What you need to know about USC’s new bag policy for this weekend’s home opener

Carolina is facing its own version of deflate-gate at Williams-Brice Stadium – and we’re not talking about football.

The University of South Carolina, like some other colleges and universities, has adopted size restrictions and other guidelines on bags for all ticketed sporting events.

Boiling it down, the new rule allows for:

▪ Clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags that do not exceed 12” x 6” x 12” (with a logo no larger than 4.5” x 3.4” displayed on one side of the bag)

▪ A small clutch of your fashion choice, but no larger than 4.5” x 6.5” (with or without a handle or strap).

So what happens if your bag is considered out of measurement bounds? Simply put, it will not be admitted. Your options are to either trek back to your vehicle to store your bag or throw it away and manage to fit its contents into a clear, venue-provided, gallon-size bag.

Fans will continue to be able to carry items such as binoculars, cameras and smartphones. And you can keep your keys, wallet and feminine products in your pocket. The sticks used to probe bags will be marked with 12” and 6” indicators. Non-clear clutch bags will still be subject to search.

“In the past people would bring bags that would have zippers and pockets and would take longer to go through,” said Shawn Burk, USC’s assistant athletics director for operations and event management. “So we not only think it will be safer, which is the main initiative, but will also be quicker for everybody. That’s the goal.”

There are several strategies on Game Day to get the word out before you get to the gate.

Among steps, volunteers will be stationed along the perimeter of the stadium with clear bags. Signs will be posted throughout parking lots, and index cards will be available for people as they park to explain the clear bag policy in detail.

“We want to stop folks before they get to the gate,” said Burk.

To all our Carolina girls out there, Go Columbia feels your pain. While we all support making experiences safer, the struggle is about to get real when it comes to what you want to carry for the whole stadium to see and what can fit into a clutch that’s approximately the size of your hand.

So we’ve done a bit of shopping for you, searching several Columbia area stores in advance of this weekend’s first home game to get a look at approved bags that have style. You’ll see some of the bags in the photo gallery here that pack style and functionality into one pint-sized purse.

This story was originally published September 17, 2016 at 12:32 PM with the headline "What you need to know about USC’s new bag policy for this weekend’s home opener."