National bowl projections for South Carolina following Vanderbilt loss

On a sold-out Saturday in South Carolina, the Gamecocks fell to the Vanderbilt Commodores for the first time since 2008. The disappointing defeat put a ding in USC’s postseason resume, as Shane Beamer’s team fell to 2-1 with a tough schedule remaining.

Still, almost every national analyst has South Carolina projected to play in a bowl game this winter. However, the College Football Playoff predictions have lessened. A small number of national voices are doubting the team’s chances of making a bow altogether.

Below, you can check out some of the latest national bowl projections for USC.

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On3’s Brett McMurphy shifted his postseason prognostication for the Gamecocks. Previously matching up Carolina with Baylor or BYU in the Liberty Bowl in January, he now lists the December 19th Gasparilla Bowl as the team’s most likely destination. If USC does wind up in Tampa for the bowl, McMurphy believes they will take on the Duke Blue Devils. South Carolina and Duke haven’t met since a tie in 1991, but the Gamecocks had won five in a row in the series before that. The Gamecocks have never played in the Gasparilla Bowl but were slated to play in the game against UAB before a Covid-19 cancellation at the end of the 2020 season.

Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura of ESPN are split on the Gamecocks. Bonagura doesn’t include South Carolina in his current bowl projections. Schlabach, though, has Carolina slotted into the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte against NC State on January 2nd. The Gamecocks and Wolfpack last met in the 2017 opener when USC won, 35-28. USC owns the advantage in the series, as well. Shane Beamer’s team beat another ACC team, the North Carolina Tar Heels, in the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Last week, both Schlabach and Bonagura had the Gamecocks in the Mayo Bowl.

According to a prediction from Athlon’s Steven Lassan, South Carolina will take part in bowl season with a Music City Bowl appearance against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on December 30th. A trip to Nashville would be the Gamecocks’ first Music City Bowl. USC also has never played against Minnesota in football. Lassan previously projected Carolina to take part in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan.

CBS bowl guru Jerry Palm joins McMurphy with a Gasparilla Bowl prediction. According to Palm, though, Carolina will play against the Pittsburgh Panthers. The two teams haven’t met since 1984 and 1985 when they traded blowout victories at each home venue. Palm was one of the analysts who had the Gamecocks in the College Football Playoff last week.

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South Carolina’s schedule doesn’t get easier moving forward. As part of seven more SEC contests in a row, the Gamecocks will travel to “the other Columbia” for the Mayor’s Cup showdown with Missouri.

Kickoff in the Columbia-vs.-Columbia battle will be at 7:00 p.m. ESPN will handle the broadcast, while the ESPN app makes it available via streaming.

The Gamecocks won the 2024 meeting between the two teams in the Palmetto State. Missouri is ranked No. 23 in the latest AP poll, while South Carolina fell out of the rankings.

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