South Carolina football: Week one opponent announced

The South Carolina football team learned who they’ll be playing in week one of the 2020 season.

At 3pm Monday afternoon, the first week of the Southeastern Conference schedule was released. Announced live on the Paul Finebaum Show, each of the league’s 14 member institutions learned their fates for opening weekend.

The lead up to this moment has been much anticipated since the SEC’s announcement that it will move to a conference-only season amid the Coronavirus pandemic. Week one is scheduled to take place on September 26th.

The first week consists of some great matchups, which may be headlined by Tennessee travelling to Williams-Brice Stadium to face South Carolina. Other contests include Alabama vs. Missouri, Georgia vs. Arkansas, Kentucky vs. Auburn, Florida vs. Ole Miss, Mississippi State vs. LSU, and Vanderbilt vs. Texas A&M.

The Gamecocks and Volunteers have met a total of 38 times, with Tennessee holding a 26-10-2 advantage. The Gamecocks have taken three of the last four overall meetings, though, and five of the last six matchups in Columbia.

This will be the first time since 2003 that the game is scheduled in September, as it’s typically played around Halloween weekend. Tennessee has never been an SEC opener for the Gamecocks.

A particularly close series of late, 14 of the last 20 meetings between the two schools have been decided by just a single score. Six of the last eight have been won by three points or less.

Tennessee is riding a one-game win streak following a 41-21 win in Knoxville last season. They return a ton of experience on the offensive side of the football after posting eight wins in 2019. The Vols earned victories in each of their final six contests, culminating with a 23-22 win over Indiana in the Gator Bowl.

The remainder of the condensed 2020 season will be revealed tonight at 7pm on the SEC Network. The Gamecocks, and fellow league members, will soon know how the full slate sets up. Stay tuned to Garnet and Cocky for updates to come regarding the SEC schedule.