Kickoff time officially set for huge Ole Miss-South Carolina football game

South Carolina football fans now know what time to be inside Williams-Brice Stadium for the Gamecocks' next game. When the Ole Miss Rebels (and old friend Juice Wells) come to Columbia on October 5th, the Gamecocks will take the field for a 3:30 PM ET kickoff according to a release from the SEC. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and streamed on the ESPN app.

Following a blowout win over Akron on Saturday, Carolina is off this week, so they still have over a week and a half before they play again. Fans had hoped for a night game (the broadcast window originally had been set as a "flex" that could put the game in the afternoon or at night), but the conference and networks elected to give Tennessee @ Arkansas the primetime spot.

The Bye comes at a good time for the Gamecocks as key players like LaNorris Sellers, Rocket Sanders, Jared Brown, and Bangally Kamara are injured. However, during a Sunday update, head coach Shane Beamer said that he expects all of his questionable players to hit the field next Saturday (though, he did hedge that claim a bit by saying that Sanders, the team's starting running back, is the "most questionable" of the group).

The environment in Williams-Brice will be great for the game, even with the earlier-than-hoped kick time. Ole Miss is a top-10 team right now with College Football Playoff aspirations, and the last time the Gamecocks played the Rebels at home, Carolina knocked off a Mississippi squad that was ranked #4 in the country. The Juice Wells storyline is one that will be talked about ad nauseum, and the former Gamecock might receive the loudest boos Columbia has ever seen.

The Gamecocks are entering the toughest stretch on the calendar with Ole Miss, @ Alabama, and @ Oklahoma on the docket in October. A win over the Rebels next Saturday could be the beginning of something special for South Carolina football, while a loss could start a schedule-induced losing streak.