After a long offseason, game week for the South Carolina Gamecocks is finally here. As South Carolina is set to kick off its 2026 season, let's take a look at when head coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks will kick off each and every game during the 2026 season.
In year's past, college football fans typically don't learn when their team will kick off against certain opponents until a week or so before. But this season, the SEC released time slot window for all 16 teams in the league to give fans a gauge of when their team's games are likely to begin.
The times slots used by the SEC include Early (Noon to 1 p.m. ET start), Afternoon (3:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET start) and Night (6 to 8 p.m. ET start). Several games were alsoThe Flex one means games flexed between the afternoon (3:30-4:30 p.m.) and night (6-8 p.m.) windows. South Carolina's kickoff times for the Gamecocks' first three games were already previously announced.
Here's a look at when the SEC expects each South Carolina game to kick off:
- Sept. 5: Vs. Kent State— 12:45 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Sept. 12: Vs. Towson – 7 p.m. (SEC Network+)
- Sept. 19: Vs. Mississippi State – 4:15 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Sept. 26: at Alabama— Night (6 to 8 p.m. ET start)
- Oct. 3: Vs. Kentucky— Flex
- Oct. 10: at Florida— Early (Noon to 1 p.m. ET start)
- Oct. 24: Vs. Tennessee— Afternoon (3:30-4:30 p.m. start)
- Oct. 31: at Oklahoma— Flex
- Nov. 7: Vs.Texas A&M— Afternoon (3:30-4:30 p.m. start)
- Nov. 14: at Arkansas— Flex
- Nov. 21: Vs. Georgia— Flex
- Flex Nov. 28: at Clemson— TBD
Kudos to the SEC for choosing to put the South Carolina-Alabama game in the evening slot, although it will be a tough environment for the Gamecocks to play in on the road.
The road trip to play former SEC East rival Florida Oct. 10 is expected to be a hot one, as it will start in the afternoon slot in Gainesville. It would have been nice to have a night game for South Carolina's game against Texas A&M on Nov. 7. But that SEC slate is already loaded, featuring Oklahoma-Florida, Georgia-Ole Miss, Texas-Missouri, and Alabama-LSU.
As for the flex games designated for the Oklahoma, Arkansas and Georgia games, there is plenty of time to figure out which kick times will be best for those matchups. Not to mention the conference will have a better idea of how the season is going for both South Carolina and those opponents by that point.
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