This again? South Carolina’s schedule once more ranked the hardest in the land by ESPN
In 2018, South Carolina’s schedule looked soft in the offseason, and instead turned into one of the 10 toughest in the land.
Last year, the Gamecocks were supposed to face one of the most difficult slates in the land, and they ended up facing 11 FBS teams that averaged just short of 9.2 wins.
And the coming slate, one that gets easier on the bottom end but still subs out Alabama for defending champ LSU on the top end? To hear longtime college football writer Phil Steele tell it, it’s the hardest slate in the country yet again.
Writing for ESPN, Steele listed the Gamecocks schedule as tops in the country, he pointed out their slate has a combined winning percentage of 65.4 percent. It’s a embodiment of Will Muschamp’s mantra after each time he got asked about the schedule that it’s just going to be difficult every year.
“South Carolina faced the toughest schedule last season and did not get a break this year, facing the toughest once again,” Steele wrote. “Clemson ... LSU, Florida and Georgia could all be in the preseason top 10 this year.”
The Gamecocks have things lighten up in the non-conference, trading UNC (7-6 last year) and Appalachian State (13-1) for ECU and Coastal Carolina.
ESPN’s FPI projected the Gamecocks to be in the five- or six-win range, coming off a 4-8 season. They are projected to have less than a 15 percent chance of winning the four hardest games on the schedule, though the metric does have USC favored in half its games.
Bouncing back from the second losing season since 2003 would do a good bit to take the heat off coach Will Muschamp, whose future was the subject of much speculation at the end of the 2019 season.
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 April 21, 2020 at 1:28 PM.
