The Carolina–Clemson rivalry, also referred to as the The Battle of the Palmetto State or The Palmetto Bowl, is an American college rivalry between the sports teams of the University of South Carolina and of Clemson University: the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers. Both institutions are public universities supported by the state of South Carolina, and their campuses are separated by only 132 miles. USC and Clemson have been bitter rivals since the 1880s, and a heated rivalry continues to this day for a variety of reasons, including the historic tensions regarding their respective charters and the passions surrounding their athletic programs.