South Carolina Bowl Projections: Tennessee is nice in December?

Last week the South Carolina football team hosted Vanderbilt, meaning an off year for USC fans’ biennial trip to Nashville.

But maybe the Gamecocks faithful could get a reason to head back to Broadway.

Three of eight popular bowl projections have the Gamecocks headed to the Dec. 29 Music City Bowl. The opponents range from Iowa to Louisville to Wake Forest.

There still hasn’t been much consensus as the Gamecocks have rounded into either the second- or third-best team in the SEC East. They’re tied in the loss column with Kentucky, and both teams still have to play No. 1 Georgia (USC still has reeling Florida and the other three teams are 0-14 in conference).

Other Bowl options included a high of the Outback Bowl against Michigan State, a low of Shreveport’s Independence Bowl (USC has hardly been mentioned for there or Birmingham), a return trip to Charlotte for the Belk Bowl (probably unlikely) or perhaps Memphis or Jacksonville.

Earlier in the week, Gamecocks cornerback Chris Lammons said he and his teammates don’t look much ahead at bowls, but he’d like to get home to the Orlando area if that could work out.

Bowl projections

▪  ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura sent USC to the Belk Bowl on Dec. 29 in Charlotte against Wake Forest. David Hale went with a Dec. 29 Music City Bowl meeting with Iowa.

▪  CBSSports’ Jerry Palm put the Gamecocks in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis on Dec. 30 against West Virginia.

▪  SI.com had USC heading to the Music City Bowl in Nashville vs. Louisville.

▪  SBNation projected South Carolina will face Louisville in the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville.

▪  USAToday placed the Gamecocks in the Shreveport, La., Independence Bowl against Wake Forest on Dec. 27.

▪  Bleacher Report slotted South Carolina in the Music City Bowl against Wake Forest.

▪  CollegeFootballNews also put the Gamecocks in Tampa on New Year’s Day at the Outback Bowl against Michigan State.