To help get you ready for the season here’s a look at South Carolina’s upcoming opponents ranked from easiest to hardest.
1. Furman
South Carolina’s only I-AA opponent should be the easiest. The Paladins finished 6-5 last season, a disappointing record for the Southern Conference Power. This game shouldn’t be close, but the last meeting in 1982 resulted in a Furman victory.
2. Troy
This game was scheduled as a tune up before the season finale with Clemson. As such it was designed to be one of the easier games on the schedule. The Trojans are one of the best in the Sun Belt, but if the Gamecocks lose this one, they can kiss their season good-bye.
3. Southern Miss
Don’t be fooled by the ranking of this game. South Carolina will have to show up and play well against a motivated opponent to come away with a win. Still, the Gamecocks have a significant talent advantage across the board and should win going away.
4. @ Vanderbilt
Speaking of games in which South Carolina holds a significant talent advantage over its opponent, the game against Vanderbilt falls into that category. The last few years have shown that a talent edge isn’t enough to win this game. Even so, this is not one of South Carolina’s harder games.
5. @ Kentucky
Based on past performance, this should be the easiest game on the schedule; South Carolina holds a 10 game winning streak in the series, but as we all know past performance does not guarantee future results. The Wildcats will have a dangerous offense and could easily upset the Gamecocks, but South Carolina should still be favored in this one.
6. Tennessee
The Lane Kiffin experiment is over, and the results are not good. Derek Dooley has inherited a program in serious need of rebuilding, and he probably won’t be able to get the job completed by late October. The Gamecocks have every reason to believe they should win this game.
7. Arkansas
South Carolina’s permanent rival makes the trip east this season and brings with it Bobby Petrino’s high powered offense. The Gamecocks’ defense wasn’t up to the task last year and will have to play significantly better if it wants to win this one. This game and the next three could arguably be moved around in any order.
8. Georgia
South Carolina has historically had the benefit of playing well in this game; however, they usually still lose it. Georgia should be stacked on the line but will have lots of other changes to implement. USC should benefit from the playing the Dawgs early in the season before they have much of a chance to perfect all of their off season changes.
9. @ Auburn
Auburn had a surprisingly good season last year and is looking to build on that this year. I am not so sure that they will be able to achieve on the same level that they did last year, but this game will be the first road game of USC. Auburn will be coming off of a high profile game against Clemson and may be primed for a let down game.
10. @ Clemson
This is always one of the toughest games of the season, and it usually has more to do with our difficulties than Clemson’s talent. This year will be no different. South Carolina will have to play well to beat the Tigers on the road for the first back to back wins in a long time.
11. Alabama
This is probably the best team on South Carolina’s schedule but not necessarily the hardest game. The two factors in South Carolina’s favor are that it’s a home game and the off week USC has the week before. Those advantages will have to go a long way to pull the upset over the Crimson Tide.
12. @ Florida
It’s really a toss up between Alabama at home and Florida on the road. Since it might have SEC East championship implications, the UF game gets the nod. The Gators will be reloading again and should be as good as they’ll be all year when the Gamecocks come to town.
