South Carolina is a fringe top 25 team as we head towards the dawn of a new college football season. The 2018 Gamecocks were voted as the projected second place finisher in the SEC East (behind Georgia) by the SEC media, with many around the league expecting the side to be rejuvenated this fall.
By Steve Wright
If the Gamecocks are to have that kind of season then it will take a big year from quarterback Jake Bentley, but perhaps the biggest key will be the ability of the team to quickly adopt first-year offensive coordinators Bryan McClendon’s up-tempo offense.
September
9/1/18 Coastal Carolina – If this is anything other than a blowout there could be problems ahead for the new offense and its learning curve. South Carolina 42, Coastal Carolina 14.
9/8/18 Georgia – It is very strange to see one of the games that will go a long way towards determining the fact of the SEC East happening so early in the season. South Carolina has the advantage of playing the Bulldogs at home, but Kirby Smart’s defense will be too much for Will Muschamp’s new offense to break down consistently this early in its evolution. South Carolina 21, Georgia 27.
9/15/18 Marshall – This is a game that will be important no matter how the Georgia contest pans out. There is likely to be something of a hangover regardless, but the Gamecocks will have more than enough for the Thundering Herd. South Carolina 31, Marshall 17.
9/22/18 @ Vanderbilt – This game has been close over the last couple of seasons with Derek Mason’s Commodores almost upsetting the Gamecocks twice. Scores of 13-10 (2016) and 34-27 (2017) – plus Vanderbilt having a very capable quarterback in Kyle Shurmur – will keep this one close. South Carolina 31, Vanderbilt 24.
9/29/18 @ Kentucky – The Gamecocks are on upset alert in this one. A second straight conference road game always makes for a tough test and Kentucky has frankly had South Carolina’s number, beating the Gamecocks in each of the last four seasons. The matchup of USC linebacker T.J. Brunson against Kentucky running back Benny Snell will go a long way towards deciding the outcome. South Carolina 24, Kentucky 28.
October
10/6/18 @ South Carolina – It is interesting that as South Carolina is working toward a fast offense, Missouri is trying to slow its own offense down. The Tigers were 0-6 against bowl bound teams in 2017, as their immense offense – led by the returning Drew Lock – battered the bad teams and wasn’t enough against the good ones. South Carolina is a good team. South Carolina 32, Missouri 21.
10/13/18 Texas A&M – The Aggies have also been a problem for South Carolina, winning all four games since the two were paired as conference rivals in 2014. The Jimbo Fisher hire was a splashy one, but a good one given everything on Fisher’s resume. If Fisher has the quarterback that some think in sophomore Kellen Mond, then the Aggies will be a tough out here. South Carolina 21, Texas A&M 35.
10/20/18 BYE
10/27/18 Tennessee – Muschamp owns Tennessee. He is 6-0 as a head coach against the Vols, though the game last season was probably a little too close for comfort. It is hard to see South Carolina scoring just 15 points again, while the Vols still look like a mess. South Carolina 32, Tennessee 14.
November
11/3/18 @ Ole Miss – If the offenses play as predicted then this could be a good old fashioned shootout. Jordan Ta’amu has the arm – and the receivers – to cause South Carolina issues, while Deebo Samuel is an offense all on his own at times. This is battle between the two best receiving corps in the league, but the Rebels are more of a known quantity in their system than South Carolina is in theirs. South Carolina 30, Ole Miss 34.
11/10/18 @ Florida – You feel like South Carolina would love to have this game and the one against Georgia flipped. By mid-November, Dan Mullen will have had ten games to get his Florida offense playing up to the level he expects. Given that the Gators seem to simply reload on defense every year, this is a team that would be much easier to beat in September. South Carolina 20, Florida 24.
11/17/18 Chattanooga – A bigger game than it looks given the November we are forecasting. The Gamecocks need a win here to regain some momentum before their rivalry clash. They get it after a slow start. South Carolina 35, Chattanooga 7.
11/24/18 @ Clemson – The Clemson defensive line contains three players that might rank in the top 20 players regardless of position in the entire nation in Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell, and Austin Bryant. It is an NFL level defensive line. That is an awful lot of talent to play against and beat, even in a rivalry game where anything can happen. This will be an extreme test and South Carolina’s second foe of the year that will likely be in the CFP mix (Georgia). South Carolina 14, Clemson 38.
Be the first to comment