Week-by-week score projection for entire South Carolina football schedule

The 2024 version of the South Carolina football team desperately needs to return to SEC relevance. After missing out on a bowl game and finishing with a losing 5-7 record last fall, the Gamecocks have seen dips in recruiting and public perception. Another subpar year could see those holes dug a little deeper.

However, a bounce-back to a winning record would reverse those trends, and even a 6-6 regular season followed by a win in a bowl game would, at minimum, help get things moving in the right direction again.

The Gamecocks feel they are better on both offense and defense this year, and everyone around the program hopes that translates to success on the field.

Below is a prediction for each game on the South Carolina football schedule and a "winnable scale" of how optimistic Carolina fans should be heading into each game on the docket ("Should Lose," "Not Very Winnable," "Winnable," "Very Winnable," and "Should Win").

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Old Dominion Monarchs
Winnable Scale: Should Win
Prediction: 41-17 win

South Carolina will have better players all over the field in this one. The Monarchs are not a terrible team, and they have a couple of really good players, including preseason All-American linebacker Jason Henderson. Still, if LaNorris Sellers shows himself to be ready as the starting quarterback, and things don't go horribly wrong, this game should be one in which USC can pull away in the 2nd half.

South Carolina Gamecocks @ Kentucky Wildcats
Winnable Scale: Very Winnable
Prediction: 24-21 win

Shane Beamer is 2-1 against Mark Stoops since becoming the head coach of the Gamecocks, including winning the last two games. Kentucky and South Carolina are virtually identical in the majority of projections this offseason, but the Gamecocks appear to have made better overall transfer portal moves than the Wildcats, who also should be missing starting running back Chip Trayanum. This one could come down to which new starting quarterback plays better between Sellers and Brock Vandagriff, and the Gamecocks feel confident their guy can get it done.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. LSU Tigers
Winnable Scale: Winnable
Prediction: 21-31 loss

The Bayou Bengals will come to Columbia for a noon kickoff. If the Gamecocks beat Kentucky the week before, the crowd could be just as rowdy as they would be for a nighttime kick. Like the UK game, this will be a matchup between new starting quarterbacks as Garrett Nussmeier takes over for Heisman-winner Jayden Daniels. LSU has significantly more talent on the roster than Carolina, but LSU's defense was putrid a season ago. If the Gamecocks can score, they can hang in this game. However, predicting a win over a team USC has beaten just twice in 22 tries would be a bold pick.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Akron Zip
Winnable Scale: Should Win
Prediction: 54-17 win

Akron doesn't have a very good football team, and unless the weather is as bad as it was when the two teams faced off at the end of the 2018 season (it seemed as if players were slipping and falling on every play that day), the Gamecocks should score a lot of points against an unmatched defense. Carolina will need a big performance in this game as they move into the hardest stretch of the schedule next.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Ole Miss Rebels
Winnable Scale: Not Very Winnable
Prediction: 21-38 loss

Other than the annual rivalry game against the Clemson Tigers, there probably isn't a game on the 2024 schedule that South Carolina football fans want to win more than the Ole Miss game. The Juice Wells offseason saga has the Gamecock Faithful out for blood, and the environment should be extremely hostile. However, the Rebs have been predicted as a preseason College Football Playoff team for a reason, and beating Lane Kiffin's team will be one of the hardest tasks on the schedule this year, even at Williams-Brice Stadium.

South Carolina Gamecocks @ Alabama Crimson Tide
Winnable Scale: Should Lose
Prediction: 17-35 loss

Those who believe that losing Nick Saban will mean the demise of the Alabama Crimson Tide are sorely mistaken, at least in the immediate. Kalen DeBoer's team will be very good again in 2024, and Alabama could be playing for its CFP life after a potential loss to Georgia two weeks earlier. The Gamecocks shouldn't look completely outmatched in the game thanks to the offseason improvements to the roster, but Alabama is one of the three most talented rosters in the country (along with Georgia and Ohio State), and the talent discrepancy should play out on the field.

South Carolina Gamecocks @ Oklahoma Sooners
Winnable Scale: Not Very Winnable
Prediction: 17-27 loss

Based on preseason predictions, Brent Venables team has a large win variance for 2024, just like Shane Beamer's group. Oklahoma is a good roster that has a tough schedule in its first year of the SEC, and they are breaking in a new starting quarterback in Jackson Arnold. If this game were in Columbia, the prediction might be flipped, but a trip for what is now the 2nd-farthest SEC trip possible will be a difficult one for South Carolina.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Texas A&M Aggies
Winnable Scale: Winnable
Prediction: 27-21 win

Another team with offseason projections all over the place is Texas A&M. Mike Elko is in his first year at the helm of the program, and he has a good roster. Still, the Aggies had a lot of turnover to the roster this offseason, and starting quarterback Conner Weigman is coming back from an injury. The Gamecocks will need this win badly, and if they have any chance of reaching a bowl game after potentially losing 4 of 5 games before this one, they will have to pull this one off at home.

South Carolina Gamecocks @ Vanderbilt Commodores
Winnable Scale: Should Win
Prediction: 38-17 win

Last year's version of Gamecocks-Commodores was one of the most lopsided in the history of the matchup, and the Gamecocks should be a heavy favorite to win this one, too. Vandy shouldn't be much better in 2024 and should go winless in the conference again. If the garnet and black take care of business, the game shouldn't be all that competitive, even in Nashville.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Missouri Tigers
Winnable Scale: Winnable
Prediction: 24-21 loss

Missouri has South Carolina's number. The Gamecocks have lost five in a row and haven't won since the Michael Scarnecchia/Monsoon Game in 2018. Missouri has preseason top-10 buzz this year and is a candidate to make the College Football Playoff with their favorable schedule. Still, they aren't one of the ten best teams in the country, so a win in this game is possible, especially with all of the talent Missouri has to replace on defense. But until the Gamecocks prove they can score points against the Tigers (averaging less than 17 points per game during the losing streak), picking them to win is hard to do.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Wofford Terriers
Winnable Scale: Should Win
Prediction: 56-13 win

Wofford doesn't run the triple-option offense anymore. Because of that, the fear of the Terriers jumping up to bite the Gamecocks or make things scary shouldn't be present in the minds of Gamecock fans. Carolina should roll in this game and get most of the reserves some valuable experience heading into the Clemson game, bowl season, and offseason.

South Carolina Gamecocks @ Clemson Tigers
Winnable Scale: Winnable
Prediction: 27-17 loss

While it is true that South Carolina football picked up the win during their last trip to Memorial Stadium, that Clemson team had one of the worst-ever performances from a quarterback who has shown himself capable of plenty of bad games. Cade Klubnik isn't a world-beater, but he is better than DJ Uiagalelei. Plus, last year, USC couldn't move the ball at all against Clemson's defense. Things would have to shift in a big way for the Gamecocks to pull off the win in 2024. Things can change between now and then, but predicting that to happen three months out isn't the smartest bet.

Garnet and Cocky Record Prediction: 6-6 with a trip to a lower-tier bowl game

Despite just a 6-6 record, South Carolina football fans see some positive trends and go into bowl season with some optimism. A win in the Gasparilla Bowl or another lower-tier bowl game would help the offseason optics, as well. A loaded 2026 recruiting class in the Carolinas will provide plenty of talent for the Gamecocks to snag, and positivity from adding some wins on the field will be needed to help out with Shane Beamer's roster retooling.