South Carolina Versus Clemson: Battle of the 9-2's Has Potential to Be Special

The state of South Carolina has been a general feasting ground for states looking for great recruits. Often, the great South Carolina players leave the state for other, bigger named programs. 

No longer. The South Carolina Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers have made it increasingly difficult for other schools to take the star players from the state. 

It has never been as obvious as this season, where the overachieving 9-2 Clemson Tigers and the underachieving 9-2 South Carolina Gamecocks meet in what promises to be one of the most hyped up and intense rivalry games ever. 

There are some fantastic side stories that will be popping up all week, and believe me, I will be cranking out some pieces based on the plethora of information that makes this game so special. 

The Gamecock faithful and the Tiger faithful are always around each other. This game is as important in South Carolina as any game in the country. 

On ESPN, they've been running an Iron Bowl commercial, where someone says "What would you do, if when you were born, you were told to pick a side"? So, if you're born in Auburn, you have to choose between Auburn or Alabama. It's that simple. 

It's like that for this rivalry game. If you are born in South Carolina, you are either born clad in garnet, or clad in orange. 

It's that simple. The hatred for the other color is so immense during rivalry week, that the actual game is an explosion of aggression and disdain. At the end of the day, we are all Carolina brethren... but the historical and, now, national significance of this game makes the last regular season game for these teams the biggest and baddest game of them all. 

It's great to be a Gamecock!