Before the 1939 Cotton Bowl champion Clemson Tigers, South Carolina college football teams claimed state titles, despite e. g. Clemson winning Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association titles in 1903. In 1911, the Florida Gators beat 4 South Carolina teams and dubbed themselves the "champions of South Carolina".
State champions Clemson (1897) Furman (1902) South Carolina (1912)Daye, J., Hamer, F. P. (2009). A History of College Football in South Carolina: Glory on the Gridiron. United States: Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. Clemson (1913) Clemson (1914) The Citadel (1915) The Citadel (1916) Furman (1919) Furman (1920) Furman (1921) Furman (1924) Furman (1925) Clemson (1930) The Citadel (1938)
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