Breaking down the behemoth that is South Carolina’s 2024 football schedule
Just over two weeks after South Carolina’s 2023 season came to an end, we have yet another reason to turn our attention to 2024.
On Wednesday night, the SEC announced its full 2024 schedule. While the opponents and location were known, Wednesday offered the chance to see the full schedule, to look at the scope of the season and start proclaiming, “That’s a win … that’s a loss.”
Here are a few thoughts about the Gamecocks schedule:
USC has a treacherous path
Has South Carolina ever won a schedule release?
Perhaps it’s a point of pride — maybe frustration — but the Gamecocks always seem to have one of the toughest schedules in the country. If nothing else, they are steady winners in the strength-of-schedule rankings.
This year’s slate is no different. It is a behemoth.
Aside from the Gamecocks’ three non-Power-5 games — against Old Dominion, Akron and Wofford — the combined record of South Carolina’s eight other 2024 opponents this season was 75-34 (69%). If you take out Vanderbilt’s dreadful mark (2-10), the winning percentage jumps to over 75%.
Somehow, South Carolina has a rare year where it doesn’t face Georgia, Florida or Tennessee … and it’s still faced with a murderers’ row.
Of the teams in the final College Football Playoff rankings of the season, the Gamecocks will face six of them in 2024: No. 4 Alabama, No. 9 Missouri, No. 11 Ole Miss, No. 12 Oklahoma, No. 13 LSU and No. 22 Clemson.
That three-game gauntlet
When he looked at the three games back-to-back-to-back, SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum called it “brutal.” That’s being polite.
Sat. Oct. 5 — vs. Ole Miss
Sat. Oct. 12 — at Alabama
Sat. Oct. 19 — at Oklahoma
Good luck!
It seems imperative that South Carolina pull at least one upset. Could they lose all three and still make a bowl game? Sure. But this is about more than a bowl game. It’s about garnering what would be the first signature win since upsetting Clemson over a year ago.
As Shane Beamer builds his program in Columbia, he needs to not just prove that he can compete with some of the best teams in America — heck, USC led Georgia this season after a half — he needs to show that his team has the talent to win some of those games.
Alabama seems unlikely. But why not Ole Miss at home? A packed Williams-Brice Stadium will welcome Lane Kiffin and the Rebels to Columbia for the first time in 15 years. That field storming would be incredible.
And the Oklahoma game, which will mark the first meeting between the Sooners and Gamecocks, should be a toss-up. Yes, USC will be banged-up. Yes, it is one of the furthest trips in the SEC (1,070 miles). But Oklahoma will not have quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who transferred to Oregon. There’s no reason to think South Carolina couldn’t help spoil Oklahoma’s first season in the SEC.
3. The season is full of three parts.
On paper, this schedule is structurally beautiful.
Because the season begins in August, all teams will have two bye weeks. As a matter of player safety, it’s a shock the NCAA hasn’t tried to mandate this every year. More days of college football on TV and more rest.
I digress. But South Carolina’s pair of byes seems to define the season into three chunks.
The beginning: vs. Old Dominion, at Kentucky, vs. LSU, vs. Akron
Bye week.
The gauntlet: vs. Ole Miss. at Alabama, at Oklahoma.
Bye week.
The final stretch: vs. Texas A&M, at Vanderbilt, vs. Missouri, vs. Wofford, at Clemson.
To me, the goal of the beginning is simply to beat Kentucky or LSU. Go into the bye week at 2-2 to keep morale high.
For the gauntlet, just win one game. Just one. Any one.
For the final stretch, become bowl-eligible and — to put the cherry on top — beat Clemson. Maybe the Gamecocks (again) will need a win over the Tigers to make a bowl. More likely: They beat A&M, Vanderbilt and Wofford and get it done.
Only 262 days until kickoff at Williams-Brice, which means there are only 262 days to keep playing out the hypotheticals in your mind. Happy dreaming!
USC 2024 schedule
- Sat. Aug. 31 — vs. Old Dominion
- Sat. Sept. 7 — at Kentucky
- Sat. Sept. 14 — vs. LSU
- Sat. Sept. 21 — vs. Akron
- Sat. Sept. 28 — OPEN DATE
- Sat. Oct. 5 — vs. Ole Miss
- Sat. Oct. 12 — at Alabama
- Sat. Oct. 19 — at Oklahoma
- Sat. Oct. 26 — OPEN DATE
- Sat. Nov. 2 — vs. Texas A&M
- Sat. Nov. 9 — at Vanderbilt
- Sat. Nov. 16 — vs. Missouri
- Sat. Nov. 23 — vs. Wofford
- Sat. Nov. 30 — at Clemson
This story was originally published December 14, 2023 at 9:50 AM with the headline "Breaking down the behemoth that is South Carolina’s 2024 football schedule."
