SEC Nation heading to next week's South Carolina football matchup with Kentucky

On Saturday, Shane Beamer's South Carolina football team began their 2024 campaign with an "awful" win over the Old Dominion Monarchs, giving them a 1-0 record. Next up on the schedule is the rivalry matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington, and the stakes for the game are high.

For both programs, the game is just a step below "must-win" status, and especially for the Gamecocks, the meeting feels like a litmus test to see if the 2024 version of the South Carolina football team will return to a bowl game at the end of the season.

Adding to what should be a raucous environment at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, the SEC Network has announced that the SEC Nation crew will be at the game. That also means that the SEC Network show "Marty and McGee" (hosted by Marty Smith and Ryan McGee) will be in Bluegrass country, as well.

As is always a storyline when these two teams meet on the gridiron, Shane Beamer and Mark Stoops have no love lost between the two of them. Dating back to some Stoops comments during the 2022 SEC Media Days about "dancing" and "stupid sunglasses," the two coaches have taken a few media jabs at each other, though, there haven't been too many press conference fireworks between the two recently.

The South Carolina Gamecocks have won two games in a row in the series against the Kentucky Wildcats, something that USC fans hope means the tide has turned in the rivalry. In an unprecedented way, Carolina had lost 7 of 8 games against UK from 2014-2021. Prior to the skid, South Carolina football had won 13 of 14 in the series.

The Gamecocks and Wildcats will kick off on Saturday at 3:30 PM ET. The game will be broadcast on ABC and will be streamed on the ESPN app.