South Carolina Football 2024 Schedule - Rankings Gamecocks Opponents

Andrew Lyon | May 27, 2024

Nov 25, 2023; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer on the field prior to a game against the Clemson Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports / David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports

South Carolina heads into year three of Shane Beamer's tenure with as the Gamecocks head coach. We rank the 2024 opponents on yet another tought 12-game slate for the Gamecocks.

After the departure of Spencer Rattler, Shane Beamer and company will be looking to rebuild. South Carolina's 2024 football season is shaping up to be a challenge as they navigate a schedule featuring both familiar and new SEC opponents. Here’s a breakdown of their opponents, ranked from least to most challenging:

No. 12 vs Wofford
The Gamecocks will play their last home game of the season against an extremely overmatched Wofford team. This game is expected to be the opposite of close before rivalry weekend.

No. 11 vs Akron
Akron finished last season with a 2-10 record. With recruiting in the bottom third of the country for both high school and transfer players, significant improvement is not expected. The Gamecocks will view this game as a nice breather sandwiched between two SEC powers.

No. 10 vs Old Dominion
South Carolina opens the season against Old Dominion, which should serve as a nice and easy tune-up game at home. The Gamecocks are expected to be ready to play in week 1 and likely to take home the early victory.

No. 9 @ Vanderbilt
Although Vanderbilt is an SEC opponent, South Carolina appears to be the more talented team and should manage to take care of business on the road. Fans can expect an all-around good time in Nashville.

No. 8 vs Texas A&M
New Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko will aim to make an impression in his first year. There is still plenty of talent on the Aggies' roster to compete in the middle tier of the SEC. This is where the games start to get tougher for the Gamecocks.

No. 7 @Kentucky
Kentucky is ranked higher than Texas A&M due to the consistency in its coaching staff and potential upside at the quarterback position. South Carolina has to travel to Lexington to open their SEC slate in week 2. If this game were later in the season, Kentucky would likely be ranked higher.

No. 6 @ Clemson
Clemson is ranked above Kentucky based on a few factors. Despite inconsistent quarterback play and Dabo Swinney's refusal to adjust to modern forms of talent acquisition, Clemson has a history of National Championship seasons. Additionally, this game is at Clemson, which gives them the edge.

No. 5 vs LSU
LSU is losing significant production on offense, including three first-round draft picks. However, Brian Kelly has proven he can coach at a high level in the SEC, having won 10 games in each of his first two seasons at LSU. LSU has recruited well, and Garrett Nussmeier has a high upside if supported by the right weapons. If they can figure out their defense, the Tigers could be a very good team in 2024.

No. 4 @ Oklahoma
Oklahoma lost a proven quarterback in Dillon Gabriel to the transfer portal, and Brent Venables has yet to produce the kind of defense that secured him the head coaching job at OU. But by game seven, Jackson Arnold is expected to have acclimated well enough to show why Gabriel left. Oklahoma has tried to surround Arnold with weapons through the transfer portal and is expected to improve defensively this year.

No. 3 vs Ole Miss
Ole Miss has a very talented roster. Lane Kiffin has added more firepower through the transfer portal. Jaxson Dart performed well last season and is expected to continue performing at a high level. However, Ole Miss's offense isn't nearly as potent on the road as it is at home.

No. 2 vs Missouri
Missouri returns what looks like the best weapon in the country in Luther Burden Jr. Brady Cook should improve upon what was already a solid 2023 season. Eli Drinkwitz is coming off an SEC Coach of the Year campaign, and all signs point to continued success for the Tigers in 2024

No. 1 @ Alabama
Despite the retirement of Nick Saban, Alabama remains a powerhouse with a significant talent gap over most teams. New head coach Kalen DeBoer has a strong track record of doing more with less. Alabama should continue to be very strong in 2024.

You Might Also Like:

Join the community:

Follow Andrew Lyon on X: @ALyon_SC
Follow Locked On Gamecocks on Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to follow us on X at @GamecocksDigest and on Facebook!

Published May 27, 2024

ANDREW LYON