South Carolina Football: The Gamecocks have never played these teams
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football vs. The Pac-12
The Pac-12 and the SEC are about as far away geographically as two leagues can get in college football, even with all the wild expansion that has been occurring recently. Because of this, South Carolina has only played Southern Cal (the other USC) from the league. Unfortunately for determining bragging rights and ownership of the abbreviation, the two USC programs are 1-1 against each other on the football field.
Arizona: At first glance, the Wildcats of Arizona seem like one of the least likely teams for South Carolina to ever play, but the team is traveling east this fall to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs as the second leg of a home-and-home series. Maybe Arizona’s willingness to travel will make it possible for them to play Carolina at some point, but the Las Vegas Bowl (SEC vs. Pac-12 in even years) seems to be the only realistic way this game would ever get played.
Arizona State: Whoever scheduled games for Mississippi State is a crazy person, because the Bulldogs also have a home-and-home on the books with Arizona State. The Sun Devils are a traveling group as they are also set to go to Texas A&M, LSU, and Florida in the near future. The Gamecocks and Devils have never played, but with that willingness to play across the country, maybe that will change. The Las Vegas Bowl is also in play in even years.
California: The Golden Bears of Cal are another Pac-12 program that is not afraid of long flights. Cal will travel to Florida, Auburn, and Minnesota in the next six years, so a trip to Columbia doesn’t seem too far out of the question. A bowl matchup with the Gamecocks seems unlikely for the first-ever football competition between the schools as Cal has only made three bowls since 2011.
Colorado: Colorado is set to move to the Big 12 soon, so the Buffaloes could be more willing to travel east in the future as most of their games will involve moving at least one time zone eastward anyway. There could be some intrigue in a Carolina-Colorado brouhaha as CU head coach Deion Sanders’ son Shilo played for two seasons in Columbia, and the two programs have unexpectedly faced off for multiple recruits in the last year or two.
Oregon: Oregon fans are mad at South Carolina right now over the recruitment of 5-star athlete Nyck Harbor, so a first-time meeting between the Ducks and Gamecocks would have plenty of interest. Which fowl would reign supreme remains to be seen, though, as there does not appear to be any way this competitive appointment gets made outside of a bowl matchup.
Oregon State: The Beavers of Oregon State are not likely to be on the Carolina schedule any time soon. However, there are some connections between Oregon State and the Palmetto State. Former Clemson starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei transferred to Corvalis this offseason, and former Gamecock running back Deshaun Fenwick will be using his last year of eligibility at OSU.
Stanford: South Carolina baseball had some high-stakes postseason matchups with the Stanford Cardinal in the early 2000s, but the two schools have never played in football. Stanford, a team whose name is a color and whose mascot is a tree, has a rivalry with Notre Dame so is a program used to traveling cross-country.
UCLA: Carolina has never played the little brother program in Los Angeles, but the Bruins have recently made a commitment to be a national brand with their move to the Big 10 with Southern Cal. The Gamecocks have gone out to Los Angeles once previously, but it was to play Southern Cal. A return trip seems unlikely.
Utah: Utah is one of the most aggressive out-of-conference scheduling teams in the nation. The Utes seemingly have no fear in schedule-making, but that doesn’t mean that the Gamecocks will be on their schedule any time soon. Former South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley transferred to Utah, but other than that, there is almost no connection between the two programs, so it seems unlikely that these two teams will meet outside of a bowl game.
Washington: South Carolina football has never played the Washington Huskies. It would be an intriguing game as Washington will be one of the best teams in the Pac-12 once Southern Cal and UCLA move to the Big 10, but, like most of the rest of the Pac-12, a matchup here isn’t likely outside of a bowl game.
Washington State: If South Carolina football was going to play against a team as far away from Columbia as Pullman, Washington, it would almost assuredly be Oregon or Washington, not Washington State. That could change if the Cougars were willing to come to Columbia without expecting a return trip, but that is extremely unlikely. A Las Vegas Bowl matchup is the only realistic way this meeting happens.