SEC Football: Predicting the 2023 SEC standings and final rankings
By Kevin Miller
2023 SEC Football Standings No. 6 (and 3rd in the SEC East):
South Carolina Gamecocks
Expectations are high in Columbia after the Gamecocks finished the 2022 regular season beating the brakes off of playoff-hopeful Tennessee and ending a 40-game home winning streak of rival Clemson to knock them out of the playoff picture, as well.
The national perception around the team this fall is a bit more varied, but most of that is due to the schedule. The Gamecocks will play a juggernaut of a schedule and could be an improved team even if the record is worse than a year ago.
Head coach Shane Beamer is in a pivotal third year in Columbia. Can USC take the next step forward and become real contenders in the SEC East for the first time in about a decade? Or will they be unable to escape the gauntlet?
The return of Spencer Rattler and Juice Wells as one of the SEC’s top passing combinations will certainly help the cause, and adding tight ends Trey Knox and Josh Simon to the picture has Gamecock fans excited about what the offense can do under new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains.
5-star freshman Nyckoles Harbor is one of the biggest freaks in all of college football, and though he is brand new to the wide receiver position, the 6’5″ and 240-pound Olympic-caliber sprinter will be must-watch television for college football fans this year.
The running game is a big concern as the Gamecocks’ projected starter at running back is a former wide receiver who was a former quarterback before that in Dakereon Joyner. Past Joyner, the Gamecocks have one experienced Division-I back, and that is 170-pound scat back Juju McDowell.
Stopping the run will be a big factor in South Carolina’s 2023 success, as well. One of the SEC’s most porous fronts in 2022, the Gamecocks gave up just under 200 yards per game on the ground. That must not continue for Beamer’s group to have a realistic chance of improving this fall.
Pete Lembo has been the nation’s best special teams coordinator since joining the Gamecocks, and his unit may need to continue that trend for South Carolina to be able to pull off another 7+ win season in 2023. If all goes well in Columbia, the Gamecocks could challenge for the second spot in the SEC East, but if the difficult schedule trips them up, barely reaching bowl eligibility is also on the table.
PREDICTION
Overall: 7-5; SEC Football: 4-4
North Carolina in Charlotte (W), Furman (W), @Georgia (L), Mississippi State (W), @Tennessee (L), Florida (W), @Missouri (L), @Texas A&M (L), Jacksonville State (W), Vanderbilt (W), Kentucky (W), Clemson (L)