South Carolina Reveals Opening Opponent for 2026 Football Season

Though the offseason just officially hit for the Gamecocks, it is never to early to see who next year's squad will open the season against. That question was answered on Monday.

South Carolina Head Coach Shane Beamer claps before he and the team enter the field before the game with Clemson at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. Saturday, November 29, 2025. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co Inc SC / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

South Carolina won't kick off the 2026 season for until Sept. 5, but their opponent for that game has been revealed. The Gamecocks will welcome the Kent State Golden Eagles to Williams-Brice Stadium for the first game of a 2026 season, that is pivotal for the team.

Like the Gamecocks this season, Kent State also missed out on a bowl game as the team finished 5-7 overall. They played three Power Four opponents in 2025 which included Texas Tech, Florida State, and Oklahoma. The Golden Eagles would go on to give up 57.3 points per game in those three matchups, while only scoring 24 points total themselves on offense.

Kent State and South Carolina have only played each other once in both program's histories. Led by quarterback Steve Taneyhill, who completed 20-of-24 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns, the lone matchup came back in 1995 where the Gamecocks came away with a 77-14 victory. Per the school's stats and records, the 77 points scored in that game remains a modern day record for the program.

New Schedule Format Brings Change

Nov 20, 1993; Columbia, SC, USA; FILE PHOTO; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Steve Taneyhill (18) warms up prior to facing the Clemson Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-Imagn Images | RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Back in August, the Southeastern Conference announced a new scheduling format that would change the league's long-standing eight-game conference schedule to nine games. This new format means South Carolina will only play three out-of-conference games going forward, as opposed to four.

Kent State (Sept.5), Towson (Sept. 12), and Clemson (Nov. 28) represent the three schools Shane Beamer's Gamecocks will take on in the out-of-conference slate. South Carolina will have 2026 conference home games against Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Texas A&M and will travel to Alabama, Arkansas, Florida and Oklahoma. Dates and times for those games will be announced later this week.

Clemson and North Carolina represent the only two schools who have beaten South Carolina in out-of-conference regular season games in the Shane Beamer era. South Carolina went 2-1 in such games this season.

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