South Carolina football: Gamecocks to face four national title contenders

South Carolina football faces a tough slate in 2021.

The South Carolina football team will face some tough sledding when it comes to the 2021 schedule. In Shane Beamer’s first season, the Gamecocks will be battle tested throughout a slate that ranks as one of the nation’s most difficult. The program takes on the defending ACC champions, the reigning SEC East champs, and two more teams that finished ranked in the final top 10 of the AP Poll from last season.

Taking things a step further, ESPN recently broke down the top national title contenders for the upcoming year based on their annual FPI projections. The FPI is a formula that predicts future outcomes based on a team’s strength of schedule, returning roster, past performance, and recruiting ratings. According to the site, the Gamecocks will face four of the top 10 contenders to take home this year’s College Football Playoff trophy, including the favorite to win it all in 2021.

First on the list is Florida, who comes in at No. 10. They’ve been given a 0.6% percent chance of winning a national title this season, but they’ll have a ton of offensive production to replace. Gone are quarterback Kyle Trask and top pass catchers Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney. Still, the Gators are confident that Trask’s replacement can have similar success as they look to make a repeat performance in the SEC Championship Game.

Next up is Texas A&M at No. 6, with a 3.4% chance of taking home the hardware. The Aggies just missed out on the final spot in last year’s College Football Playoff after finishing the regular season 8-1. That lone loss came in week two against eventual champion Alabama. Quarterback Kellen Mond is off to the NFL, but the Aggies have maybe the best running back room in the SEC and loads of talent on defense. Jimbo Fisher should have his team near the top of the SEC West standings come year’s end.

Right after Texas A&M comes Georgia at No. 5 with a 4.2% chance of winning it all. The Bulldogs have an immense amount of talent returning on both sides of the football, and they’ve been the unanimous choice to win the SEC East and meet Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. JT Daniels returns after leading the team to wins in its final four contests. He’s hoping to pick up right where he left off in 2021.

Finally, South Carolina will face the favorite to win the national title according to ESPN in the season finale. Clemson comes in at No.1 on the list, having been given a 28% chance of winning the championship. The Tigers must replace first overall draft selection Trevor Lawrence and the ACC’s all-time leading rusher Travis Etienne, but they do return maybe the nation’s best defensive line. The defensive unit should help new signal caller DJ Uiagalelei settle in, and the Tigers will have the least challenging slate of any of these title contenders. If Clemson can get by Georgia in week one, another undefeated regular season could be in the works.