Gamecocks’ bowl projections are all over the map — literally. The latest predictions
South Carolina football awaits its bowl assignment.
The Gamecocks went 6-6 (3-5 SEC) in head coach Shane Beamer’s first regular season at the helm, setting South Carolina up for a bowl after a two-year postseason drought.
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 year.
This year’s bowl landscape is unique because a record-number 13 SEC schools (every program but Vanderbilt) met or eclipsed the six-win requirement for bowl eligibility. With just 10 guaranteed bowl tie-ins for the conference, three programs will be vying for spots in games outside of the league’s regular footprint.
Before South Carolina’s 30-0 shutout loss to Clemson last week, the Gamecocks had been slated by national pundits to take a trip to the Gasparilla Bowl, Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Liberty Bowl or Birmingham Bowl.
Projections have been been updated with the conclusion of the regular season, and some have the Gamecocks traveling as far as Dallas, Texas for the First Responder Bowl. South Carolina will know its destination by Sunday afternoon.
Here is an updated list of South Carolina’s bowl predictions.
South Carolina football bowl projections
▪ Brad Crawford, 247Sports: TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl — South Carolina vs. UAB, 7 p.m. Dec. 23, Protective Stadium, Birmingham
▪ Mark Schlabach, ESPN: Liberty Bowl — South Carolina vs. Kansas State, 6:45 p.m. Dec. 28, Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tenn.
▪ Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: Liberty Bowl — South Carolina vs. West Virginia, 6:45 p.m. Dec. 28, Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tenn.
▪Brett McMurphy, Action Network: Duke’s Mayo Bowl — South Carolina vs. North Carolina, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 30, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
▪ Steven Lassan, Athlon Sports: TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl — South Carolina vs. Houston, noon Dec. 28, Protective Stadium, Birmingham
▪ Stewart Mandel, The Athletic: Duke’s Mayo Bowl — South Carolina vs. N.C. State, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 30, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
▪ Jerry Palm, CBS Sports: Duke’s Mayo Bowl — South Carolina vs. Virginia, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 30, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
▪ Richard Johnson, Sports Illustrated: SERVPRO First Responder Bowl — South Carolina vs. Virginia, 3:15 p.m. Dec. 28, Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX
▪ Cam Mellor, Pro Football Network: Duke’s Mayo Bowl — South Carolina vs. Virginia, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 30, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
This story was originally published November 30, 2021 at 9:16 AM.
