Gamecocks over Georgia in 2022? Why this SEC pundit says it could happen
South Carolina isn’t exactly a favorite to take home the Southeastern Conference crown, but one pundit thinks the Gamecocks could be good for an early-season upset.
Saturday Down South’s Michael Bratton — who’s known for his hot takes — projected on “The Paul Finebaum Show” on Monday afternoon that USC will upset defending national champion Georgia when the teams meet Sept. 17 in Columbia this fall.
“You’re talking a team here (in South Carolina) that started literally a coach at starting quarterback last year, yet they managed to make the postseason in in Shane Beamer’s first year,” Bratton said. “No one expected them to beat North Carolina in that bowl game, myself included. They trashed Mack Brown’s Tar Heel team.
“I think you’re getting a significant upgrade at the quarterback position. I think you’ve got significant upgrades at running back and wide receiver and Clayton White’s defense was one of the biggest surprises in the SEC last season. I certainly think South Carolina has an outstanding opportunity to shock the world here Week 3 of the season.”
Bratton gave the prediction after he was asked for a take folks might not see coming this year. He’s not the only person bullish on South Carolina this offseason.
The import of former Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler and ex-Sooner running mate Austin Stogner have folks in and around the program hoping for a step forward offensively.
The Gamecocks also bring back the bulk of a defense that led the SEC in pass defense and ranked tops in the league in takeaways in its first season under White.
Betonline.ag gave the Gamecocks 100/1 odds to win the 2022 conference title in its SEC odds that were released Monday. That’s good for the 11th in the league and fifth among SEC East squads behind Georgia (5/4), Florida (33/1), Kentucky (40/1) and Tennessee (40/1).
Pro Football Focus ranked South Carolina No. 15 in its way-too-early Top 25. ESPN’s Football Power Index projects the Gamecocks to win six games in 2022 — that’s compared with the three or four wins most national pundits predicted for USC in 2021.
Georgia defeated South Carolina 40-13 last season en route to the Bulldogs’ national championship. But the Gamecocks finished the 2021 season 7-6 with a win over UNC in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 31. USC also notched wins over Auburn and Florida last fall.
South Carolina 2022 football schedule
- Sept. 3: vs. Georgia State
- Sept. 10: at Arkansas
- Sept. 17: vs. Georgia
- Sept. 24: vs. Charlotte
- Oct. 1: vs. South Carolina State
- Oct. 8: at Kentucky
- Oct. 22: vs. Texas A&M
- Oct. 29: vs. Missouri
- Nov. 5: at Vanderbilt
- Nov. 12: at Florida
- Nov. 19: vs. Tennessee
- Nov. 26: at Clemson
