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Paul Finebaum Worried for Team That Has To Play Alabama, LSU and Clemson

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The 2024 college football season marked the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff, leading to six teams making the playoffs for the first time in their program history.

One team that narrowly missed the opportunity to compete was the South Carolina Gamecocks. They finished the year ranked No. 15 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, with a regular season record of 9-3. Unfortunately, the Gamecocks lost their bowl game, finishing 9-4—their best record since 2017, when they also went 9-4.

They aim to advance and secure a spot in the College Football Playoff. On "The Paul Finebaum Show," the SEC Network analyst discussed potential obstacles to their goal.

"The problem for South Carolina is its schedule," Finebaum said. "It's incredibly difficult. Can they navigate LSU, Clemson and Alabama, Texas A&M and Ole Miss and Oklahoma, there's a lot on that schedule."

South Carolina's 2025 Schedule Outlook

Despite appearing challenging, Athlon Sports' Kyle Wood considers it the seventh-easiest schedule in the SEC.

"The Gamecocks’ schedule is backloaded with their toughest games," Wood wrote. "Though they open with a neutral-site game against Virginia Tech in Atlanta, the first half of their schedule is largely forgiving. South Carolina does play at Missouri in late September and at LSU in October, but those are its only two true road games before November."

Wood stated that the final five weeks of the season will challenge Shane Beamer’s team.

"After a home game against Alabama, the Gamecocks have back-to-back road games at Ole Miss and Texas A&M with an open week in between. South Carolina also concludes the regular season with its annual rivalry game against Clemson."

South Carolina's 2025 Ranking

There is significant optimism for the Gamecocks. Here's how they rank heading into the season:

Another reason for optimism is the return of star quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Last season, as a redshirt freshman, he threw for 2,534 yards, completed 65.6% of his passes, and recorded 18 touchdowns against seven interceptions. In addition to his passing success, he rushed for 674 yards and scored seven rushing touchdowns. These impressive accomplishments have earned him the fifth-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy.

Despite the country's optimism, Sellers has tempered the excitement during his appearance on “The Triple Option” podcast. He mentioned that he does “not focus on it too much.” His primary goal is to improve the team's performance and “keep winning…we’ve just got to keep it up and bring it again this season.” Sellers believes that by making the necessary improvements and concentrating on one task at a time, they can achieve their first College Football Playoff appearance.

South Carolina begins its season against the Virginia Tech Hokies at 3 p.m. ET Sunday in Atlanta.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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