South Carolina football schedule ranking: No. 9-11
No. 11 – Troy Trojans, Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC
Troy will come to town in mid October, sandwiched in between matchups with Kentucky and Tennessee. If the Gamecocks get caught looking ahead, an upset could be looming. The Trojans have been known to sneak up on foes, too, taking down Nebraska in 2018 and LSU in 2017.
Quarterback Gunnar Watson returns in 2021 after throwing for more than 2,100 yards, as does leading rusher Kimani Vidal. The South Carolina defense had better be ready or it could wind up being a disappointing trap game in the first half of the year.
No. 10 – Vanderbilt Commodores, Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC
The Gamecocks host Vanderbilt in October and they’ll look to extend its current 12-game winning streak in the series. South Carolina hasn’t been defeated by the Commodores since 2008, and they’ve lost just twice to Vandy since the turn of the century.
Vanderbilt does return Ken Seals after a promising freshman season under center, but the Gamecocks should be favored in this home matchup. They’ve outscored the Commodores 102-28 in their last three meetings, and will hope to see similar results in 2021.
No. 9 – East Carolina Pirates, Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greeneville, NC
ECU presents the Gamecocks with their first road matchup, and a tricky opponent early in the year. South Carolina will likely be working out some kinks in this game two meeting with both the offense and defense installing new schemes.
The Pirates return a ton of talent on offense, led by fourth-year passer Holton Ahlers. The multi-year starter could cause problems for a Gamecocks’ secondary that’s working in new players at all four positions. This game also comes a week before South Carolina takes on SEC East rival Georgia. Looking ahead could be detrimental.