Georgia and Clemson have set the tone for the season in many of their meetings. More than once, the battle between these two neighboring schools has had a huge impact on the eventual national champion.
And while the two powers from rival conferences have had a lot of down-to-the-wire games, that hasn't been true in recent meetings. In fact, Georgia has become the bully to Clemson's 98-pound weakling.
In short, Georgia football is compiling some embarrassing statistics against Clemson
The 2024 meeting ended in a 34-3 drubbing of the Tigers. What looked to be a close, defensive struggle in the early part of the game turned into a runaway train plowing over the overmatched Tigers.
Georgia leads 8-2 in the last 10 meetings between the two schools and is 6-1 against Clemson since the rivalry was renewed in 2002 after a six-year hiatus. Georgia's average margin of victory in those six wins? 15.8 points per game.
But beyond the double-digit margin, it's Clemson's complete ineptitude on offense (or perhaps Georgia's complete dominance on defense) that has raised some eyebrows.
Clemson has not scored a touchdown against Georgia since the 2014 meeting. Meaning, the last Clemson quarterback to score against the Bulldogs was Deshaun Watson, who came in to spell starter Clint Stoudt during the game.
How does that break down numbers-wise?
4 Clemson starting quarterbacks
10 quarters
Over 160 minutes of game clock
32 offensive possessions
155 offensive snaps
That's how long it's been since Clemson scored an offensive touchdown against Georgia.
During that span, the Bulldogs defense has forced 15 three-and-outs, four turnovers, and two turnovers on downs.
To say Clemson's offense has been ineffective against the Bulldogs may be the understatement of the decade. Clemson has had no offense at all to speak of.
While this is still a viable rivalry, and can still mean a lot for both programs when meeting in the early going of a season, clearly the gap is widening between the two teams. As much as anything, this could be a result of head coach Dabo Swinney's stance on the transfer portal.
Hard to match up with the No. 1 team in the country when all your transfers are from high school.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) August 31, 2024
Who knows what the future holds for this once-heated rivalry? One thing is certain, however. Until Dabo comes around to the reality of how college football rosters are now built (or Clemson finds a coach who will), the bullying will likely continue for the foreseeable future.