The Garden City could rival Death Valley -- the site of this year's annual Clemson/University of South Carolina clash -- in football frenzy during Thanksgiving weekend.

During Tuesday's weekly Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference teleconference, South Carolina State head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough revealed the school has placed a bid for a Football Championship Subdivision playoff game at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium on Nov. 29.

The 15th-ranked Bulldogs earned an automatic post-season berth for the first time since 1982 with last Saturday's 32-0 win over Morgan State. Athletics Director Charlene Johnson confirmed the school had met the deadline a day earlier for submitting bids for first- and possibly second-round home games awarded by the FCS selection committee.

"Not only would that be a major deal for the university, but it certainly would spill into the community as well," Johnson said. "During these hard, economic times, bringing tourists to Orangeburg would certainly add to the coffers of the community and showcasing what we think is one of the nicer stadiums. That would also mean a lot to the university. Any time you get to showcase your university, that's a plus."

If the Bulldogs win the bid, which requires a $30,000 guaranteed fee for the first round and $40,000 for the second round, the home playoff game would take place a day after the S.C. High School League holds its two Class A championship games at the stadium.

It was a potential conflict with the SCHSL title games held the past two years in Orangeburg that made school officials initially hesitant about placing a bid.

Having a window of 48 hours available for each team to practice prior to the playoff game is one of the criteria used by the football committee in determining host institutions involving unseeded teams. Other factors are:

* Quality of facility.

* Revenue potential, plus estimated net receipts.

* Attendance history and potential.

* Team's performance (i.e. conference place finish, head-to-head results).

* Student-athlete well-being.

Pough said the school has spoken with SCHSL Executive Director Jerome Singleton about working out an arrangement that would allow S.C. State and a potential opponent to practice at the stadium without conflicting with the title games.

The one concern expressed by Singleton when contacted at his office was the scenario of inclement weather postponing the Class A title games until the following day. If S.C. State were to receive the home playoff game for the same day, Singleton said league officials would have to explore other viable options.

"What I'm going to suggest to our committee if we get a rainout is the possibility at playing at one of the home sites of the schools," Singleton said. "If (S.C. State does) get a (home) game ... we don't want to infringe on that. We just have to work out a time that will work best."

The Class A title games are scheduled for noon (Division I) and 3 p.m. (Division II) at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

S.C. State will learn against whom and where it will open the FCS playoffs at 7 p.m. Sunday during the selection show airing live on ESPNU (Channel 160 on Digital Time Warner Cable). The Bulldogs (9-2, 7-0) close out the regular season this Saturday in Greensboro, N.C., against archrival North Carolina A&T (3-8, 1-6).

"We're excited," Johnson said. "I think we put in a good bid. We're just kind of waiting to see what happens."

T&D Senior Sports Writer Thomas Grant can be reached at 803-533-5547 and tgrant@timesanddemocrat.com. Comment on this and other stories at www.TheTandD.com.

You must be logged in to comment.