South Carolina Football vs. The Big 10
The Big 10 (or BIG) has several bowl tie-ins that match up with SEC bowl tie-ins, so South Carolina football has had a crack at more programs from the northeastern part of the country than one might expect. The Gamecocks are 3-1 against the Michigan Wolverines, 2-0 against Ohio State, and won their last matchup with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 2011-2012 Capital One Bowl.
Illinois: The Fighting Illini and the Gamecocks have never matched up on the football field. That almost changed last season as several outlets projected Carolina and Illinois to play in the Reliaquest Bowl (formerly the Outback Bowl) in Tampa. Instead, Illinois took on Mississippi State while South Carolina played Notre Dame a couple of hours north in Jacksonville in the Gator Bowl.
Michigan State: Despite playing Michigan four times, the Gamecocks have never played against the Wolverines’ in-state rivals. The Spartans and Gamecocks both have been frequent participants in the Peach Bowl, Outback Bowl, and Capital One Bowl, so it feels as if it just a matter of time before the two teams meet in the postseason.
Minnesota: Minnesota is another Big 10 team that seems like a likely bowl game opponent for South Carolina football. Each team has played multiple times in the Music City Bowl and Outback Bowl against other opponents, but the matchup between the two teams has remained elusive.
Purdue: A game between two relatively unique mascots (Gamecocks and Boilermakers) has never happened in football. A bowl matchup between the two is possible but relatively unlikely. Unless it is in the Music City Bowl, the two teams would likely need to win 9 games or more to play in the Outback Bowl or Capital One Bowl, something Purdue has only done twice in the last 25 years.
Rutgers: Rutgers may be the oldest college football program in existence, but the Gamecocks have never played the Scarlet Knights. A matchup in the near future seems unlikely, but if it did happen, the fanbases can argue about whether garnet or scarlet is the better version of deep red for football uniforms.