With the College Football Playoff chase likely over, what comes next for the Gamecocks?
A bowl game somewhere, and an opportunity to finish off a 10-win season for just the fifth time in program history. But where could the Gamecocks end up, and who are some realistic opponents?
The Procedure
The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in Orlando has the first pick of non-playoff SEC teams, currently Ole Miss by the rankings. If Ole Miss somehow snuck into the playoff or dipped below South Carolina between now and Sunday, it would open the door for the Gamecocks to go to Orlando. There is also a chance the Citrus Bowl commitee could spurn the rankings and select South Carolina regardless.
From there, the bowl pecking order after the Citrus Bowl is murky and undefined. The so-called "pool of six" bowl game follow the Citrus Bowl, but it comes down to bowl committees and invitations rather than a set order where one bowl can choose a team, followed by the next and so on.
Those six bowl games are the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly known as the Outback Bowl) in Tampa, the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Nashville's Transperfect Music City Bowl, the SRS Distributors Las Vegas Bowl, the Tax Act Texas Bowl (Houston) and the Autozone Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
Citrus Bowl
Location: Orlando, Florida
Date: December 31st
Affiliations: SEC vs. Big Ten
This is the easiest one to break down of the group. It has always been the top SEC and Big Ten teams outside the New Years Six bowls (what is now the playoff). With four Big Ten teams expected to get in the playoff, Illinois is the conference's only other ranked team. If the Gamecocks are slotted for Orlando it would very likely be against the Illini, meaning a match-up against former wide recievers coach Justin Stepp.
South Carolina has played in this bowl game twice, beating Nebraska to end the 2011 season and Wisconsin following 2013.
ReliaQuest Bowl
Location: Tampa, Florida
Date: December 31st
Affiliations: SEC vs. Big Ten
Probably the least desirable destination for Gamecock fans just because of the frequency they have been there. South Carolina has played in what was formely known as the Outback Bowl five times, all since 2000. This is more than any other SEC team. The Gamecocks are 4-1 in Tampa, but this bowl would border on almost being routine for large portions of the fanbase.
As for a possible opponent, the Big Ten has a different structure to the SEC, where it does have an established order. This bowl game is first in line to select a Big Ten team after the Citrus Bowl.
Strictly based on win totals Iowa would be next with its 8-4 record. But Michigan, Minnesota and Rutgers are all close behind with seven wins. Michigan in particular could be attractive for a bowl committee with its large alumni network and renewed fan energy following a rivalry win over Ohio State.
Gator Bowl
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Date: January 2nd
Affiliations: SEC vs. ACC
Maybe the Gamecocks wouldn't go to the same bowl game on two straight trips, but South Carolina fans had a strong turnout in 2022 and Jacksonville is just four hours from Columbia. If South Carolina went back to Jacksonville, Syracuse, Duke and Louisville would be the frontrunners as possible opponents from the ACC.
The ACC does not have a true pecking order, meaning fan interest and opportunities to sell television ads would factor in. This was a large part of how the Gator Bowl ended up using Notre Dame's pseudo-ACC status to land the Fighting Irish after their 8-4 season in 2022.
Music City Bowl
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Date: December 30th
Affiliations: SEC vs. Big Ten
This is a very similar situation to the ReliaQuest Bowl, where it usually features an SEC team and a Big Ten team both somewhere in the 7-9 win range. It is next in the Big Ten pecking order, meaning the bowl committee would have the rest of the conference outside the Citrus and ReliaQuest bowl participants to choose from. It feels like the spot for whoever does not get to Tampa between Iowa and Michigan, but again Minnesota and Rutgers lurk.
South Carolina has never played in the Music City Bowl, but its long history of having large contingents of fans travel to Nashville for Vanderbilt games would surely make it an eye-popping candidate.
Las Vegas Bowl
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Date: December 27th
Affiliations: SEC vs. Pac-12*
*Members of the Pac-12 prior to 2024 are still considered eligible for this bowl invitation.
This is where it starts to veer into the range of being technically possible, but unlikely. Anything outside of the three Florida bowls or Nashville feels like a longshot.
The Pac-12 is dead, but alive in this sense. Teams who played in the league last year are still eligible for this bowl game due to contracts agreed on prior to conference re-alignment. Colorado for instance is bowl eligible, and therefore eligible to play in any game with a Big 12 or Pac-12 tie. Arizona State has its sights set on the playoff if it wins the Big 12 title game, but this could be a fallback option for the Sun Devils if they lose this weekend. Washington and Southern Cal, both 6-6 in their new Big Ten homes, would also be eligible here.
It is difficult to nail down exactly how this bowl committee will select teams, needing an SEC one that would make a cross-country trip in big numbers and having to work with other conferences on the former Pac-12 teams. Still, it is at least possible for South Carolina.
Texas Bowl
Location: Houston, Texas
Date: December 31st
Affiliations: SEC vs. Big 12
This is probably the least likely destination for the Gamecocks, but is still technically possible. Texas A&M, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and LSU are all bowl eligible and in far closer proximity to Houston than the Gamecocks, creating a much bigger chance at selling tickets.
South Carolina has never played in this bowl game, and geography is a big reason.
If it did somhow land here, one of the three Texas schools with an 8-4 record -- Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech -- would be the likliest opponents.
Liberty Bowl
Location: Memphis, Tennessee
Date: December 27th
Affiliations: SEC vs. Big 12
Again, this feels close to impossible. The Liberty Bowl is technically in the "pool of six" but has almost always ended up with a team in close proximity to Memphis after other bowls were filled. Arkansas, Mississippi State and Missouri have been the last three SEC teams to play here, and none of those teams won nine games, either.
Kansas State or one of the Texas schools would make the most sense to fill the Big 12 side of this game.
