South Carolina Pinned With One of Toughest Schedules in College Football

The South Carolina Gamecocks have been pinned with one of the toughest schedules in college football.

The University of South Carolina Spring football game took place at William-Brice Stadium on April 24, 2024. USC's Head Coach Shane Beamer on the field. / ALEX HICKS JR./STAFF / USA TODAY NETWORK

The South Carolina Gamecocks have been pinned with one of the toughest schedules in college football.

The 2024 college football season is approaching rapidly and the South Carolina Gamecocks are getting ready to take on one of the toughest schedules in all of college football. Texas and Oklahoma created a shake up in the SEC this season as divisions have now been eliminated which also means conference schedules will look different this year.

At first, it seemed like the Gamecocks maybe would get a break in this new format. No more divisions meant South Carolina would no longer have to face the likes of Georgia or Tennessee every single season or be competing with those two schools for a division title. However, the trade-off for at least this next season wasn't ideal. The Gamecocks' conference slate includes: @ Kentucky, vs LSU, vs Ole Miss, @ Alabama, @ Oklahoma, vs Texas A&M, @ Vanderbilt and vs Missouri. A schedule that placed them inside of the list of the 20 hardest schedules in college football this season, according to ESPN.

It might seem like South Carolina got the short end of the stick, but in reality, that's just the nature of the SEC. Ten other SEC schools ranked ahead of South Carolina on ESPN's list and the top eight was made up of strictly SEC programs. It's claimed to be the toughest conference to play in and the strength of schedule rankings reflect that. Only one SEC school was ranked outside of the top 25 and that's the Missouri Tigers.

What's unfortunate for South Carolina is they face this schedule during a season in which they will likely be trying to find answers along the way. Questions like who the starting quarterback will be, can the offensive line hold up this season and who replaces the production of Xavier Legette at wide receiver. It's also a big season for Shane Beamer as he heads into his fourth season with the program and is in need of proving he can produce positive results with the program. The Gamecocks failed to be bowl eligible last season.

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