South Carolina has opened the 2026 season with a pair of blowouts, piling up 102 points while allowing just nine through two games. That kind of start gives Shane Beamer some breathing room, even if the heat around him hasn’t gone away.
The next test is the first one that looks like a real challenge. Mississippi State comes to Columbia this weekend at 2-0, with Kamario Taylor at quarterback and a much louder résumé than the kind of team South Carolina has faced so far.
On paper, the Bulldogs might not scream danger. They’re coming off an eight-loss season, and Jeff Lebby is operating with plenty of pressure of his own. But Mississippi State just sent a message in Minneapolis, where it rolled past Minnesota in a road win that looked controlled from start to finish.
The Bulldogs led by 22 at halftime and finished with a 25-point victory, a result that carries more weight than the score alone. Minnesota has built a reputation under P.J.
Fleck for being a difficult out, with bowl wins stacking up and an eight-win 2025 season adding to that image. Programs like that tend to tell you a lot about an opponent when they get handled the way Mississippi State handled them.
That’s what makes this weekend matter for South Carolina. Mississippi State is not just another warm-up before the schedule tightens. It’s the kind of team that can expose whether those early routs were real or just early-season noise.
And the road only gets rougher after this. Once the Gamecocks get through Mississippi State, they have to turn around for a trip to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama. After that comes Kentucky at home, then Florida in The Swamp, and only then does South Carolina reach its lone bye.
So the Bulldogs may be the first real threat on the schedule, but they’re also just the opening act for a brutal stretch. If South Carolina’s first two games were smoke and mirrors, this is where the season starts to answer that question.
In Other News...
South Carolina Has An Awkward Sideline Subplot Fans Will Notice
There will be a little extra family intrigue on the sideline when South Carolina meets Mississippi State, because offensive coordinator Kendal Briles is set to line up opposite his brother-in-law, Jeff Lebby, on the other side. It is the sort of coaching matchup fans do not usually get in an SEC game, and it comes with some built-in familiarity because the two have already crossed paths as opposing coordinators before.
This will be the fourth time Briles and Lebby have coached against each other, even as both have acknowledged the family connection without letting it overshadow the job at hand. For South Carolina, it adds another layer to a game that already carries the usual conference stakes, with the wrinkle that one of the more interesting chess matches may be happening before the ball is even snapped. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Heads Into Mississippi State With Big Availability Questions
South Carolinas first SEC availability report of the 2026 football season gave the teams trip to Mississippi State an immediate layer of uncertainty, especially along the offensive line and at quarterback. Offensive lineman Jacarrius Peak and defensive end Dylan Stewart were listed as probable, while center Carter Miller landed in the questionable category and quarterback Lucian Anderson was ruled out.
Wide receiver DJ Black and tight end Maurice Brown II were not included on the report, leaving a few more moving pieces to monitor as the Gamecocks try to sort through injuries and availability heading into conference play. The SECs weekly reporting system is designed to keep those status calls public, and South Carolina will have to continue navigating that process as it manages personnel and prepares for the Bulldogs. [Read more 🡒]
Northwestern Faces An Early 5A Test That Could Shape Everything
Northwestern gets an early measuring-stick game Friday night when the two-time defending state champion meets unbeaten Berkeley in a Class 5A matchup that already carries a little extra weight. Northwestern is 2-1 after a loss to Hough, while Berkeley has rolled to a 4-0 start, including a recent win over Summerville, and both teams have spent the opening weeks building the kind of rsums that make September games feel bigger than they should.
For Northwestern, this is the kind of test that can quickly clarify where a defending champion stands after an uneven start, especially against a Berkeley group that has handled every challenge so far. The game also comes with a family link off the field, since Northwesterns head coach and Berkeleys radio announcer are connected, adding a personal layer to a night that already has plenty riding on it. [Read more 🡒]