Predicting South Carolina’s 2025 football games, from Virginia Tech to Clemson
Time to see if the reality lives up to the expectations.
No. 13 South Carolina, coming off a magical 9-4 season, enters 2025 with more hype and promise than any other Gamecocks football team in a decade. USC is talked about in playoff discussions. LaNorris Sellers has Heisman hope.
This could either be a once-in-a-generation season or another South Carolina letdown.
Here are our predictions:
Aug. 31: vs. Virginia Tech in Atlanta
South Carolina rolls to a convincing win over the Hokies.
Gamecocks edge Dylan Stewart corrals Hokies’ QB Kyron Drones and LaNorris Sellers lights up the Virginia Tech defense, getting a bevy of his freshman wide receivers involved.
In its opening betting line, Circa Sports listed the Gamecocks as 8-point favorites. They’ll win by two touchdowns.
>> Projected record to date: 1-0
Sept. 6: vs. South Carolina State
Not much to be said here. The Gamecocks rout S.C. State.
Sellers plays a half before Luke Doty, Air Noland and Cutter Woods take over at quarterback and we begin dissecting and analyzing the future of South Carolina’s QB position.
>> Projected record to date: 2-0
Sept. 13: vs. Vanderbilt
South Carolina gets back-to-back night games at Williams-Brice Stadium, takes a few punches from Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia but fires back and pulls out its first SEC victory of the season.
A year after Gamecocks RB Rocket Sanders totaled three touchdowns against the Commodores, USC tailbacks Oscar Adaway and Rahsul Faison each find the end zone twice.
>> Projected record to date: 3-0
Sept. 20: at Missouri
The Gamecocks survive another scare against Missouri and win at Faurot Field for the first time since 2017.
After coming into the season with two quarterbacks, Missouri throws Penn State transfer Beau Pribula out to start. And he’s solid — just nowhere near as good as Sellers.
>> Projected record to date: 4-0
Sept. 27: vs. Kentucky
Kentucky is back to being an SEC bottom-feeder and, heck, the Wildcats might be worse than they were last year.
The Gamecocks jump on Kentucky early and sack quarterback Zach Calzada a half-dozen times. Wide receiver Nyck Harbor has a 100-yard game and freshman Donovan Murph reels in a touchdown.
The Gamecocks head into the bye week undefeated.
>> Projected record to date: 5-0
Oct. 11: at LSU
South Carolina has spent two weeks being talked about as one of the best teams in America. “College Gameday” elects to spend its Saturday in Baton Rouge and the talk of the SEC is who’s better: Sellers or Garrett Nussmeier?
The pair of stud quarterbacks trade scores, but eventually South Carolina’s defense falters and the Tigers grab a lead and momentum at home, edging out a prime-time victory.
>> Projected record to date: 5-1
Oct. 18: vs. Oklahoma
South Carolina bounces back against Oklahoma. Sooners quarterback John Mateer plays spectacular, but the Gamecocks’ offense is just sharper.
Harbor is turning into one of the top receivers in the SEC. Mazeo Bennett is still reliable. A new freshman WR is emerging every week. And behind an improved O-line, Adaway, Faison and Sellers are powering a dangerous rushing attack.
>> Projected record to date: 6-1
Oct. 25: vs. Alabama
Fifteen years after the unforgettable upset of No. 1 Alabama, there is no deja vu.
Both teams turn the ball over. South Carolina can’t get its run game going. And, finally, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson leads the Crimson Tide on a game-winning drive to steal a game in Willy-B.
>> Projected record to date: 6-2
Nov. 1: at Ole Miss
A year after the Rebels came into Columbia and dominated South Carolina, the Gamecocks return the favor.
USC is just more physical, more explosive. The Heisman hype has faded a bit, but Sellers still lights up the Ole Miss defense, hitting Bennett and Brian Rowe for long touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks defense comes up with a few turnovers to quiet the Oxford crowd.
>> Projected record to date: 7-2
Nov. 15: at Texas A&M
After a much-needed bye week, the Gamecocks look sleepy during the first half of the morning game and fall behind early.
But then the offense starts rolling in the second. South Carolina establishes a run game and starts capitalizing on long drives. With four minutes left, Sellers leads another methodical drive, running down the clock and setting up Mason Love for a game-winning 29-yard field goal. It’s a no-doubter.
USC picks up its first victory at Kyle Field.
>> Projected record to date: 8-2
Nov. 22: vs. Coastal Carolina
Talk of the College Football Playoff is everywhere. It’s hard not to start thinking about the Clemson game. Coach Shane Beamer shows clips of USC’s loss to App State in 2019 and film of the near losses to Jacksonville State (2023) and Old Dominion (2023).
His team gets the message and beats Coastal by three touchdowns.
>> Projected record to date: 9-2
Nov. 29: vs. Clemson
A Palmetto Bowl for a playoff spot. The stakes of this rivalry have never been greater.
Sellers and Clemson QB Cade Klubnik — potentially a pair of Top-5 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft — dual it out, but Clemson eventually pulls it out.
For the fifth-straight year, Clemson-Carolina is won by the away team. The Tigers head to the playoff. Carolina is left to make its case to the College Football Playoff committee as the best three-loss team in America.
>> Projected regular-season record: 9-3
This year, though, the committee delivers some good news. South Carolina makes it into the field of 12 as the final at-large team.
Who do they play? How far do they advance? How does the season end? Well, that’s for you to dream about.
This story was originally published August 26, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
