Best Rivalry In The Carolinas? Not This Saturday.

I was there last year. I saw it, and I have to say, it was one of the most exciting games I have seen in person.
I was standing in the corner of the end zone, in Death Valley, as Clemson senior kicker Jad Dean blew it. Completely.
South Carolina won, to the year-long delight of Gamecock fans all over the place.
Despite this excitement, I still say, in order to find the best rivalry in the Carolinas, you have to go up Tobacco Road.
That's right.
I'm talking about basketball.
Two schools who are rivals, not only by geography, but also in terms of national supremacy, are not only South Carolina and Clemson, but, more importantly, North Carolina and Duke. The two schools share a rivalry that has all the makings of the best in the country.
Rarely a year goes by when the Tar Heels or the Blue Devils teams don't meet when something important is on the line, be it in the national rankings, or in the ACC rankings.
The teams have both won multiple national championships.
South Carolina and Clemson can claim one national championship between the two schools. That's all.
The national media focuses on the North Carolina-Duke game(s) a great deal, but its for all the reasons I just mentioned.
The national media, normally, could care less about the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry, for all the reasons I just mentioned.
The national media's attention span should have no bearing on fanbases for either school, this I realize, but I can't even begin to think that South Carolina-Clemson is one of the most important rivalries in the country.
It's great fans around here can get all riled up about something, even if once a year.
But the Gamecock-Tiger match-up, in my book, has a long way to go before it reaches prime-time status.

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