South Carolina’s latest bowl buzz keeps pointing west.
Three national outlets now have the Gamecocks headed to Las Vegas for a New Year’s Eve matchup, a sign that their late-season surge is changing the conversation. South Carolina is coming off a win over Oklahoma, its third straight SEC victory, and the projections are starting to reflect that momentum.
CBS Sports has South Carolina in the Las Vegas Bowl against Oregon on Dec. 31. Brad Crawford moved the Gamecocks there after previously slotting them in the Gator Bowl.
“There’s plenty of South Carolina fans who would make the trip out West to watch a team that has caught fire since an 0-3 start to the SEC slate.” Crawford wrote. “Saturday’s drubbing at Oklahoma was the Gamecocks’ third-straight win under Shane Beamer, who has coached himself off the hot seat and could be the highest-ranked three-loss team in Tuesday’s first CFP reveal.”
Sports Illustrated also sends South Carolina to Las Vegas, this time against Arizona on Dec. 31. On3 follows the same general path, projecting the Gamecocks against Southern Cal in the Las Vegas Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
ESPN’s projections are a little different. Kyle Bonagura keeps South Carolina in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl, matching the Gamecocks with Miami (Ohio) on Dec.
- Mark Schlabach has them in the Music City Bowl, where they’d face Wisconsin on Dec.
Athlon Sports also lands South Carolina in Nashville, but with Nebraska on the other sideline on Dec. 30.
Athlon had previously pegged USC for the Liberty Bowl before shifting to the Music City Bowl. The two teams have met four times, with the most recent meeting coming in the 2012 Capital One Bowl in Orlando.
Clemson’s picture is much less settled.
The Tigers, fresh off a win over Florida State, show up in projections stretching from Puerto Rico to Maryland to California. ESPN alone has Clemson in two different bowls: Bonagura projects the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against Penn State on Dec. 26, while Schlabach sends the Tigers to the Sun Bowl against Oregon State on Dec. 30.
Bonagura’s pick would put Clemson in Charlotte for a second straight year against Penn State. The Nittany Lions beat the Tigers 22-10 in last year’s Pinstripe Bowl. Schlabach’s projection would send Clemson to Texas for a first-ever meeting with Oregon State in a bowl the Tigers have never played.
CBS Sports takes Clemson to the San Juan Bowl in Puerto Rico for the inaugural game there, with Marshall as the opponent on Dec. 16. The two teams have met once before, when Marshall won 13-10 in 1999.
Athlon Sports has Clemson in the Sun Bowl against Arizona on Dec. 31, while On3 projects the Tigers to the Military Bowl against UTSA on Dec. 28. That would send Clemson to Maryland for the first time, facing a Roadrunners team led by one of the hottest coaching candidates in Jeff Traylor.
Sports Illustrated gives Clemson another West Coast trip, projecting the Tigers in the Holiday Bowl against Southern Cal on Dec. 28. Clemson already played at Cal earlier this season.
In Other News...
Kendal Briles Is Creating A South Carolina Question Fans Didn't Want
Kendal Briles has given South Carolina exactly the kind of offensive lift the program hoped for, with the Gamecocks putting together strong performances and even turning in a notable showing against Oklahoma. For a team trying to keep momentum rolling, that kind of production has only sharpened the spotlight on Briles and what he has brought to Shane Beamers staff.
Naturally, the success has led to the kind of outside chatter fans would rather not hear this time of year, with other schools potentially taking a look at him for future openings. Briles and Beamer have both tried to keep the focus where it belongs, on the current season and the push to keep winning, with South Carolina still chasing a bowl berth and Briles staying locked into his role for now. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Fans Just Got A Clear CFP Message From The Committee
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season offered a familiar reminder for South Carolina fans watching the race from the outside: the committee is not simply mirroring the AP poll. Instead, it leaned heavily toward the SEC, elevating teams from the conference even when some of them already had two losses, while undefeated teams from other leagues were left behind.
For a program like South Carolina, that matters because it shows the kind of rsum the committee values most in November. Committee chairman Mack Rhoades pointed to the absence of signature wins for teams such as Notre Dame as a reason they landed lower, which only reinforced the message that quality of schedule and quality of wins can outweigh a spotless record when the bracket starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Fans Need To Know This Before Texas A&M Homecoming
Homecoming at Williams-Brice Stadium will have a different feel this time, with South Carolina set to host Texas A&M in a 3:03 p.m. kickoff. To help smooth out the arrival process after previous delays, gates will open two hours before kickoff, giving fans a little more breathing room before the stadium fills up for one of the seasons marquee weekends.
There will be more than just football on the agenda, too. The game day plan includes additional fan experiences and events, from a Hall of Fame induction to limited-edition merchandise sales, giving the afternoon a fuller Homecoming atmosphere around the matchup. For fans headed in early, the extra time should make it easier to take in everything packed into the day. [Read more 🡒]