South Carolina’s 2028 football season will begin with a first at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The Gamecocks announced Thursday that they’ll open the year at home against Bowling Green on Saturday, August 26, in a non-conference matchup that will also mark the first meeting between the two programs on the field.
That date comes with a little history attached. The Bowling Green game will be the earliest season opener ever played by day at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Before that, Carolina’s earliest home openers came on August 28, when the Gamecocks started the 2008 season against N.C. State and the 2014 season against Texas A&M.
Bowling Green will be part of a non-conference slate for 2028 that also includes Wofford and Clemson. In SEC play, South Carolina is scheduled to host Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky and Oklahoma, while going on the road to Florida, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
The Gamecocks also have a 2026 season opener set against another Mid-American Conference opponent. Carolina will host Kent State on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 12:45 p.m., with the game set for SEC Network.
Williams-Brice’s earliest home games now look like this: August 26, 2028 against Bowling Green; August 28, 2014 against Texas A&M, a 52-28 loss; August 28, 2008 against N.C. State, a 34-0 win; August 29, 2013 against North Carolina, a 27-10 win; August 30, 1986 against Miami, Fla., a 34-14 loss; and August 31, 2024 against Old Dominion, a 23-19 win, along with August 31, 1985 against The Citadel, a 56-17 win.
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Beamer has sounded upbeat about the progress made in preseason camp, but the real test will come once the games start and the offense has to show it can move forward rather than repeat last years issues. Much of the focus lands on quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who enters 2026 coming off a less productive season than he had in 2024, and his development will be one of the clearest indicators of whether South Carolina can steady itself early. [Read more 🡒]