South Carolina’s next four games look brutal. Let’s predict how the Gamecocks will do

The South Carolina football team is 3-1 and Shane Beamer isn’t happy about it.

“I’m mad we’re not 4-0,” Beamer said after last weekend’s win over Akron.

Has the anger increased a bit from officiating that lone loss to LSU? Probably. Plus, 3-1 sounds great until you realize how close they were to 4-0 – and considering the foursome included two non-conference games, the Gamecocks are 1-1 in SEC play.

However, the difficulty of South Carolina’s first four games pales in comparison to the next four. With a third of the season over, let’s take a look at the Gamecocks’ next four games – the most hellish part of the schedule, with every team ranked in the latest Associated Press Top 25.

Here is our list of scenarios:

Almost impossible: 4:0

Let’s forget the last two games for a second.

Will South Carolina beat Ole Miss and Alabama in consecutive weeks? Come on. USC has been really good this season, but that feels absurd right now.

Still, we had to include the “almost” before the impossible because the precedent is new. The last time South Carolina beat two top-10 teams in back-to-back weeks – with the first game at home and the second on the road – was in 2022.

But even that incredible two-week stretch, in which the Gamecocks beat No. 5 Tennessee and No. 7 Clemson, ended in losses.

Winning four straight in an SEC season feels nearly impossible – and it usually doesn’t involve two quality top-10 teams. (Ole Miss will likely fall out of the top 10 after Saturday’s surprising loss to Kentucky.)

But here’s the positive: If South Carolina wins 4-0. If they somehow go on a Black Magic-like run, the Gamecocks will be a top-10 team themselves. At this point, they could be a playoff favorite. Heck, Ray Tanner might decide he needs a few more years as the Gamecocks’ athletic director.

Best case: 3-1

This follows the premise that South Carolina will beat evenly matched teams Oklahoma and Texas A&M and then pull off a major upset against either Ole Miss or Alabama.

It would make the most sense for the Gamecocks to actually shock the world by facing Ole Miss next week in the Juice Wells rematch. Yes, Rebels QB Jaxon Dart is currently the best passer in the nation. And yes, Ole Miss is likely favored by as much as two touchdowns.

But if Williams-Brice Stadium is rocking and the Gamecocks force enough turnovers and somehow get on top, a 3-1 record at this stage becomes quite realistic. Beating Alabama feels more difficult simply because it’s a road game after Ole Miss – which may be the most emotional game the Gamecocks play this season.

If South Carolina starts the season 6-2 and its only losses are to LSU and either Ole Miss or LSU, everything is still on the table. Beamer’s narrative would be that the Gamecocks control their own destiny – that if they win, the playoffs could come.

Most likely: 2-2

Looking at it just from a Vegas perspective, South Carolina certainly won’t have the advantage against Ole Miss or Alabama.

Could the Gamecocks come out on top in a road game against an Oklahoma team coming out of the Red River Rivalry, an Oklahoma team that just benched its prized redshirt freshman QB midway through the season? There is a chance.

Will the Gamecocks be the favorite at home against Texas A&M – another team with a quarterback controversy early in the season? Probably.

That just feels the most plausible. Maybe the Gamecocks lose to Ole Miss and Alabama and then bounce back to beat Oklahoma and Texas A&M after a bye week. The only thing that can get weird is if South Carolina somehow beats Alabama or Ole Miss and then loses one of the final two.

Worst case: 1-3 or 0-4

Everything goes wrong. Injuries are increasing. The offensive does not take a step forward. South Carolina is experiencing déjà vu from a year ago, where the defense is solid but the offense struggles to get a first down.

Or LSU’s luck just continues. South Carolina has one of these this Years. It loses to Ole Miss and Alabama, then gets hurt by turnovers, penalties, official acts, whatever, and can’t win games in the fourth quarter.

If you showed an SEC fan South Carolina’s schedule two months ago, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that a majority would have picked the Gamecocks to lose all four. After all, USC’s next four opponents were ranked in the preseason AP poll.

The Gamecocks’ complete 2024 schedule

• August 31 – South Carolina 23, Old Dominion 19 // 4:15 p.m

• September 7 – South Carolina 31, Kentucky 6 // 3:30 p.m

• September 14 – LSU 36, South Carolina 33 // Noon

• September 21 – South Carolina 50, Akron 7 // 7:30 p.m

• October 5 – vs. Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)

• Oct. 12 – at Alabama – Noon, ABC – OR – ESPN

• Oct. 19 – at Oklahoma – TBA (early)

• November 2 – vs. Texas A&M – TBA (night)

• November 9th – at Vanderbilt – TBA (afternoon)

• November 16 – vs. Missouri – TBA (afternoon)

• November 23 – vs. Wofford – 4 p.m., SEC Network Plus/ESPN+

• November 30 – at Clemson – TBA