks regarding kickoff times, networks, and dates.

[ The State ]

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