South Carolina football: 5 Gamecock foes ranked in preseason coaches poll

The South Carolina football schedule looks daunting with the recent release of the preseason coaches’ poll.

USA Today recently released the 2020 preseason coaches’ poll, and the Gamecocks found a few familiar foes in the rankings. Five of South Carolina’s ten opponents are ranked in the top 25, while two others just missed the cut (No. 26 Tennessee, No. 29 Kentucky).

The Gamecocks will play their annually scheduled matchups against Florida, Georgia, and Texas A&M. They also have crossover contests against LSU and Auburn.

The SEC’s decision to move to a conference-only season in 2020 took Clemson off the Carolina schedule for the first time in 111 years. The Tigers are ranked at the top of the poll after appearing in the national title game last season.

The highest ranked team on the Gamecock slate is Georgia. The Bulldogs come in at No. 4 in the initial poll, even after losing starting quarterback Jake Fromm and tailback DeAndre Swift. South Carolina upset the Bulldogs in Athens a year ago.

LSU ranks a spot behind Georgia, with the Tigers coming in at No. 5. LSU loses Heisman trophy winner Joe Burrow and a slew of talented players from last season’s national championship team. The Gamecocks haven’t played the Tigers since 2015.

Florida is next to appear in the rankings, positioned at No. 8. The Gators have notched come-from-behind victories in each of their last two meetings with the Gamecocks. They’ll meet in the Swamp this season.

Auburn was recently added to the Carolina schedule. The Tigers come in with an opening ranking of No. 11. The last meeting in this series was in 2014.

The last team to appear in the poll is Texas A&M, who secured a No. 13 ranking. The Aggies return senior quarterback Kellen Mond and look to make some noise in the SEC West. They won last year’s meeting 30-6, but will travel to Williams-Brice Stadium in 2020.