South Carolina’s 2020 schedule is out: Six key takeaways
South Carolina released its 2020 football schedule on Wednesday, putting in order a batch of games that had mostly already been slated for the season.
A few observations from the slate.
A strong start is possible ... and maybe needed
The Gamecocks don’t face a program with a strong tradition until October with a trip to Gainesville and The Swamp. That comes after two Carolinas — Coastal and East — plus Kentucky on the road and Missouri at home. After the Florida trip, there’s a home game against Tennessee, a program whose long-term potential is cloudy at best. The right breaks could have USC 4-0 heading into Gainesville, and with the way the back end toughens up, it might require stashing some wins.
The early tossups
Those games against Kentucky and Missouri loom especially large and are probably worth exploring. To stay near where it wants to be, South Carolina will have to handle that middle tier of the SEC East for the foreseeable future. That means controlling Missouri, Vandy, sometimes Tennessee and, yes, eventually Kentucky. Of Will Muschamp’s 22 wins in Columbia, nine have come against those three first schools (he has yet to beat Kentucky). Some might describe that as fattening up on non-top tier opposition, but those games won’t leave the schedule and winning them is better than losing them. If USC can again hold off the Tigers and eventually beat the Wildcats, you’re talking 4-0 with a little buzz after a month.
Gun for .500 in November
This ... this is very difficult. Host Georgia, which shows little sign of slowing as a top-3 quality program, then a Death Valley doubletap surrounding a home game against an option team. That SoCon opponent in the penultimate contest (Wofford) is often just a win to boost record heading into Clemson. It will be interesting to see what the context and feeling are around that game. LSU is a tough one to predict, outside always being tough. Whichever young QB has the reins then will at least get some notable life experiences.
A runway for the quarterback
Barring a graduate transfer, the Gamecocks will have a third-year sophomore (Dakereon Joyner), a second-year player (Ryan Hilinski) and a true freshman (Luke Doty) taking their first steps as a starter in 2020. Maybe Joyner or Hilinski gets real reps in 2019, but if things go according to plan, that won’t happen much. That means the East Carolina-Coastal Carolina stretch allows for a nice training wheels period for whoever takes that job. The first road game won’t even come until Week 4, and that’s Kentucky.
The spot to make some hay
The end and beginning of the schedule are getting most of the attention for obvious reasons. But October after UF might be where the team can make its mark. Based on how things have gone, Tennessee remains a must-win for USC, as does Vanderbilt. Getting those two wins would be big in any year. The home date against A&M might be the best chance for an upset worth celebrating. The Aggies might see their 2019 record depressed by a killer schedule, but they’ll possibly have a senior Kellen Mond or at least a roster with two full Jimbo Fisher classes, which have looked very promising thus far.
The narrative reality
One of the funny things about college football is, even when you know the finishing stretch is brutal, the record beforehand still builds hope. If USC is chasing what seems like an ideal goal for that season (at least eight wins), it would behoove the Gamecocks to be 7-1 or at worst 6-2 heading into November (if USC has a team that can take two of three from LSU, Clemson and UGA, we’re in a new stratosphere). Still, 6-2 or 7-1 would inspire a lot of good feelings, and there might be some natural disappointment if the close can’t match whatever hype comes with that. Of course, USC would still have to build up those solid records in the first few months. The Orange Crush of yesteryear dampened the end of a lot of seasons, and South Carolina might have to contend with a finish at the level of some of those.
South Carolina 2020 Football Schedule
Sept. 5 — vs. Coastal Carolina
Sept. 12 — vs. East Carolina
Sept. 19 — vs. Missouri*
Sept. 26 — at Kentucky*
Oct. 3 — at Florida*
Oct. 10 — vs. Tennessee*
Oct. 17 — Bye Week
Oct. 24 — vs. Texas A&M*
Oct. 31 — at Vanderbilt*
Nov. 7 — vs. Georgia*
Nov. 14 — at LSU*
Nov. 21 — vs. Wofford
Nov. 28 — at Clemson
*SEC game
This story was originally published August 7, 2019 at 7:37 PM.