South Carolina is one win from a bowl bid. Here are the latest postseason projections
South Carolina football might reach a bowl after all.
As first-year head coach Shane Beamer inherited a program that went 2-8 in 2020, national pundits projected this year’s Gamecocks would win three to four games.
South Carolina beat those odds on Saturday, reaching five victories with a decisive 40-17 win over Florida. The Gamecocks need one more win to reach bowl eligibility and have three chances to do it — on the road at Missouri or in either home game against Auburn or Clemson.
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, South Carolina’s best shot to make it to six wins will be this weekend against Missouri. FPI gives the Gamecocks a 48.6% chance of beating the Tigers, while that number dwindles against Auburn (23%) and Clemson (18.3%).
With a fair shot at winning six games, the Gamecocks are showing up on more bowl projection lists.
Most pundits are predicting South Carolina will play in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Dec. 23, though some see the Gamecocks playing in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 28. Both games are two of last bowls on the list of those with SEC tie-ins.
South Carolina’s last bowl appearance came after the 2018 season, when the Gamecocks suffered a 28-0 shutout loss to Virginia in the Belk Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. South Carolina ended that season with a 7-6 record in Will Muschamp’s third season.
South Carolina football bowl projections
▪ Brad Crawford, 247Sports: Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl — South Carolina vs. Liberty, 7 p.m. Dec. 23, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
▪ Mark Schlabath, ESPN: Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl — South Carolina vs. Boston College, 7 p.m. Dec 23, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
▪ Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl — South Carolina vs. Memphis, noon Dec. 28, Protective Stadium, Birmingham
▪Brett McMurphy, Action Network: Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl — South Carolina vs. Liberty, 7 p.m. Dec. 23, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
▪ Steven Lassan, Athlon Sports: TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl — South Carolina vs. Houston, noon Dec. 28, Protective Stadium, Birmingham
