South Carolina football’s swing game in ’21.
Each season, there are swing games on the schedule. These swing games are defined as winnable contests that fall in crucial parts of the slate. A big victory could provide momentum to your team as it finishes out the season. A loss could cause a lingering effect that sees a program crumble.
Earlier this week, Josh Pate of 24/7 Sports broke down a swing game on each SEC Eastern division team’s schedule. The Gamecocks were mentioned a couple of times, and it appears they’ll be an important matchup for a familiar foe in the 2021 season.
Last year, we could point to the LSU game as being a major swing game. The Gamecocks were riding high following an upset of Auburn, and sat at 2-2 heading into meeting with the Tigers in Baton Rouge. A win might’ve resulted in the team taking a major step forward, even flirting a spot in the top 25.
Unfortunately, South Carolina fell flat in a 52-24 drubbing, and the team failed to win another game. How can Shane Beamer avoid this outcome in his inaugural season?
Let’s start with South Carolina’s swing game matchup. Pate lists the Kentucky Wildcats as an important early season contest that could be the difference in the Gamecocks’ either reaching the postseason or staying home for the holidays with a third consecutive losing campaign.
"“This is about not letting Georgia beat you twice.”"
The Kentucky game falls on the last weekend of September, sandwiched in between matchups with Georgia and Troy. South Carolina won’t be favored in a trip to Athens the week prior, but the Gamecocks’ can’t let the hangover effect of what will likely be their first loss result in a lackluster showing at home versus the Wildcats.
This matchup will be the first SEC contest in Williams-Brice Stadium next year, and a big win could potentially catapult the Gamecocks into a 6-1 start. South Carolina will be favored in four of its first seven games. If the team can take down Kentucky and build momentum riding into a matchup with Tennessee, the Gamecocks can reach bowl eligibility by the season’s midway point. They’ll need to load up on all the wins they can early, as the late portion of the year ends with consecutive meetings against Texas A&M, Florida, Missouri, Auburn, and Clemson.
A loss, however, would see the Gamecocks start 0-2 in conference, limping into a road trip to Knoxville two weeks later. If the young roster doesn’t find early confidence, we could see another late season skid. There are a few toss-up games early in the year, and this is certainly one of them. A win would be a great start to the Shane Beamer era.
South Carolina football could ruin the season of another SEC East foe.
The Gamecocks were also mentioned as being the swing game for the Tennessee Volunteers, who Pate says sit in a similar position to South Carolina heading into 2021. Both programs are under new leadership, with Josh Heupel taking over as head coach in Knoxville. Tennessee, too, will be looking to reach bowl eligibility, and a matchup with the Gamecocks could be the difference.
"“It’s coming off of a back-to-back road stretch and then Tennessee’s going to be underdogs in the next four games. They’re going to have to have a couple where they just find a way to win.”"
The meeting comes right in the middle of the year for the Vols. Prior to the matchup, they’ll travel to Florida and Missouri for back-to-back road trips, meaning they could be entering on a two-game skid. The games following include Ole Miss, Alabama, Kentucky, and Georgia. It’s hard to pick out wins on Tennessee’s schedule, so you can bet they’ll have this one circled.
This series has been historically close. Eight of the last nine outcomes have been decided by six points or less, with Tennessee holding a slight 5-4 advantage. Since 2000, 15 of the 21 meetings have resulted in a one-score difference. This game always seems to come down to the wire. The final outcome will have a major effect on each team’s season.