The South Carolina Gamecocks are looking to have a big bounce back performance against the No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday night. After taking on the Crimson Tide in Bryant-Denny Stadium this week, head coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks will return home to welcome the Kentucky Wildcats to Williams-Brice Stadium.
And we now know when exactly that Week 5 matchup will kick off, as well as which television network will get the honors of broadcasting the game.
South Carolina's Oct. 3 home game against Kentucky will officially start at 4:15 p.m. ET. The game will air on SEC Network.
A time and a network for our home matchup with Kentucky | October 3rd - 4:15PM ET - SEC Network pic.twitter.com/87NXN3cnnU
— South Carolina Football (@GamecockFB) September 21, 2026
This will mark the third game that has been on on SEC Network for South Carolina this season. Last week's 41-34 game against Mississippi State was broadcast on the network, as was the Gamecocks' 57-0 blowout of Kent State in Week 1.
This game looks pretty intriguing for both teams, as South Carolina suffered its first loss to the season against the Bulldogs. Kentucky, meanwhile, bounced back from its second-half collapse against Alabama and went on the road to upset Texas A&M.
The Oct. 3 meeting between the Gamecocks and Wildcats will mark the 36th overall meeting of the two former SEC East rivals. South Carolina holds a 22-1-13 all-time advantage in the series, and the Gamecocks have won the last four straight in the series.
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In all, Shane Beamer is 4-1 against the Wildcats, with the lone loss coming by six points during his first season in Columbia in 2021. Depending on how Saturday night's game goes against Alabama, the Gamecocks will be eager to get back on the field and get a much-needed victory if South Carolina doesn't come out of Tuscaloosa with a victory. It will also be the first time Gamecock fans can see their team play at home since the MSU loss.
After the home game against Kentucky, the Gamecocks will go on the road to take on the Florida Gators. From there, South Carolina has a much-needed bye week before it takes on Tennessee at home on Oct. 24.
Next week's Kentucky-South Carolina is one of several conference matchups. Elsewhere in the SEC, Alabama goes on the road to play Mississippi State at Noon, Auburn takes on Tennessee in Knoxville at 3:30 and Florida plays at Missouri at 3:30. In the evening slate, we'll see Arkansas at Texas A&M at 7 p.m.
Hopefully weather won't be an issue in this one. Last week's 4:15 kickoff against Mississippi State was delayed due to lightning in the area, as kickoff was delayed over an hour.
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