South Carolina Football Christmas: Which opponents are on Gamecock Santa's naughty list?
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football Christmas:
Gamecock Santa's Nice List, The Vanderbilt Commodores
Let's be honest for a second: it just wouldn't feel right to have problems with Vanderbilt football. Vandy baseball? Definitely. Vandy basketball? Maybe, depending on the year. But Vandy football? That's like having problems with the nerdy kid who hated gym class and gets picked on by the bigger kids because he stinks at dodgeball.
It helps Gamecock fans' perception of Vanderbilt that South Carolina has the longest active win streak against the Commodores. In the history of the matchup between the two schools, South Carolina is 29-4 against Vanderbilt, including an active 15-game winning streak.
A few Gamecocks might hold a grudge against the 'Dores as both quarterback AJ Swann and wide receiver Jayden McGowan committed to the Gamecocks out of the transfer portal but backed off of their pledges for other schools (LSU for Swann, Boston College for McGowan), but those decisions actually had nothing to do with Vanderbilt.
With the state of football in Nashville, Tennessee right now, the game against Vandy should be viewed as a clear "W" until it isn't, so the Commodore football team belongs on Gamecock Santa's nice list.