South Carolina learns its bowl destination today. Here are the final projections
South Carolina football finds out which bowl it will play in today.
Head Shane Beamer led the Gamecocks to a 6-6 record in his first season, which puts USC in its first bowl game in three years.
South Carolina joined 12 other SEC schools (every program but Vanderbilt) earning bowl eligibility in the 2021 season. There are 10 guaranteed bowl tie-ins for the conference, which means three programs will earn a spot outside of the SEC’s typical bowl footprint.
There were 84 FBS teams meeting or eclipsing the six-win threshold this season, prompting the NCAA to add another bowl game last week to be played in Texas. With the addition of the new game, every team meeting bowl eligibility is guaranteed to play a postseason game.
South Carolina’s last postseason 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.
Following the 30-0 loss against Clemson, the Gamecocks were predicted to go anywhere from Dallas, Texas to the First Responder Bowl or Memphis, Tennessee for the Liberty Bowl. The picture has started to become clearer, and predictions are leaning toward another trip to Charlotte for South Carolina in 2021.
With conference championships played Friday-Sunday, South Carolina’s destination is largely predicted to be the Duke’s Mayo Bowl — formerly the Belk Bowl — on Dec. 30, with most analysts predicting a matchup against North Carolina.
Here is an updated list of South Carolina’s bowl predictions, updated through late Saturday night. The official word should come down between 3 and 5 p.m. this afternoon
South Carolina football bowl projections
▪ Brad Crawford, 247Sports: Duke’s Mayo Bowl — South Carolina vs. North Carolina, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 30, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
▪ Mark Schlabach, ESPN: Duke’s Mayo Bowl — South Carolina vs. North Carolina, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 30, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
▪ Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: Gasparilla Bowl — South Carolina vs. Coastal Carolina, 7 p.m. Dec. 23, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
▪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: Duke’s Mayo Bowl — South Carolina vs. North Carolina, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 30, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
▪ 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.
▪ USA Today: Duke’s Mayo Bowl — South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 30, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
▪ Yahoo Sports: Duke’s Mayo Bowl — South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 30, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
▪ 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 December 5, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
