South Carolina football: Vegas sets win total for 2021

Can South Carolina football exceed expectations?

The South Carolina football team will begin its 2021 season on September 4th with a matchup versus the Eastern Illinois Panthers. The contest will kick off Shane Beamer’s first campaign on the sidelines in Columbia, as he looks to improve upon the win total from last season.

This week, sportsbooks began releasing win total projections for teams around the nation, with South Carolina being one of them. Vegas doesn’t appear to be too high on the Gamecocks, as they’ve set the over/under at just four wins.

That total is lower than last year’s prediction of five wins, which the program fell short of in 2020. The Gamecocks have won just six games in the last two seasons, combined, but there is a path in sight for the team to exceed the preseason projections and achieve bowl eligibility.

Why South Carolina football will exceed expectations

The Gamecocks should have four, dare we say, “automatic” wins on the schedule. The non-conference slate consists of matchups versus Eastern Illinois, East Carolina, and Troy. All three should be victories based on level of competition.

South Carolina should also be favored in a home contest against Vanderbilt. A win there would see the Gamecocks meet that four-win total in the team’s first seven games. As long as South Carolina can find one more win against Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Florida, Missouri, Auburn, or Clemson, bettors can cash in on an ‘over’ wager. South Carolina likely will be underdogs in each of those matchups, but it’s not unfathomable to think the Gamecocks can land a victory in one of those eight contests. In fact, most sports outlets are already predicting a 5-7 overall record when the 2021 season ends.

Smart money appears to be on the over if the total stays at four for the foreseeable future.