OPINION: South Carolina's A "Have-Not" When It Comes To Protected Matchups

The SEC showed South Carolina's Football program on Wednesday night that their more organic conference matchups don't matter.

Wednesday night was arguably one of the biggest nights for the SEC Network since its inception in 2014, as the best conference in intercollegiate athletics announced the 2024 SEC schedules for each of their current member institutions, along with Oklahoma and Texas, who'll be joining the conference that same year. On this schedule, games like the Third Saturday In October between Alabama and Tennessee, the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry between Georgia and Auburn, and the battle over the Golden Boot between Arkansas and LSU will remain.

For a team like South Carolina, however, who haven't been in the conference quite as long as other teams, anything they view as a matchup worth protecting on their schedule is viewed in a different light compared to the power brokers within the SEC. This contrast is evidenced by the 2024 schedule the SEC handed South Carolina, which saw annual opponents like Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Texas A&M remain on the schedule while other annual opponents who are in closer proximity, like Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee, were all omitted from their schedule.

When comparing both groups, there's little legitimate reasoning for the Gamecocks conference schedule to be set up like this. South Carolina's football program has played Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida a combined 160 times throughout its history. Regarding how many times they've squared off with the Commodores, Tigers, and Aggies, the Gamecocks have played those teams a combined 54 times.

It's clear that from here on out, the conference will prioritize what their old guard and most historic programs desire, while other select teams will be forced to deal with a reality so foreign that it will test the loyalty of even the most crazed fanbases. A lot of us could've seen this coming, and there will be some inherent intrigue when facing some new teams or teams that you used to play twice every 15 years or so, and yes, maybe in a 3-6-6 or 9-game scheduling model, the situation is somewhat rectified. Look to the old guard's collective schedules, however, and you may leave this conversation with more questions than answers.

Welcome to the new SEC.

You Might Also Like:

• BREAKING: Mason Love Commits To South Carolina
• Former South Carolina Commit Mike Williams Commits to Florida
• Gamecock Target Fred Johnson Announces Commitment Date

Join the community:

• Follow Andrew Lyon on Twitter: @ALyon_SC
• Follow Arvon Bacon on Twitter: @baconnetworkllc
• Follow Christian Dart on Twitter: @ChristianJDart
• Follow Fisher Brewer on Twitter: @USCTalk
• Follow Matt Bishop on Twitter: @ThatsABishop
• 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 like us on Facebook @GamecocksDigest & follow us on Twitter at @GamecocksDigest.