Getting to know U(niversities) Big 12 Expansion candidates: Clemson

With the wheels of realignment kicking into gear once again the only conference that has been consistently linked with expansion is ours, the Big 12. What does this mean? Firstly it means that the Big 12 is seen as a solid enough to be desirable to other schools, despite being the victim of the last two realignment raids, which is all good news from the TCU standpoint. Secondly, it means that there are a lot of schools out there who may covet entry into the Big 12 conference- which is all well and good, but what do we really know about these ACC schools and how attached they are to their conference, or which ones would be the best fit for the Big 12? Fortunately Frogs O' War is here to enlighten as we share some basic information and interesting facts about the universities rumored to be interested in Big 12 membership. Make the jump if you will and learn what there is to know about the first school to be investigated: Clemson University.

Just the football facts: Clemson University Tigers

Stadium: Frank Howard Field at Memorial Stadium, otherwise known as Death Valley

Championships: 1 National championship (1981), 18 Conference championships (2 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships, 2 Southern Conference Championships, 14 ACC Championships- the most of any ACC team)

Conference history: Founding member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, left to found the Southern Conference, left to form the ACC.

Traditions: Touching Howard's Rock- A rock from Death Valley, California set up at the top of the hill the Tigers run down. Clemson's coach Frank Howard is quoted as saying "Give me 110% or keep your filthy hands off of my rock.", and they run down the hill into Death Valley which looks kind of awesome.

Rivals: South Carolina Gamecocks, NC State Wolfpack, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Georgia Bulldogs

You may remember them from such TCU games as: Wins in 1964 and 2009, losses in the 1959 Bluebonnet bowl and 1965. Interestingly, both TCU wins were 14-10.

Are they interested in making the jump?: Numerous sources, including our own Chris Del Conte indicate that they are, and the fanbase seems fired up about it (though not quite as much as Florida State's).

Insisting on bringing any rivals with them?: They might be happy to have Georgia Tech along for the ride, but their main rival is South Carolina who they're legally mandated by the state to play out of conference anyway.

Is the Big 12 their dream conference?: No, they think they're more of an SEC team due to the die hard football fanbase and not caring too much about basketball. However the same state exclusion alliance formed by Kentucky, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina mean the Tigers have no chance for that. They're not exactly Big Ten material though (too southern and agricultural), so the Big 12 is by far the best plausible option for the Tigers.