Gamecock bowl predictions: Week 8
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Just a week ago, it was hard to find a path for the Gamecocks to get to a bowl game that didn't include an upset over a likely ranked team.
Well, South Carolina got it.
The Gamecocks upset Georgia—that's been well-documented—which gets them halfway to their magic number of six wins and into a lot more bowl projections this week.
The prevailing thought by a lot of national media outlets is still the Gator Bowl, with six of the eight outlets in this week's projections predicting the Gamecocks to play in Jacksonville this winter.
Also see: Analyzing the effects of Saturday's big win
Right now, the debate more centers around who the Gamecocks (3-3, 2-2 SEC) will play; Iowa and Nebraska are both mentioned twice but the remainder of the opponents listed are a smattering of Big 10, Big 12 and ACC schools ranging from Pittsburgh to Miami to Michigan and Oklahoma State.
South Carolina sits at three wins right now, needing at least a split of its final six games to guarantee a spot in the postseason.
According to ESPN's FPI, the Gamecocks are projected to finish 6-6 this year with a plus-50 percent chance to win three of their remaining games: at Tennessee and home games against Vanderbilt and Appalachian State.
The three games they don't have an over-50 percent chance to win: home games against Florida and Clemson and their last regular season road game at Texas A&M.
The win percentages for all those sub-50 percent games have all gone up, though, since Saturday's win; Florida is at 40 percent, up from 32.6 percent two weeks ago, Texas A&M goes from 25.3 to a 30.6 percent chance to win while Clemson jumps from 16.1 to 19.3 percent.
The Gamecocks host No. 9 Florida (6-1, 3-1 SEC) with kickoff scheduled for noon on ESPN.
Also see: Insider notes on some hoops recruiting
Full list of bowl projections:
ESPN (Schlabach): Gator Bowl vs. Iowa (Jan. 2, 7 p.m.)
ESPN (Bonagura): Music City Bowl vs. Pittsburgh (Dec. 30, 4 p.m.)
The Athletic: Gator Bowl vs. Michigan (Jan. 2, 7 p.m.)
Banner Society: Gator Bowl vs. Miami (Jan. 2, 7 p.m.)
Saturday Down South: Gator Bowl vs. Iowa (Jan. 2, 7 p.m.)
Brett McMurphy (WatchStadium): Gator Bowl vs. Nebraska (Jan. 2, 7 p.m.)
CBS: Gator Bowl vs. Nebraska (Jan. 2, 7 p.m.)
Sporting News: Liberty Bowl vs. Oklahoma State (Dec. 31, 3:45 p.m.)
