College football is still months away, but it's never too early to start looking ahead at the 2026 season. For head coaches and teams across the country, how many wins and losses you have very well dictates the direction your program is heading in.
For South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer, his team is looking to rebound after a 4-8 finish in 2025. The season marked Beamer's fewest wins as head coach in Columbia since going 5-7 during the 2023 campaign.
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So, what's the 2026 win-loss record going to look like? Las Vegas has some ideas. On Friday, FanDuel released win totals for power-conference teams for 2026, including the Gamecocks. The site gives South Carolina -150 odds to reach over 5.5 wins, with +122 to finish under 5.5.
South Carolina 2026 schedule
Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
Sept. 5 | Vs. Kent State |
Sept. 12 | Vs. Towson |
Sept. 19 | Vs. Mississippi State |
Sept. 26 | @ Alabama |
Oct. 3 | Vs. Kentucky |
Oct. 10 | @ Florida |
Oct. 24 | Vs. Tennessee |
Oct. 31 | @ Oklahoma |
Nov. 7 | Vs. Texas A&M |
Nov. 14 | @ Arkansas |
Nov. 21 | Vs. Georgia |
Nov. 28 | @ Clemson |
Taking a peek at the Gamecocks' schedule, you can see how South Carolina can reach five wins. Non-conference opponents like Kent State and Towson should be easy victories, and South Carolina gets both Mississippi State and Kentucky at home.
But South Carolina's road tests are particularly tough, featuring trips to Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, Arkansas and at Clemson during rivalry week. The Gamecocks best shot at winning at least one of those might be in Fayetteville, as the Razorbacks will be under first-year Ryan Silverfield. South Carolina also has to face four CFP teams from last season in Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Georgia.
But for Shane Beamer's future, South Carolina will likely need much more than five wins for him to continue on in Columbia. If South Carolina finishes 5-7 in 2026, it'll mark the first time Beamer has had consecutive losing seasons in his tenure, and would drop his overall record to 38-37.
With quarterback LaNorris Sellers returning for 2026, there is some optimism that the Gamecocks can rebound. Beamer has also done so before—after going 5-7 in 2023, South Carolina finished 9-4 with a Citrus Bowl berth in 2024. The Gamecocks might need something closer to a finish like that one to avoid South Carolina contemplating making a coaching change.
South Carolina fell short of its 7.5 win total projection from last season.