Where CBS Sports projects South Carolina's 2025 bowl future

South Carolina football played in the Citrus Bowl following the 2024 season, and many around the sport think the Gamecocks could take a step forward this fall. The College Football Playoff was just out of USC’s grasp previously. However, the Gamecocks have been a popular offseason choice to earn a spot in the 12-team field.

Be in the know about all things Gamecocks for just $1 for 7 days—lock in this special offer!

CBS Sports’ latest bowl projection is not among the ones including South Carolina among the teams competing for a title. Instead, the outlet predicts the Gamecocks to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against the Indiana Hoosiers.

The Tampa-based bowl game is a familiar postseason landing spot for South Carolina. Back when the game was the “Outback Bowl,” the Gamecocks played in the bowl five times. Owning a 4-1 record in the BIG Ten vs. SEC showdown, USC knocked off Ohio State twice (following the 2000 and 2001 seasons) and Michigan twice (after the 2012 and 2017 campaigns). The program’s lone loss in the Outback Bowl came at the hands of the Iowa Hawkeyes after the 2008 season.

In the projections, four SEC teams (Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and LSU) made the College Football Playoff. The Florida Gators then occupied the top non-playoff SEC bowl slot in the Citrus Bowl. The Oklahoma Sooners were in the Gator Bowl, a bowl with similar prestige to the ReliaQuest.

Get USC Gamecocks app notifications

South Carolina has played in ten other Florida-based bowl games, too–five trips to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, four berths in the Citrus Bowl (once when it was named the Tangerine Bowl, twice when it was the Capital One Bowl, and once when it was called the Citrus Bowl), and one bid to the Carquest Bowl in Miami (the program’s first bowl victory).

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!