South Carolina Football: Best and worst case scenario for 2018

South Carolina football keeps trending upward under head coach Will Muschamp. What are the best and worst case scenarios for the Gamecocks in 2018?

The nation watched in awe as the Georgia Bulldogs ran through the SEC East and dominated the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship Game. The Bulldogs are the favorites to win the East once again this year, but a mysterious contender has emerged from the ranks: South Carolina.

The Gamecocks powered through the East last season and, if they can find a way to knock off Georgia at home in Week 2, could conceivably have a shot at representing the East in the Championship Game. Will Muschamp appears to have learned from his mistakes at Florida and has somehow turned South Carolina into a major player within the division.

How high is the ceiling and how low is the floor for South Carolina in 2018?

Best case scenario

• Sep 1 – vs Coastal Carolina – W
• Sep 8 – vs Georgia – L
• Sep 15 – vs Marshall – W
• Sep 22 – @ Vanderbilt – W
• Sep 29 – @ Kentucky – W
• Oct 6 – vs Missouri – W
• Oct 13 – vs Texas A&M – W
• Oct 27 – vs Tennessee – W
• Nov 3 – @ Ole Miss – W
• Nov 10 – @ Florida – W
• Nov 17 – vs Chattanooga – W
• Nov 24 – @ Clemson – L

Result: 10-2

Sorry to burst the bubble for any Gamecocks reading this, beating the defending SEC Champions is a have-to-see-it-to-believe-it proposition. An upset isn’t completely off the table, this is college football after all, but the chances of Kirby Smart‘s blue-chip laden squad not being prepared is implausible at best.

Still, even with a loss to Georgia, South Carolina is in the running for a repeat 10-win performance. That in itself is a massive accomplishment and would require wins over both Florida and Texas A&M. Losses to a pair of Playoff squads would quickly be forgiven and the Gamecocks would be headed back to a New Year’s Six bowl game.

Worst case scenario

• Sep 1 – vs Coastal Carolina – W
• Sep 8 – vs Georgia – L
• Sep 15 – vs Marshall – W
• Sep 22 – @ Vanderbilt – W
• Sep 29 – @ Kentucky – W
• Oct 6 – vs Missouri – W
• Oct 13 – vs Texas A&M – L
• Oct 27 – vs Tennessee – W
• Nov 3 – @ Ole Miss – L
• Nov 10 – @ Florida – L
• Nov 17 – vs Chattanooga – W
• Nov 24 – @ Clemson – L

Result: 7-5

Ole Miss seems to be the most likely trap game for South Carolina this year. A high-powered offense led by Jordan Ta’amu is going to put the onus on quarterback Jake Bentley to keep up with the Rebels’ aerial attack. Road trips in the SEC are never a sure thing, and a visit to the Swamp the week following that contest could catch South Carolina looking too far ahead.

If anything the low floor projected for South Carolina is more reflective of the strength of the conference than the deficiencies of the Gamecocks. This is going to be a tough group to handle every Saturday and it will be their consistency that dictates how far they’re able to go in 2018.