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South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler. (Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports)

NCAAF Top 25 futures: South Carolina Gamecocks relevant again in SEC

By Matt Wiesenfeld | Last updated 7/2/23

When the SEC brings in Texas and Oklahoma next season it is going to make it tougher for programs like South Carolina (and for all of them I suppose). That has made it extra important that head coach Shane Beamer seems to have righted the ship in Columbia. In his first season he had the Gamecocks to seven wins, and last season they got to eight.

That is not exactly the same as threatening Georgia and Alabama at the top but South Carolina was on the verge of really being marginalized in the league. They definitely have the quarterback position in a good spot for one more season so perhaps another year of increasing win total is possible, though that is not what the market is suggesting.

No. 24 South Carolina Gamecocks 2023 Win Total

Over 6.5 +115 / Under 6.5 -135

This top 25 series is starting at 25 and going up. South Carolina is at No. 24 but that win total is telling the story of more of a middling team. That is because the traditional media rankings do not really consider likely outcomes and scheduling when they put their numbers together. The under is pegged by the market as the most likely output and that would be an unfortunate return to the Will Muschamp days. That hardly sounds like the profile of the 24th-best team but such is life in the SEC. I want to believe in the Gamecocks because the SEC is better when it is not so top-heavy. The jury is definitely out.

The Gamecocks generally have tough schedules. Before we look at their SEC slate, they always finish the year against Clemson (at home this season) and start with a team in another Power 5 league (this year against North Carolina in Charlotte). They beat Clemson last year by a point so the rivalry might be back on now, either way that is a tough game. Furman is a gimme in Week 2, but three very tough SEC road games (at Georgia, at Tennessee, and at Texas A&M) are going to make it very hard to have a special season. It is this very challenging schedule that limits the upside of the Gamecocks, even though they seem to be pointed in the right direction.

Spencer Rattler was a good get for the Gamecocks after flaming out at Oklahoma, but the senior QB is still a little looser with the ball than you would like. The offense is full of juniors and seniors this season so perhaps they can be a little sharper than they have been — there is definitely room for improvement. That might not matter if the defense does not improve too though. In four of their five losses a year ago they gave up 38+ points. That makes for some very thin margins and demands a lot from the offense at the same time.

When I run the Gamecocks schedule I usually land on six or seven wins. With the payoff on the over a better value, I do not mind leaning in that direction. The key game for me is hosting Florida in the middle of the season. I do not have a great read on South Carolina but even less so on the Gators.

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