National bowl projections for South Carolina coming out of bye week

This weekend, South Carolina football was off. The bye week came at a good time for the Gamecocks as several players have been dealing with injuries, and the coaching staff had time to evaluate some new-look personnel groupings they debuted against Kentucky last week.

Heading into a difficult stretch of the season, Carolina sits at 3-2 overall and 1-2 in Southeastern Conference play.

The Gamecocks have made a bowl in three of four years under Beamer, but national college football pundits are somewhat split on the team’s chances of doing so in 2025.

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

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For the second week in a row, On3’s Brett McMurphy projected South Carolina to play in the Texas Bowl. This week, though, McMurphy lists the Iowa State Cyclones as the proposed opponent. If the veteran writer is correct, the Gamecocks would be making their first trip to the Texas Bowl. USC and ISU have met once before, a 1967 blowout win for the home team in Columbia.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura both changed their Gamecock-related bowl projections from last week. According to Bonagura, South Carolina will match up with the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Music City Bowl in Nashville. USC has never been to the Music City Bowl and hasn’t played Penn State since before the United States entered World War II. Schlabach has Carolina in a more familiar setting, pairing Shane Beamer’s team with the Virginia Cavaliers in the Gator Bowl. The Gamecocks own the all-time matchup with the Cavaliers but lost the most recent meeting in the 2018 Belk Bowl. The program is also 0-5 all-time in the Gator Bowl.

For the third week in a row, Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan projected South Carolina to the Liberty Bowl. This time, though, the winter hypothetical has the Cincinnati Bearcats lined up across from the Gamecocks. USC last played in the Liberty Bowl in 2006 when Steve Spurrier’s group beat the Houston Cougars in a shootout. In the 1980s, Cincinnati traveled to Columbia twice and lost both times, giving Carolina a 2-0 all-time advantage in the series.

Former CBS analyst and bowl guru Jerry Palm left South Carolina out of his projections last week. That continued with his update following week six.

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There are other outlets that have followed Palm’s lead and have the Gamecocks missing a bowl following the 2025 season. Coming into the year as a somewhat trendy College Football Playoff pick, that would be a major disappointment for Carolina.

The next opportunity to earn a win will come on Saturday. Shane Beamer’s team will travel to Baton Rouge for a night game date with the LSU Tigers.

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