South Carolina football: Gamecocks’ chances of making each bowl game

Will South Carolina football go bowling this season?

South Carolina will begin its first season under new head coach Shane Beamer this Fall, as the program looks to improve upon a disappointing 2020 campaign. The team has won just six games over the last two years, missing out on bowl eligibility on each occasion. Can the Gamecocks end that streak in 2021 and get back to postseason play?

There is certainly a path to six wins on the South Carolina schedule, though it may take an upset or two. The Gamecocks should be favored in three of its four non-conference matchups, as well as a mid-October meeting with Vanderbilt. If the team can find two more wins in the remaining eight contests, which isn’t inconceivable, a bowl appearance will be in store.

Earlier in the week, the 2021 schedule was released, with dates being set for each respective bowl. What are the Gamecocks’ chances of landing a spot in each of the announced matchups?

Let’s go through each bowl game and predict South Carolina’s odds of making an appearance, starting with the College Football Playoff.

College Football Playoff – NO CHANCE

Orange Bowl

Dec. 31, 2021

Miami, FL at Hard Rock Stadium

The bowl typically pits the highest ranked non-playoff ACC team against a non-playoff team from the SEC, Big 10, or Notre Dame. With the game being part of the College Football Playoff this year, those tie-ins go away, and the matchup will see two of the top four teams compete for a national title opportunity. South Carolina has never appeared in the Orange Bowl, and it seems very unlikely that they’ll earn their first bid this season.

Cotton Bowl

Dec. 31, 2021

Arlington, TX at AT&T Stadium

The Cotton Bowl will be the other College Football Playoff matchup, with the winner moving on to the national championship. The Gamecocks have never played in the game, and like the previously mentioned Orange Bowl, that first appearance won’t come in 2021.