South Carolina football: best and worst case scenarios for the 2021 season

Best Case Scenario for South Carolina football

The Gamecocks come out of the gates hot on offense, and a strong showing from the defensive line helps mask the issues in the back end of the defense. Kevin Harris picks up right where he left off, pacing the Gamecocks with another monster rushing effort. Luke Doty finds a weapon at wideout, and the new transfers on defense fit right into the scheme.

The Gamecocks take care of Eastern Illinois, East Carolina, and Troy out of conference, and take down Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee to get off to a 6-1 start. The only loss comes in SEC play during a road trip to Georgia. While the back half of the schedule is much tougher, South Carolina finds a way to knock off a rebuilding Florida, leaves Missouri with a win, and defeats Auburn for a second straight season to finish 9-3.

This scenario obviously sees everything going right for the Gamecocks in 2021, as they’d likely have to pull off four or five upsets to reach the nine-win mark. It’s not unreasonable to believe that South Carolina can take down Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida, Missouri, or Auburn, but it’s highly unlikely that they’ll beat them all in the same season. If they do, Shane Beamer will be up for national coach of the year honors.

Now, on to the worst case scenario, which coach Beamer will be looking to avoid in year one with the Gamecocks.