Clemson vs. Georgia matchup history: Who leads the series?

Week 1 of the college football season begins with a bang. Not only will we get a look at all of the ranked teams at various times throughout the week, but one matchup will feature a pair of ranked teams with the No. 14 Clemson Tigers and No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs set to face off in what should be a thrilling matchup.

A loss wouldn't be the end of the world for either team with the college football playoff field expanding to 12 teams this season, but whichever team does come out on top in this tough game should get a major boost in the AP Top 25.

These two schools might not have a heated rivalry in the present day, but it was once a heated rivalry with the teams meeting annually for a couple of very long stretches. They don't play each other regularly anymore, but the old rivalry will be renewed on Sunday, August 31, 2024.

Historical overview of the Clemson-Georgia rivalry

Origins of the rivalry

It makes sense for Clemson and Georgia to have a rivalry considering their proximity. Clemson is just 76.8 miles away from the University of Georgia, and both of those fan bases are die-hards when it comes to football.

The schools played regularly from 1897-1916 and again from 1962-1987 with a few exceptions, but since they reside in different conferences, they haven't played regularly since the 1987 campaign. In fact, this will be just the tenth matchup featuring these two schools since 1987 and the sixth since 2000.

Head-to-head record

The teams have played each other 65 times with Georgia holding a massive advantage, going 43-18-4 against the Tigers. Clemson is no slouch, obviously, but this shows just how dominant Georgia has been seemingly forever in college football.

The 43 wins Georgia has against Clemson is the seventh-most they have against any opponent, and the most they have against a non-SEC opponent not named Georgia Tech. It'll take a long while for any school, especially one not in the SEC, to pass that 43-win total Georgia has against Clemson.

The last victory for Clemson Over Georgia

Date and location of the last victory

Georgia has won each of the last two matchups between these two schools, but that's it. Clemson got a win somewhat recently, with the Tigers defeating the Bulldogs in a memorable shootout at Death Valley in Clemson.

Fittingly those two teams faced off to kickstart the 2013 campaign on August 31, 2013, and the game couldn't have been much better to watch. Tajh Boyd threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns for Clemson, while Todd Gurley II ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns. The Tigers wound up winning in a shootout 38-35. A repeat of something like this would be phenomenal.

Key moments from the game

Gurley might've been the most memorable NFL player in this game, but Sammy Watkins had a solid NFL career in his own right, and wound up having a major impact in this game, recording 127 yards receiving including a 77-yard touchdown to give Clemson a 14-7 lead. He caught a pass from Boyd just beyond the first down marker, but broke a tackle and outran the defense for an electric touchdown. That play came off the heels of Gurley recording a 75-yard touchdown of his own.

Impact of the victory

That win kicked off a strong season for the Tigers, who went 11-2 in the 2013 regular season including a 7-1 record in ACC play. They were second in the conference, only behind 8-0 FSU.

They wound up making an appearance in that season's Orange Bowl where they defeated Ohio State by a score of 40-35.

 Comparison of Clemson and Georgia since the last victory

Clemson's performance since the last win

Both Clemson and Georgia have been among the most successful teams in college football since the Tigers beat the Bulldogs in 2013, but an argument can be made that Clemson has had more success. The Tigers have two National Championship wins under their belt since 2013, and four National Championship appearances, which is hard to top.

Things haven't been quite as good for Clemson in recent years, though, as they haven't made an appearance in the final since 2019 when they lost in the National Championship. They have played in four Bowl games since their last National Championship appearance, but have gone just 2-2 in those games. They did win the Gator Bowl last season, though.

Georgia's performance since the last loss

Like Clemson, Georgia has racked up two National Championship wins since 2013. The reason why Clemson has arguably been the more successful team since then, though, is because they've made four National Championship appearances with Georgia only making three in that span.

Where Georgia does have the upper hand, though, is with their recent success. The Bulldogs have won two of the last three National Championships, and have also won five straight Bowl games. This is only in addition to their absurd regular season dominance in the tougher SEC.