Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney shake hands in front of the Orange Bowl Trophy at the Le Meridien Dania Beach hotel. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Clemson and Tennessee get trolled ahead of Orange Bowl

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 12/30/22

The Clemson Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers will face off in an exciting Orange Bowl matchup on Friday, though it is not the game both teams hoped to be playing in this weekend.

Both Clemson and Tennessee spent a good portion of the season in the College Football Playoff conversation. That lasted until late November, when both teams lost to South Carolina in consecutive weeks. The defeat marked the second loss of the year for each team, effectively ruling them out of playoff contention.

Gamecocks fans certainly have not forgotten their role in derailing those playoff hopes. Hours before Friday’s kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, a plane was spotted carrying a banner addressed to both teams, mockingly saying to “Enjoy your bowl game — Gamecocks.”

Currently flying above Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

South Carolina’s back-to-back victories over Tennessee and Clemson ended both teams national championship hopes. pic.twitter.com/HPWlynh68Y

— Tyler Ivens (@TylerIvens) December 30, 2022

This is probably the work of a fan, not the university itself, but it is quite savage either way. Admittedly, some of the impact is lost by flying it before the game, but it seems to have made its mark nonetheless.

Maybe South Carolina coach Shane Beamer paid for the banner himself. It would certainly fit with what he likes to do sometimes.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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