South Carolina football is trying to bounce back from a 4-8 season a year ago. Is the talent and coaching staff in place to get back to a bowl game?
This time a year ago, South Carolina was staring at the toughest schedule in all of college football. Home games against Alabama, Florida and Clemson. Road trips to Georgia and Texas A&M. It was a daunting task and the final results showed how difficult it was.
Somehow the Gamecocks were able to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the season with their road victory at Georgia but they lost to Appalachian State at home. Yeah, the Mountaineers went 13-1, but South Carolina obviously was decent enough to pull the upset of Georgia.
Blowout losses to Missouri and Tennessee did not help matters. South Carolina finished 4-8, failing to reach a bowl game for the first time in the Will Muschamp era.
Muschamp survived to his upcoming fifth season despite the calls for his firing and a lot of back and forth in the athletic department. There is talent to right the ship, but the Gamecocks will need to rely heavily on inexperience.
Muschamp made multiple changes on his staff, with only three assistants returning to their same roles from a year ago. With the always challenging SEC schedule, can South Carolina string together enough wins? Muschamp’s job will depend on it.