South Carolina football: game by game predictions for the 2020 season

The South Carolina football team is set to begin its 2020 season at the end of September. How will the Gamecocks fare?

The 10-game SEC slate is scheduled to begin on September 26th though the order of those matchups has not yet been announced. What we do know are the opponents. The conference released the foes for each of its member institutions last week, as it looks to move forward with league-only competition in 2020.

South Carolina will play its eight originally scheduled conference opponents, while also drawing Auburn and Ole Miss from the western division to fill out the season. How will the Gamecocks will fare next year?

Follow us as we go game-by-game with predictions on the 2020 South Carolina football season.

EASTERN DIVISION MATCHUPS

The Gamecocks face their six annual eastern division foes, two of whom are ranked in the top 10 of the latest preseason poll. They pulled an upset in Athens a year ago, but lost matchups to Florida, Missouri, and Tennessee. Can they turn the tides in 2020?

Florida

The Gators return maybe the SEC’s best quarterback, as well as a creative play caller in Dan Mullen. They also return key pass catchers Trevon Grimes, Kadarius Toney, and all-SEC tight end Kyle Pitts. They should field one of the conference’s better offensive attacks in 2020.

Defensively, a few key pieces are missing from a unit that led the SEC in sacks last season, but Florida should have some young talent that can fill in. They’ll have their eyes set on an SEC title next year.

The Gamecocks have blown second half leads against the Gators in each of the last two seasons. They’ll hope to end that trend in 2020, but it will be tough to leave the Swamp with a win over what could be a top 10 team.

Prediction – LOSS

Georgia

The Gamecocks pulled the upset in Athens last year. Can they go back-to-back in 2020? The Bulldogs have a few question marks on offense, most notably, the replacement of quarterback Jake Fromm. Gone, too, is all-SEC rusher D’Andre Swift, and first-round selections Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson on the offensive line. Kirby Smart brought in Todd Monken to be his new offensive coordinator.

Defensively, Georgia is stacked. The nation’s No. 1 ranked scoring defense of 2019 could be even better in 2020. The good news for the Gamecocks is that they get the Bulldogs in Columbia. Mike Bobo will look to field a productive offense against his former employer as South Carolina attempts to pull the upset. It may be a task that proves to be too difficult, though.

Prediction – LOSS

Kentucky

The Wildcats won eight games a year ago despite having to play a wide receiver at quarterback for half the season. Lynn Bowden, Jr. is gone, but signal caller Terry Wilson returns after suffering a knee injury in 2019. They’ll also bring back a productive rushing attack, returning three of last season’s top tailback options.  Defensively, the Wildcats are stout, as most of its key contributors are back in 2020.

South Carolina got the best of Kentucky last year, ending a five-game losing streak to the eastern division foe. They’ll travel to Lexington next season, as they look to continue their winning ways. It will be tough, in what’s sure to be a low-scoring defensive battle, but I think the Gamecocks pull this one out.

Prediction – WIN

Missouri

South Carolina played one of its worst games offensively in CoMo last year, scoring just 14 points while also allowing the Tiger defense to find the endzone on two occasions. Quarterback Ryan Hilinski looked sloppy in his first career SEC road matchup, but things should change in Columbia, SC this upcoming season.

Missouri brings in new head coach Eli Drinkwitz as they look to improve on last year’s six-win output. They also need to replace starters at quarterback, tight end, and wide receiver. Larry Rountree returns at running back, where he’s been an all-SEC performer. He’s rushed for more than 700 yards in each of his first three seasons.

With the Tigers’ questions on offense, I think South Carolina is in a good position to win this one. They’ll look to get back in the win column in the series.

Prediction – WIN

Tennessee

The Vols return senior quarterback Jarrett Guarantano who’s played in 34 career games, but he needs to be more consistent for the team to take the next step. He’ll have to fend off some competition behind him on the roster, too, if he wants to keep his starting role. Tennessee needs to find some players for Guarantano to get the ball to, too, as their top two receivers in Jauan Jennings and Marquez Callaway are gone. The rushing attack should be fine with Eric Gray coming back, and the offensive line unit may be the team’s best.

Defensively, it was a tale of two seasons for the Volunteer group. The unit allowed more than 28 points in five of its first seven contests, as the team got off to a 2-5 start. Then, a switch flipped, as the defense didn’t allow a team to top 22 points over its final six matchups, all of which were Tennessee wins.

I think the defense will keep Tennessee in this one, but the inconsistency at quarterback will bite the Vols. Don’t expect another 41-point outburst like the one the Gamecocks saw last season. South Carolina leaves Williams-Brice with a victory.

Prediction – WIN

Vanderbilt

The Commodores come into 2020 with little expectations, after winning just three games a season ago. South Carolina got the best of Vanderbilt last year, winning in Columbia by a score of 24-7. They’ll travel to Nashville next year.

Vandy loses starters at every skill position, which could spell trouble for Derrick Mason’s group. The Commodores typically field a competent defense, which may be the team’s saving grace. Vanderbilt always pulls an upset over an SEC foe. Let’s hope that the Gamecocks aren’t their next victims.

Prediction – WIN

WESTERN DIVISION MATCHUPS

The Gamecocks get a tough draw from the western division. The SEC didn’t do the program many favors as South Carolina faces defending national champion LSU, preseason top 15 teams Auburn and Texas A&M, and up-and-coming Ole Miss.

Auburn

Auburn was just recently added to the slate, and the Gamecocks will host the Tigers in 2020. Much like South Carolina, Auburn lost a few talented defensive linemen to the NFL draft, but they return an exciting second-year quarterback. Bo Nix played well as a freshman in the SEC, ending the regular season with an upset win over archrival Alabama. He’ll face off against sophomore Ryan Hilinski and a young Gamecock offense in Williams-Brice Stadium.

The Tigers have huge question marks at offensive line and running back, but the wide receiver unit could be the conference’s best. On defense, the Tigers lose a few members of its secondary, which will need to be shored up in 2020.

I’m predicting a Gamecocks upset, here, as Hilinski and Co. expose a the back end of the Auburn defensive unit. South Carolina finally ends its eight-game series losing streak.

Prediction – WIN

LSU

Death Valley is a tough place to play, and the defending national champions will be eager to prove that last year’s performance wasn’t just a flash in the pan.

Gone are Heisman trophy winner Joe Burrow, and first round talents Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Justin Jefferson, K’Lavon Chaisson, and Patrick Queen. There may be some question marks on the roster, but there’s also talent.

The matchup to watch will be between those explosive Tiger receivers and an experienced Gamecock secondary. South Carolina has a chance to make things interesting, but I don’t have the confidence to go against LSU, yet.

Prediction – LOSS

Ole Miss

The Gamecocks travel to Oxford in 2020 to take on the Ole Miss Rebels. They escaped with a 48-44 win back in 2018, and hope for similar results this time around.

Ole Miss brings in new head coach Lane Kiffin, who’s back in the SEC after a short stint at Florida Atlantic. It will be interesting to see his offensive strategy when lining up against Will Muschamp’s defense.

I, for one, have a bad feeling about this matchup. The Rebels have two talented quarterbacks in Matt Corral and John Rhys Plumlee. They also return a star in the making at running back in Jerrion Ealy. The Gamecocks will need to find a way to slow down a rushing attack that ranked in the top 10 nationally a year ago if they want to have a chance at winning.

Prediction – LOSS

Texas A&M

The Aggies return the most experience in the conference as they look to finally take that next step in the SEC West. The good news for South Carolina is that they get A&M in Columbia. That might be the only thing for the Gamecocks to get excited about, especially following the 30-6 shellacking received from the Aggies last year.

Senior quarterback Kellen Mond will have his eyes set on the SEC title game, and Jimbo Fisher will try to find a way to utilize what should be a high-powered offense. It’s hard to see the Gamecocks escaping with a win here, which means they’ll still be winless against their western division foe.

Prediction – LOSS

If these projections play out, South Carolina is en route to a 5-5 season, which would be an improvement from last year. The Gamecocks could certainly pull an upset or drop a game they’re expected to win, but five wins seems like a good place to start when looking at the schedule.