A Gamecocks victory over Va Tech would be biggest season-opening win since when?
——This is part of a summer series. Leading up to the start of South Carolina’s 2025 season, The State is answering 25 of the most-interesting questions surrounding the Gamecocks football team. This is No. 24. ——
Let’s start with a caveat: South Carolina does not need to play marquee season openers.
It sort of all ties into the reason coach Shane Beamer isn’t gung-ho about the possibility of the SEC moving to a nine-game conference schedule. Not only are the Gamecocks going through the SEC gauntlet, they already have a built-in non-conference showdown in the Palmetto Bowl versus Clemson.
Yet, South Carolina will begin the 2025 college football season against Virginia Tech. The game, which will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, will be a standalone game for TV viewers, kicking off on ESPN at 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31.
Of course, the narrative leading up the game will be about Beamer not only facing off against his alma mater but the school his father, Frank Beamer, turned into a powerhouse. It should be noted: The game contract between South Carolina and Virginia Tech was signed in August 2020 — less than three months before Beamer took the USC gig.
But let’s skip ahead and make the prediction of a South Carolina victory. A win would be the biggest season-opening victory since when?
First, let’s throw out all the recent-ish Week 1 losses: Texas A&M (2014), North Carolina (‘19 and ‘23) and Tennessee (‘20).
Then let’s toss any wins against the Group of 5. Goodbye Southern Mississippi (‘10), East Carolina (‘11), Coastal Carolina (‘18), Eastern Illinois (‘21), Georgia State (‘22) and Old Dominion (‘24).
Accounting for the last 15 seasons, that leaves season-opening victories over: Vanderbilt (‘12), North Carolina (‘13 and ‘14) and N.C. State (‘17).
None of those teams were ranked — but, then again, Virginia Tech likely won’t be ranked on Aug. 31. Heck, according to South Carolina’s record book, the Gamecocks haven’t opened a season with a ranked win in over three decades. Not since 1993, when Brandon Bennett went over the top in the final seconds as USC knocked off No. 14 Georgia in Athens.
Back to Virginia Tech. The Hokies, led by fourth-year head coach Brent Pry, are coming off a 6-7 season that ended with a loss to Minnesota in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. They are a mediocre ACC team that may have a decently-high ceiling if only because they return quarterback Kyron Drones and, well, play in the ACC.
A South Carolina victory over Virginia Tech will be expected. The Gamecocks should be favored by double digits. Therefore, if USC comes out with a win, it will probably be the most impressive season-opening victory since beating N.C. State in 2017. That Wolfpack squad was coming off a 7-6 season and eventually finished 9-4.
As for the Gamecocks, they won the opener and went on to also finish 9-4, capping off the best season of Will Muschamp’s tenure. Perhaps an early ACC win will also propel Beamer and USC to a stellar year.
South Carolina 2025 football schedule
“Flex” games kick off in either 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. range or 7 to 8 p.m. range
- Aug. 31: vs. Virginia Tech in Atlanta, 3 p.m. on ESPN
- Sept. 6: vs. SC State, 7 p.m. on SECN+
- Sept. 13: vs. Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. on ESPN OR 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network
- Sept. 20: at Missouri, flex game (afternoon or night)
- Sept. 27: vs. Kentucky, flex game (afternoon or night)
- Oct. 4: BYE WEEK
- Oct. 11: at LSU, flex game (afternoon or night)
- Oct. 18: vs. Oklahoma, early game (noon to 1 p.m.)
- Oct. 25: vs. Alabama, flex game (afternoon or night)
- Nov. 1: at Ole Miss, flex game (afternoon or night)
- Nov. 8: BYE WEEK
- Nov. 15: at Texas A&M, early game (noon to 1 p.m.)
- Nov. 22: vs. Coastal Carolina, afternoon game (3:30 to 4:30 p.m.)
- Nov. 29: vs. Clemson, noon on ESPN or ABC
25 QUESTIONS FOR THE 2025 SEASON:
No. 25 — What South Carolina positions have the most question marks heading into season?
No. 24 — A Gamecocks victory over Va. Tech would be biggest season-opening win since when?
No. 23 — How will South Carolina’s QB room shake out in 2025 and beyond?
No. 22 — If USC beat Bama or LSU in ’24, would national conversation be different right now?
No. 21 — Can the Gamecocks’ offensive line take a step forward in 2025?
No. 20 — What former South Carolina football player will get his jersey retired next?
No. 19 — Can South Carolina get to the LSU game undefeated?
No. 18 — Will Fred Johnson be South Carolina’s next great LB?
No. 17 — What’s the most important stretch in USC’s 2025 schedule?
No. 16 — Can South Carolina’s defense stay elite despite all its roster turnover?
No. 15 — What South Carolina school records could be broken in 2025?
No. 14 — What’s the ceiling for USC’s running backs, with or without Rahsul Faison?
No. 13 — Can South Carolina’s special teams get back to Beamer Ball standard?
No. 12 — Have Gamecocks found right balance of high school football talent, transfers?
No. 11 — How will Shane Beamer go viral this year with South Carolina?
No. 10 — Is South Carolina too young at wide receiver?
No. 9 — Is this South Carolina’s easiest schedule in the Shane Beamer era?
No. 8 — Will there be noticeable changes in Mike Shula’s offense at South Carolina?
No. 7 — Can South Carolina football stay relatively healthy again in 2025?
No. 6 — Is this the last year for Williams-Brice Stadium as we know it?
No. 5 — What does a path to the playoff look like for South Carolina?
No. 4 — What happens if South Carolina football is no longer an underdog?
No. 3 — How would a 10-win season in 2025 shape Shane Beamer’s legacy in Columbia?
No. 2 — Can Dylan Stewart have a better season than Jadeveon Clowney did in 2012?
No. 1 — Can LaNorris Sellers become the best QB in South Carolina history?
This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
