What EA Sports College Football 25 thinks about South Carolina football's 2024 season

Projections and predictions for the 2024 version of the South Carolina football team are all over the place. The Gamecocks have been picked to finish near the bottom of the SEC at 4-8, just outside of College Football Playoff contention at 8-4, and just about everywhere between those marks.

There are a lot of questions around Shane Beamer's team, but the Gamecock head coach and his staff have worked hard to address the shortcomings on the roster. If their work in recruiting, development, and the transfer portal works out, USC will be a good, competitive team this fall; if their efforts fail to answer the questions, though, 2024 will be a struggle.

The season is still over a month away, but because EA Sports College Football 25 was released officially this week, fans from all across the country have had the ability to get a taste of college football. One thing that many have done is simulate the 2024 season to see how well the virtual versions of their favorite teams fare.

For this article, I have simulated 5 different iterations of the South Carolina football season and logged the results below:

SEASON 1

Record: 8-6 (6-2); SEC Championship Game appearance; Music City Bowl appearance

Notable Honors:
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers (Freshman All-American, 1st Team All-SEC, Freshman All-SEC, 8th in National Player of the Year, 6th in Best Quarterback, SEC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 6 vs. Ole Miss)
Running Back Rocket Sanders (2nd Team All-SEC)
Wide Receiver Nyck Harbor (SEC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 13 vs. FCS Southeast/Wofford)
Offensive Lineman Markee Anderson (Freshman All-SEC)
Cornerback Vicari Swain (Freshman All-SEC)
Demetrius Knight (SEC Championship Game Defensive Player of the Game vs. Missouri)

Without a doubt the weirdest of the simulations, the Gamecocks lost the opening game against Old Dominion but won six games in a row, including road wins over Kentucky, Alabama, and Oklahoma. Losses to Texas A&M, Missouri, and Clemson down the stretch put a damper on things but didn't keep the Gamecocks out of the SEC Championship Game.

USC lost to Missouri in the conference title game (their second loss to the Tigers) and then fell to the Oregon Ducks in the Music City Bowl. Despite a 6-1 start to the year (and 5-0 start in SEC play) and an appearance in the SEC Championship Game, Carolina finished unranked at 8-6.

On the year, LaNorris Sellers set a new single-season record for passing yardage (4092), touchdowns (44), and total quarterback touchdowns (54).

The Michigan Wolverines won the National Championship, and the Missouri Tigers won the SEC.

SEASON 2

Record: 8-5 (5-3); Reliaquest/Outback Bowl appearance

Notable Honors:
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers (Freshman All-SEC)
Running Back Rocket Sanders (2nd Team All-SEC)
Offensive Lineman Markee Anderson (Freshman All-SEC)
Cornerback O'Donnell Fortune (2nd Team All-SEC, 7th in Best Defensive Back, SEC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 1 vs. Old Dominion, SEC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 2 vs. Kentucky)
Cornerback Vicari Swain (Freshman All-American, Freshman All-SEC)
Defensive Lineman Tonka Hemingway (SEC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 6 vs. Ole Miss, SEC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 14 vs. Clemson)

In this simulation, the Gamecocks won 8 games again, but it looked very different than the first try. Carolina didn't lose to a non-Power opponent this go 'round, but they did lose four different games by 4 or fewer points (@ Kentucky, @ Oklahoma, vs. Missouri, bowl vs. South Florida).

Once again, Carolina beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa and knocked off Ole Miss and LSU. Unfortunately, the Clemson rivalry game was a blowout in favor of the Tigers, and that loss coupled with a Reliaquest Bowl defeat at the hands of the South Florida Bulls kept USC out of the final top-25 rankings.

On the year, quarterback LaNorris Sellers set a new team record for single-season passing touchdowns (36) and total quarterback touchdowns (39).

The Oregon Ducks won the National Championship, and the Oklahoma Sooners won the SEC.

SEASON 3

Record: 9-4 (5-3); Reliaquest/Outback Bowl appearance

Notable Honors:
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers (Freshman All-SEC, SEC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 6 vs. Ole Miss)
Running Back Rocket Sanders (2nd Team All-SEC)
Wide Receiver Nyck Harbor (2nd Team All-SEC)
Wide Receiver Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (SEC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 13 vs. FCS Southeast/Wofford)

Another solid season came for the Gamecocks in the third simulation. A 9-3 season saw the Gamecocks lose to top-10 Kentucky and Missouri but suffer a loss to a pathetic 3-9 LSU team (their only conference win).

Carolina started 1-2 but won six straight (including 4-straight top-10 games against Ole Miss, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M) to get into good position with their record. They also smacked Clemson on the road to end the regular season before losing to the Maryland Terrapins in the Reliaquest/Outback Bowl. USC finished ranked 24th in the country.

Again, LaNorris Sellers set a new program record for touchdown passes (39) and total quarterback touchdowns (44). Nyck Harbor also tied the Gamecock record or touchdown catches (13, held also by Sidney Rice). Defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway tied Jadeveon Clowney's record of 13 sacks in a season.

The Michigan Wolverines won the National Championship, and the Texas A&M Aggies won the SEC.

SEASON 4

Record: 8-5 (5-3); Gator Bowl appearance

Notable Honors:
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers (Freshman All-SEC)
Running Back Rocket Sanders (1st Team All-SEC, 11th in Best Running Back)
Offensive Lineman Markee Anderson (Freshman All-SEC)
Safety Nick Emmanwori (SEC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 8 vs. Oklahoma)

The virtual Gamecocks lost again to Old Dominion to start off this simulation. They started 0-2 after following that up with a loss @ Kentucky. 7 of 9 wins followed, including a victory over #1-ranked Alabama on the road. Losses to Texas A&M and Clemson were the only blemishes down the stretch for USC.

A trip to the Gators Bowl was their reward, and the Gamecocks faced off against another SEC program in the Auburn Tigers. Even with the win over Auburn, Carolina did not finish the season ranked in the top-25.

LaNorris Sellers set a South Carolina football record with 35 total quarterback touchdowns.

The Alabama Crimson Tide (despite losing to South Carolina) won the College Football Playoff National Championship. The Kentucky Wildcats won the SEC.

SEASON 5

Record: 7-6 (4-4); Music City Bowl appearance

Notable Honors:
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers (SEC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 13 vs. FCS Southeast/Wofford)
Tight End Josh Simon (1st Team All-SEC)
Punter Kai Kroeger (12th in Best Punter)

The fifth try at simulating the 2024 season for the Gamecocks began disastrously. Carolina started the year 1-5 with losses to Old Dominion and Akron before a road win over Oklahoma snapped the skid. A 5-1 finish to the regular season (including a win over Clemson and top-5 Texas A&M) got USC bowl-eligible.

The Gamecocks beat a top-10 Rutgers team (that somehow got left out of the College Football Playoff?) in the Music City Bowl to push their record above .500.

LaNorris Sellers again broke the single-season record for most total quarterback touchdowns (33)

The Miami Hurricanes won the National Championship. The Texas A&M Aggies won the SEC.

SUMMARY

Average Record: 8-5.2 (5-3); Bowl appearance

Most Common Honors:
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers made 4 Freshman All-SEC teams, 1 Freshman All-American team,1 All-SEC team
Running Back Rocket Sanders made 4 All-SEC teams
Offensive Lineman Markee Anderson made the Freshman All-SEC team 3 times (all as Left Guard)
Cornerback Vicari Swain made 2 Freshman All-SEC teams and 1 Freshman All-American team
Wide Receiver Nyck Harbor, Cornerback O'Donnell Fortune, Tight End Josh Simon, and Punter Kai Kroeger all made 1 All-SEC team

In all five of these simulations of the South Carolina football season, Shane Beamer (named Chris Malibu in the game) led the virtual Gamecocks to bowl games and winning records. There were no conference titles for USC, but they played in one SEC Championship Game (a loss to Missouri) and beat the eventual SEC Champions in three of five seasons.

The Gamecocks only beat Clemson twice in the five simulations, but they knocked off Alabama in four of five opportunities. Old Dominion beat USC three times.

LaNorris Sellers was the best offensive player in four of five years, while running back Rocket Sanders took the title once. Nyck Harbor, Jared Brown, and Ahmari Huggins-Bruce were the top receivers in each season.

Sellers broke at least one quarterback record in all five simulations, and Harbor tied an all-time receiving touchdowns mark.

On defense, linebackers Debo Williams and Demetrius Knight had big years in each simulation. Tonka Hemingway was really good each year on the defensive line, and the secondary got solid efforts from each starter.

Hemingway tied an all-time program record for sacks in one simulation.

All in all, the simulations were relatively favorable to the Gamecocks. With no losing records and five bowl appearances, realistic fans likely would be pleased with these results, especially with the strong play of LaNorris Sellers propelling the team into the 2025 season.