South Carolina Gamecocks: Beat Vandy, Get Ranked

South Carolina Gamecocks Secure Bowl Eligibility With Dominant SEC Win Over Vanderbilt

COLUMBIA, S.C., — The South Carolina Gamecocks clinched bowl eligibility Saturday, advancing to 6-3 with a commanding 28-7 victory over No. 24 Vanderbilt in Nashville. After some national hesitation around Shane Beamer’s squad, the Gamecocks have solidified their postseason standing. ESPN analysts Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura both projected South Carolina for a spot in the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly the Outback Bowl) in Tampa, with Schlabach predicting a matchup against Illinois and Bonagura projecting Iowa as the opponent. South Carolina and Iowa last clashed in the Outback Bowl after the 2008 season, with Iowa emerging victorious.

Jerry Palm of CBS Sports has charted a different course for South Carolina, predicting their first appearance in the Texas Bowl, where they would face Kansas State. South Carolina leads the all-time series 2-1 but has not met Kansas State on the field since 1984. Meanwhile, The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy also forecasted a ReliaQuest Bowl appearance for South Carolina, where they would face Iowa. This pick echoes McMurphy’s stance from last week, despite him notably omitting the Gamecocks from his AP Top-25 poll.

Steve Lassan of The Athletic maintained his prediction of a Music City Bowl debut for South Carolina, adjusting only the opponent to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. This matchup is intriguing for Gamecock fans, as former South Carolina offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield currently holds the same role with Nebraska, though his position may be in jeopardy. The last meeting between South Carolina and Nebraska concluded with a decisive Gamecock win in the Capital One Bowl following the 2011 season.

This Saturday, South Carolina will host Missouri in their first ranked-vs.-ranked matchup since the 2022 Gator Bowl. Kickoff is set for 4:15 p.m. ET, and the game will air on SEC Network and stream via the ESPN app.

After three consecutive blowout wins, Beamer commented that the Gamecocks don’t need a ranking by their name, but the polls disagreed this week. South Carolina enters the AP and USA Today Coaches Poll at No. 23, with expectations of inclusion in Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings as well. The Sagarin Rankings, a computer poll created by USA Today’s Jeff Sagarin, placed South Carolina at No. 10, attributing the high ranking to the team’s recent SEC wins and a sixth-ranked strength of schedule.

According to the BCS formula, which incorporates the AP Poll, South Carolina sits at No. 23. However, analysts suggest that with favorable results in upcoming games, the Gamecocks could significantly climb the rankings. South Carolina enters their game against Missouri as a 12.5-point favorite and will look to break a losing streak against Missouri, whom they last defeated in 2018. A sold-out Williams-Brice Stadium crowd will look to propel the Gamecocks to another victory Saturday, with SEC Network and ESPN app coverage available for fans.

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