South Carolina Remaining Schedule Outlook: What Lies Ahead for the Gamecocks?

The first half of South Carolina's 2026 season has officially come to a close, but the most important stretch is still on its way. Following a road victory against Florida, the Gamecocks have a lot of momentum right now. Will that carry over to the remaining six games on the schedule?

The bye week couldn't come at a better time as it allows the Gamecocks to get healthy and work on areas that need to be improved for the final push of the regular season. What was once a daunting schedule in the preseason has lightened up in a big way. Here is a quick breakdown of the final six games and whether or not the Gamecocks will find their way in bowl contention by season's end.

Tennessee:

One of the final two top 25 teams on the schedule, the 14th ranked Volunteers are 5-1 on the year with wins over Furman, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, Auburn, and Arkansas. They will face Alabama this week before traveling to Columbia on the 24th. Tennessee's offense has not been the high scoring unit that we have seen over recent years (t-9th in the SEC this year. However their defense has been great (second best scoring unit in the SEC).

Early prediction: Slight Tennessee lead at the moment. Let's see how they fair against Alabama and what happens at the quarterback spot.

Oklahoma:

Despite being slotted below Tennessee in scoring defense, I believe this is a better defense South Carolina will face. Question is, what does the Sooner offense look like? Only scoring 23 points per game at this point in the season, this feels like a get right game for the Gamecocks' defense. The one guy to watch out for is wide receiver Isaiah Satenga. He is the number one target on this offense and can be a game changer in what should be a low scoring game.

Early prediction: South Carolina picks up another major road win

Texas A&M:

Despite collapsing in the fourth quarter of last year, South Carolina has had Texas A&M's number each of the last two seasons. What was billed as a College Football Playoff team to begin the year, now sits at 3-3 on the year with more questions than answers. Not to mention there seems to be a riff between the head coach and his fanbase at the moment.

Early prediction: Gamecocks get back to back wins

Arkansas:

Sitting at 2-4 through six games, Arkansas is on their way to missing out on bowl eligibility once again. The Razorbacks are winless in the SEC with Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Auburn on the schedule before coming back home to face the Gamecocks. New head coach Ryan Silverfield needs time to overhaul the roster and find what works. As we stand today, I don't believe that happens this season.

Early prediction: Gamecocks win three in a row.

Georgia:

Fresh off a 20-17 win over Alabama on the road, the Bulldogs look like the best team in the country right now. They are the number two in scoring offense in the country (46.17 points per game) and the number one scoring defense in the SEC (14 points per game). This will be the first meeting between the two schools since 2023 where the Gamecocks nearly came away with an upset victory on the road.

Early prediction: Georgia ends the South Carolina winning streak.

Clemson:

At this point, South Carolina is already bowl eligible and looking for a chance to cap off their season with a win over their biggest rivals. Despite a down year, Clemson should be bowl eligible at this point too so there will likely be no chance to end the Tigers' season early. Since 2022, the road team has won every game in this matchup. I expect that trend to continue in 2026.

Early prediction: South Carolina caps off their season with a win over their biggest rivals.

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