South Carolina and Virginia Tech have mutually agreed to cancel their scheduled home-and-home football series for the 2034 and 2035 seasons, a university source confirmed to The State on Friday.
The cancellation, first reported by Doug Bowman of VTScoop, follows the SEC and ACC’s recent announcement to implement nine-game conference schedules. This shift has triggered widespread adjustments to non-conference scheduling across both leagues.
SECOND CANCELLATION IN RESPONSE TO SEC EXPANSION
The Virginia Tech series represents South Carolina’s second cancelled home-and-home agreement in recent months. The Gamecocks previously scrapped a series with Miami that would have brought the Hurricanes to Williams-Brice Stadium in 2026 and sent South Carolina to Hard Rock Stadium in 2027.
Head coach Shane Beamer acknowledged the challenging reality created by expanded conference play:
“It kind of is what it is,” Beamer said. “With the SEC going to nine conference games … not all nine conference games are built the same way. Nine conference games in other leagues aren’t nine conference games in this league — and when we also play Clemson at the end of every season.”
Analysis: Beamer’s comment highlights South Carolina’s unique scheduling burden. Unlike most SEC programs, the Gamecocks maintain an annual rivalry game with Clemson outside conference play. Adding a ninth SEC game effectively leaves South Carolina with 10 Power Conference opponents annually—a significantly more demanding schedule than programs without such permanent non-conference commitments.
BEAMER FAMILY CONNECTION
The cancelled series carried special significance due to Shane Beamer’s Virginia Tech lineage. His father, Frank Beamer, is the winningest coach in Hokies history with 238 victories from 1987-2015. Shane played linebacker for his father from 1995-99, contributing to the 1999 team led by quarterback Michael Vick that reached the national championship game.
The programs did meet recently, opening the 2025 season with a neutral-site matchup in Atlanta. South Carolina won 24-11, providing a competitive showcase despite the series cancellation.
REMARKABLE TIMELINE AND CONTRACT DETAILS
Perhaps most striking is the scheduling timeline—the 2034-35 series was agreed upon nearly 15 years before the games were set to occur.
The State obtained the original contract signed by then-South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner and Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock in December 2019. The agreement scheduled South Carolina to host in 2034, with Virginia Tech hosting the return game in 2035.
The contract included a $500,000 cancellation penalty if either school unilaterally withdrew. However, because current South Carolina athletic director Jeremiah Donati and Babcock mutually agreed to cancel, neither institution will pay the fee.
Analysis: The 15-year advance scheduling reflects college football’s long-range planning requirements but also demonstrates the sport’s evolving landscape. When the contract was signed in December 2019, neither the SEC’s expansion to 16 teams nor the nine-game conference schedule was anticipated. The mutual cancellation without penalty suggests both programs recognize these changes as extraordinary circumstances beyond either party’s control.
FUTURE SCHEDULING LANDSCAPE
South Carolina’s future non-conference schedules now feature primarily regional opponents and Group of Five programs alongside the annual Clemson rivalry. The 2026 slate includes Kent State, Towson, and Clemson. Subsequent years feature combinations of North Carolina, NC State, Appalachian State, East Carolina, and various FCS opponents.
Analysis: The shift away from additional Power Conference matchups like Virginia Tech and Miami reflects a broader trend across college football. As conference schedules expand, programs are reducing non-conference scheduling risks to manage overall strength of schedule and bowl eligibility considerations.
For South Carolina specifically, the nine-game SEC schedule combined with Clemson creates sufficient difficulty without adding another ACC opponent. The cancelled Virginia Tech series likely would have been replaced with a less challenging opponent regardless, making mutual cancellation the most practical solution.
The move also eliminates a potential competitive disadvantage. If South Carolina scheduled premium non-conference opponents while SEC peers scheduled easier games, the Gamecocks would face unnecessarily difficult paths to bowl eligibility and playoff consideration.
As college football continues evolving with conference realignment and scheduling changes, expect additional cancellations and renegotiations of long-scheduled series. The South Carolina-Virginia Tech cancellation represents a logical, mutually beneficial adjustment to an unprecedented transformation in college football’s competitive structure.
