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Olivia Sayer
Georgia defensive back Christopher Smith (29) runs with the ball at the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Classic held at the Bank of America Stadium. The University of Georgia Bulldogs lead the Clemson Tigers 7-0 at halftime on Sept. 4, 2021, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo/ Kathryn Skeean, kskeean@randb.com)
The Georgia-Clemson rivalry is a fierce one in college football. When the Bulldogs and Tigers take the field, a competitive game almost always ensues. However, while both teams enter Saturday’s matchup ranked in the top 15, the 2024 edition of the spirited border rivalry appears to have a shifted dynamic.
In 2021, Georgia and Clemson were seen on even playing fields. Clemson was the higher-ranked team with the Tigers coming off their sixth straight playoff appearance. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, went 8-2 the previous season and had made the playoffs once since the four-team bracket began.
Under the bright lights of Bank of America Stadium, the guard began to change.
Georgia’s defense shutdown DJ Uiagalelei (yes, that quarterback), while both teams exchanged field goals. The only touchdown of the game came when defensive back Christopher Smith II jumped a route for a pick-six. The 10-3 defeat was Clemson’s first season-opening loss since 2014, which also came courtesy of Georgia, and marked the start of something special for head coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs.
Since that game, Georgia is 41-2 with two national championships and its only two losses coming against Alabama. Clemson, on the other hand, has yet to make the playoffs with a 30-9 record in the three-year span.
Differing approaches to the new era of college football appear to have the Bulldogs and Tigers headed in opposite directions.
Clemson did not take a single transfer in the 2024 cycle after only taking one in each of the previous two classes. Georgia, in contrast, brought in 11 new players prior to the season with many expected to play pivotal roles Saturday against the Tigers.
“Most of the guys in the portal aren’t good enough to play for us,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney told SiriusXM in the offseason. “That’s just the reality of it. We have guys that are backups at Clemson that go in the portal because they just want to have an opportunity.”
Smart clearly disagrees, bringing in the likes of Trevor Etienne, Colbie Young and London Humphreys to help bolster a Bulldog squad looking for its third national championship in four years. However, despite the different trajectories, there is a part of Smart that is “envious” of Swinney’s approach.
“They’re going to know their system because they’ve been in it,” Smart said. “They know how to play. They know what their standard is. And that, to me, is you can be envious of that, the fact that they have the guys that have been in their program are in their program.”
The differing approaches can also be seen in high school recruiting. According to a report from the NCAA, Georgia has the fourth-highest projected NIL collective funding, while Clemson sits at No. 9.
The results of the spending are found within the commitments. In 2024, the Bulldogs had the top-rated recruiting class, while Clemson built the 11th-ranked one.
“We don’t see them on the road recruiting as much as it seems like we used to,” Smart said. “I don’t know if it’s died down some. There’s a lot of overlap. They recruit our state hard and we recruit their state hard. A lot of respect for their players, their teams, their coaches, for what Dabo’s built there.”
Saturday’s game will feature two programs seen as the elites of college football. However, a lot can change in three years, as Georgia and Clemson experienced firsthand after their 2021 matchup.