South Carolina football listed as a potential upset threat.
The South Carolina football season will begin on September 4th with a matchup against Eastern Illinois. As is the case with most offseasons, writers and analysts have begun to make predictions on the outcomes for each team, early rankings, possible upsets, and playoff contenders. The Gamecocks have been mentioned in a few of these projections, but it’s hard to guess how the program will perform in its first season under head coach Shane Beamer.
ESPN has used its FPI formula to project the season outcome, pegging the Gamecocks as a 4-8 team by season’ send. That formula sees South Carolina winning the games it should (Eastern Illinois, East Carolina, Troy, and Vanderbilt), while losing the rest.
But what if the Gamecocks are able to pull an upset or two? One writer believes that South Carolina has a chance to knock off one of the SEC East powers and finish a bit better than most think.
Brad Crawford of 24/7 Sports recently released his list of possible trap games in the 2021 season, with one featuring the Gamecocks taking down reigning division champion Florida. Here’s what Crawford likes about the matchup in regards to the Gamecocks.
"The Gators’ second-to-last SEC game of the season comes a week after arguably Florida’s most important game — a showdown vs. Georgia on Oct. 30. By this point in the season, first-year Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer will likely still be looking for his first signature win over a nationally-ranked team and Florida could post an ideal opportunity since the game’s in Columbia, S.C."
There are some factors that play into South Carolina’s favor here, with the first being that the game is at home. The Gamecocks have played the Gators tough in Williams-Brice Stadium of late, winning three of the last five meetings in Columbia, with the two losses coming by a combined 21 points.
Also of note, Florida will be breaking in a new quarterback, while also having to replace star pass catchers Kadarius Toney and Kyle Pitts. The game will take place late in the year, meaning the Gators should have these replacements cemented in the lineup, but it’s hard to imagine the new contributors matching the production of two first-round picks and a 4,000-yard passer.
South Carolina has its issues, too, particularly on defense, but this is certainly a game to keep an eye on, especially if the Gators lose their matchup with Georgia the week prior and fall out of contention for an SEC Championship appearance.