South Carolina The Perfect Example Why The SEC Should Play Eight Conference Games

The South Carolina Gamecocks are the perfect example of why the SEC should remain at eight conference games.

An age-old debate between the SEC and the Big 10 has been reignited this season, and it's not about which conference is superior to the other. It's about the number of conference games that each conference plays. The SEC currently plays eight while the Big 10 currently plays nine. The Big 10 thinks the SEC should have to play nine like them.

However, if Big 10 fans need to know why SEC fans are so against adding another conference game to the schedule, then all they need to do is take a look at South Carolina's schedule for the 2025 season.

What usually sparks this argument is when November rolls around and SEC teams are playing non-P4 teams while the Big 10 is still pushing through their conference schedule. And while that is true, let's take a look at who the Gamecocks close their season with this year.

On Nov. 1, the Gamecocks travel to Ole Miss for a road game, this coming a week after playing Alabama by the way. After a bye week, the Gamecocks then travel to Texas A&M for another road game. Coastal Carolina is the week after that, the dreaded non-P4 matchup late in the season. In the final week of the season, South Carolina then plays their in-state rival, Clemson.

On top of that, South Carolina also plays LSU on the road and Oklahoma at home before they play the Crimson Tide. The Gamecocks also open up the season against Virginia Tech, another P4 non-conference game.

So why does South Carolina need to add another conference opponent to that schedule in order to prove they are playoff worthy, or to even things up between them and another Big 10 school? Or perhaps the real question is, why would South Carolina want to do that?

Oregon will close its season out against Iowa, Minnesota, USC and Washington. Penn State will have to maneuver through Indiana, Michigan State, Nebraska and Rutgers late in the year. Ohio State's last four games are against Purdue, UCLA, Rutgers and Michigan. Not so sure the top three teams in the Big 10 would want to trade their November schedule with South Carolina.

Adding another conference game to the SEC's schedule isn't going to change the landscape of college football completely. But more importantly, there's no reason why SEC teams would want to add another conference game to their schedules.