The 2023 College Football season kicks off in 38 long agonizing days on August 26, aka Week Zero and the SEC Media is set to unveil their preseason selections later this week. The staff writers here at Gamecock Scoop are going on record to give you our best guesses as to what the 2022 season holds. Below, we are revealing our picks for Shane Beamer's third season in Columbia, our projected SEC standings, and a brief overview of how we see things shaking out nationally. Interested in how we did last year? We perfectly picked the SEC East.

We tallied the individual ballots from Gamecock Scoop publisher Caleb Alexander, GC Scoop beat writer Alan Cole, from deep down in the smokey depths of the Gamecock Scoop film vault former coach and staff writer Perry McCarty, Gamecock Scoop Intern Peyton Butt, and social media challenged staff writer Stephen Anderson, and formed the Gamecock Scoop aggregate final standings below.

We are also going to give you our weekly picks once the season starts. Obviously, injuries and other factors that always unfold during the course of a season can alter the outlook for these games. Below, we've given you our predictions as we enter SEC Media Days week. Despite how unanimous they seem, we actually didn't consult with one another at all on these.

There is a lot of uniformity in the staff picks, which means it's probably going to be way off. South Carolina over Kentucky is certainly no sure thing and the Gamecocks haven't won in Missouri since Deebo Samuel and Hayden Hurst took matters into their own hands in Will Muschamps' second season. The Gamecocks are currently the Vegas underdog to UNC, but the staff here feel pretty confident in that neutral-site matchup of future NFL quarterbacks. A 9-3 to 8-4 season would likely put the Gamecocks in a Florida bowl game or possibly the Music City Bowl and would continue to show positive momentum in Shane Beamer's third season.

Perry, being the overachiever that he is, even provided some generalized thoughts as to his 9-3 prediction.

Vs UNC (Charlotte, NC) = Win. A swing game that could go either way. Wonky things tend to happen in week one, but the Gamecocks have enough veteran leadership to weather the storm.

Vs Furman = Win. The Paladins should not present much of a challenge.

At Georgia = Loss. The Bulldogs are stacked again. They will need to replace their starting quarterback, which may mean the offense is not as formidable as it will be towards the end of the season. However, the defense will be strong and Georgia has playmakers all over the field.

Vs Mississippi State = Win. MSU will be a challenge, but catching the other Bulldogs this early in the season as they settle into a new offensive scheme should be an advantage for Carolina. Keep in mind quarterback Will Rogers has never played in an offensive style other than “air raid.” The MSU defense should be stout.

At Tennessee = Loss. Going into Knoxville is always tough. This is not an impossible task by any stretch, although the Vols will likely have plenty of momentum by this point in the season.

Vs Florida = Win. Carolina gets revenge on an overhyped Gator squad.

At Missouri = Win. Carolina has traditionally played poorly at Missouri, but the Gamecocks are due a win on the road against the Tigers.

At Texas A&M = Loss. TAMU could be competing for the conference championship or be a complete dumpster fire. Regardless, this is a back-to-back road game in a place where Carolina typically struggles.

Vs Jacksonville State = Win. Rich Rod is back in action at the FBS level. This game may be closer than expected if the other Gamecocks catch a couple of breaks. Carolina cannot take a breath in this part of the schedule and drop a game that should be a victory.

Vs Vanderbilt = Win. The Commodores will be improved, although probably not enough for an upset in Columbia.

Vs Kentucky = Win. Beamer will be fired up for this matchup as long as Stoops is the head man in Lexington. This game is sandwiched in between Alabama and Louisville for the Wildcats. Chances are Kentucky comes into Columbia a little beat up and may not be quite as focused with their matchup against a potentially much stronger version of rival Louisville on the horizon.

Vs Clemson = Win. Carolina should be playing with extreme confidence at this point and the lore of Clemson football is no longer respected under coach Beamer.

We also took a stab at predicting the remaining New Year's Six Bowls. This season the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl will serve as College Football Playoff semifinal games. The National Championship is being held at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Caleb's NY6 Bowls:

Chick-Fil-A (CFA): Alabama vs Wisconsin

Fiesta: Tennessee vs. Kansas State

Cotton: Utah vs. Tulane

Orange: Florida State vs. Ohio State

Alan's NY6:

Chick-Fil-A: Notre Dame vs. LSU

Fiesta: Washington vs. Ohio St

Cotton: Texas vs. UTSA

Orange: Clemson v. Alabama

Perry's NY6:

Chick-Fil-A: Alabama vs. Oregon

Fiesta: UCF vs. South Carolina (sign me up)

Cotton: Ohio St vs. UTSA

Orange: Clemson v. Illinois

Stephen's NY6:

Chick-Fil-A: Clemson vs. LSU

Fiesta: Washington vs. Texas

Cotton: Liberty vs. Penn State

Orange: Florida State vs. Michigan

Peyton's NY6:

Chick-Fil-A: UNC vs. Oregon

Fiesta: Utah vs. LSU

Cotton: Boise State vs. Oklahoma

Orange: Clemson vs. Texas A&M

While your mileage on the prestigiousness of this award may vary, it is still the most recognizable award bestowed upon an individual athlete in American sports. The award generally goes to the best quarterback on the best team, but this year most of the usual suspects are breaking in new signal callers. Caleb is taking his namesake Caleb Williams to become the first repeat winner since Archie Griffin. Alan is hopping on board that Jordan Travis war wagon. Perry is in full homer mode and selecting Spencer Rattler to become the Gamecocks' second-ever winner. Stephen thinks that Michael Penix, Jr. is going to put up video game numbers and Washington will win enough games to bring home the hardware. Peyton is picking South Carolina to defeat future Heisman winner and possible #1 NFL Draft pick Drake Maye in Charlotte.

Let's hear your thoughts and picks on the Gamecocks Forum or the Insiders Forum.