The new and improved (for Gamecocks) SEC bowl projections

There weren’t many surprises in what is generally considered tune-up week in the SEC, and that’s good news for South Carolina’s bowl chances.

As the season moves closer to its end, the postseason picture gets a little bit clearer, and it seems that the Gamecocks should be cheering for as few upsets as possible, unless, of course, it’s them upsetting No. 2 Clemson, which was installed as a favorite for Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. game in Williams-Brice Stadium.

South Carolina (8-3) needs either two SEC teams to make the CFB Playoffs, which seems unlikely at this point, or two conference teams to be selected for New Year’s Six bowls, in order to lift every other SEC team up a spot in the pecking order. That would require Georgia to avoid an upset on the road against Georgia Tech this weekend and for Auburn not to get blown out by Alabama in the Iron Bowl.

If the top three SEC teams are out of the equation once the rest of the SEC-affiliated bowl games start to pick, it could mean a familiar landing spot for the Gamecocks. Assuming Mississippi State (8-3) is selected by the Citrus Bowl, as some conference insiders believe likely, South Carolina could be headed to the Outback Bowl again.

The Gamecocks last played in the Jan. 1, Tampa, Fla., game in 2013, when they beat Michigan 33-28 in a game that featured “The Hit” by Jadeveon Clowney. South Carolina also played in the Outback Bowl in 2009, 2002 and 2001. Of course, the Outback Bowl could decide to take LSU, which improved to 8-3 on Saturday by beating Tennessee and hosts Texas A&M in the season finale.

If South Carolina falls past the Outback Bowl, a trip to Jacksonville, Fla., for the Dec. 30 Tax Slayer Bowl could be next on the list. The Gamecocks haven’t played in a Jan. 1 bowl game since 2014.

The wild card for South Carolina would be an upset win over Clemson, although it’s unclear how much room the Gamecocks have to move up. Mississippi State (8-3, 4-3 SEC) plays Ole Miss on Thanksgiving Day. If the Rebels upset the Bulldogs and South Carolina tops the Tigers, then the Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., looks like the landing spot. If both Mississippi State and South Carolina win this weekend, it would be an interesting debate for the conference’s decision makers.

This story was originally published November 20, 2017 at 8:05 AM with the headline "The new and improved (for Gamecocks) SEC bowl projections."