Ole Miss Schedule Preview: South Carolina Gamecocks

In what could be a heated atmosphere, the Ole Miss Rebels will travel to face South Carolina in early October.

Sep 9, 2023; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) passes against the Furman Paladins during the second half at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 college football season is still about a month away, but with SEC Media Days in the rearview mirror, now is the time to begin previewing the Ole Miss Rebels' schedule.

Ole Miss is coming off an 11-2 season that saw it capture a Peach Bowl victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions in December. The Rebels return a plethora of talent from last year's team (including quarterback Jaxson Dart, wide receiver Tre Harris, tight end Caden Prieskron and others), but they also made a huge haul in the transfer portal to shore up some holes on its roster.

It's this combination of talent and a seemingly-managble SEC schedule that have many believing the Rebels can qualify for the new 12-team College Football Playoff.

Over the next few days, Ole Miss OnSI will preview each of the Rebels' 2024 regular season opponents. We last looked at the Kentucky Wildcats, and today, we analyze the South Carolina Gamecocks.

South Carolina Gamecocks

Is Shane Beamer on the hot seat?

In the early portions of last season, the Gamecocks received votes in national polls, but they finished the year at 5-7 and failed to reach a bowl game. According to the preseason poll from SEC Media Days, Carolina is projected to finish 13th in the conference this season, just behind Billy Napier's Florida Gators.

Then, there's Vegas. According to FanDuel, the Gamecocks are expected to hover right around bowl eligibility again with a projected win total of 5.5. On paper, this is a game that Ole Miss should win, but games aren't played on paper. Following this game in Columbia, the Rebels travel to Baton Rouge for an all-important Magnolia Bowl matchup against LSU.

Trap game in the Carolinas? Maybe.

There's also the added twist that Gamecock fans will probably be pretty energetic for this one. The official kick time for the game has yet to be released, but whether it's in the afternoon or at night, Juice Wells is scheduled to return to Columbia for the first time since his transfer to Ole Miss.

If you've kept up with things on social media, you know that can't be overlooked.

From a talent perspective, South Carolina will likely turn to redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers at quarterback, and they also gained a transfer from Raheim "Rocket" Sanders at running back after he spent time with the Arkansas Razorbacks. They also return linebacker Debo Williams who led the team in tackles a season ago, but this game could be just as much about atmosphere as talent on the field.

Can Ole Miss come away with a win in Columbia on Oct. 5 and keep its playoff dreams on track?