South Carolina has 7 games left on 2023 schedule. We rank them, easiest to hardest

South Carolina‘s football team headed into its bye week with a 2-3 overall record, one game under .500. Looking ahead at the remaining schedule, there are some opportunities to get things going in the right direction.

The slate has made a bit of a shift from appearing brutally hard to being a little more mid-grade. That was true last week, with Tennessee shifting from a top-10 quality team to being a little more shaky — not that it produced a win for USC. And of the seven opponents remaining for USC, several are looking a little more shaky than originally projected.

Here’s a ranking of the rest of South Carolina‘s schedule, from the easiest to most difficult game:

home vs. Jacksonville State, Nov. 4

This spot was basically a tossup with Vanderbilt before the other Gamecocks struggled to beat fellow FCS newcomer Sam Houston State. Jacksonville State traditionally landed high-end athletes who dropped down from FBS schools, and the current roster does still have some of those guys. To this point, the defense is well ahead of the offense, but coach Rich Rodriguez is a great schemer, and that run-heavy identity gives this one a hint of potential to be tricky.

home vs. Vanderbilt, Nov. 11

Year 1 of the Clark Lea era in 2022 showed a lot of promise, but it’s been tough sledding most of this season. Receivers Will Sheppard, Jayden McGowan and London Humphreys have been pretty good, and tailback Patrick Smith can be good. But quarterback A.J. Swann has not met some higher expectations (and might be hurt). The offensive line is not good, and the defense has been quite bad. An ugly loss to UNLV and struggles with Hawaii are not good marks, and SEC play has produced no other promising signs.

away vs. Texas A&M, Oct. 28

The Aggies looked like a tougher game a couple of weeks ago, but a team already with a good bit of uncertainty was dealt a bad blow with the season-ending injury for quarterback Connor Weigman. Max Johnson isn’t bad, and they still have talented players up and down the roster. They handled Auburn well and pulled away against Arkansas after a not great showing against Miami. Still, Weigman is the player who gave this group a pretty fearsome ceiling, and they didn’t exactly look fully in sync even before his injury.

home vs. Florida, Oct. 14

Billy Napier’s Gators came into the year promising a slow build. The offense has settled into an identity of super short passing and downhill power running (one expert called it Wisconsin south). The defense is good at disrupting things, making an offense go big to get any traction. If the Gamecocks can coax QB Graham Mertz into playing like he has for much of his career, this becomes a more winnable game. Florida looked like a sturdy opponent with a surprisingly high floor before the Kentucky game — now it looks a bit worse than that.

away vs. Missouri, Oct. 21

The Tigers are probably the most over-performing team on this list. They struggled early and needed a lot to go right to upend Kansas State, which stands as a top-flight win. The Brady Cook-Luther Burden connection has been lethal. The defense is nails against the run and a decent bend-don’t-break outfit against the pass. Their kicker can swing a game. The top quality win gives Mizzou a slight edge in projected toughness for USC (even if the Tigers meandered a bit against Vanderbilt).

home vs. Kentucky, Nov. 18

Dump-trucking Florida was an eye opener and raised Kentucky’s profile on USC’s schedule. The Wildcats had been good but not great early on, with quarterback Devin Leary looking decent but not unreal. Then running back Ray Davis went wild with 280 yards against a talented group of Gators. The UK receivers are excellent, the offensive line has been below standard and the defense is starting to look very good. This group might not have a whiz-bang ceiling, but it feels like the best of what’s coming up in conference for USC.

home vs. Clemson, Nov. 25

Yes, the Tigers already have two losses and seem destined for a worse-than-expected season. But they still have the ingredients to be incredibly dangerous — two very good running backs, a lot of defensive talent and a talented quarterback who has the most time to find his footing. We don’t know where Cade Klubnik’s game will be in November, but he has the best chance to be the biggest problem for South Carolina. It’s also worth noting that 3-2 Clemson being here speaks to the lack of a true force in the Gamecocks’ way.

This story was originally published October 2, 2023 at 9:09 AM.