Can South Carolina get to the LSU game undefeated? The hype would be huge
The SEC schedule makers seem to be unsure of South Carolina.
They were not down on the Gamecocks enough to load up their slate with a bunch of matinees. And they were not so high on South Carolina as to ensure that USC was playing in prime time almost every week.
Rather, the SEC decided to “flex” five of South Carolina’s eight conference games — meaning those games will kick off anywhere between 3:30 to 8 p.m. And with flexed games, the SEC has up to six days before the game to lock in the start time. Basically, it gives the conference some time to decide what matchups are worthy of prime time.
On some level, it’s understandable.
On another, it’s hard to look toward Saturday, Oct. 11 and think that South Carolina and LSU won’t be playing under the lights in Baton Rouge. What a shame that would be, especially considering all the build-up and hype that will dominate that week.
It’ll be the rematch after some combination of South Carolina penalties, a backup quarterback and, of course, refereeing led to LSU overcoming a 17-point deficit to beat the Gamecocks in Williams-Brice Stadium last season.
It’ll also be the second meeting between two of the best quarterbacks in college football: USC’s LaNorris Sellers and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, both of whom are generating plenty of preseason Heisman buzz.
If all goes to plan, it might be the most-anticipated college football game of the week — especially when considering the other serious Week 7 candidates are Oklahoma vs. Texas (a 3:30 p.m. kickoff), Florida at Texas A&M and Michigan at Southern Cal. Hello, “College GameDay”?
The hype, too, likely won’t be hollow. It is not wild to think that the winner of South Carolina at LSU will emerge as an early-season favorite to make the College Football Playoff. The victor will vault in every rankings. Their fans will frantically begin booking hotels (hopefully, refundable ones) in Atlanta for the SEC Championship.
Before any of that can happen, South Carolina and LSU both have to handle their business in the first five weeks of the season. A matchup of undefeateds is a whole lot juicer that a showdown between the No. 18 and No. 24 team in America — and that might just be the difference between a 3:30 and a 7 pm kickoff.
The real pressure is on LSU, which has to have one of the toughest August-September schedules in America. It opens the season at Clemson. Two weeks later, the Tigers host a Florida team that might be dangerous behind quarterback DJ Lagway. Then, two weeks after that, LSU plays Ole Miss in Oxford — a place the Tigers haven’t won since 2019.
Consider that gruesome stretch. Now read South Carolina’s first five games.
- Aug. 31 — vs. Virginia Tech (finished 6-7 last season) in Atlanta
- Sept. 6 — vs. South Carolina State (9-3 // FCS team)
- Sept. 13 — vs. Vanderbilt (7-6)
- Sept. 20 — at Missouri (10-3)
- Sept. 27 — vs. Kentucky (4-8)
On paper, that is as close to a five-game cake walk as an SEC team will ever have. Aside from the contest at Missouri — which lost its starting QB, right tackle and All-SEC wide receiver (Luther Burden III) — the Gamecocks will be heavy favorites in every other game. To be anything but undefeated heading into the LSU matchup would seemingly be a disappointment — which makes the stretch so important.
Slip up in any one of those five games and there will be questions about how good the Gamecocks are. Make it to Baton Rouge without a blemish and the hype will be warranted.
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 July 1, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
