Gamecock Scoop Staff Picks: 2024 CFB Season

The 2024 College Football season kicks off in 33 long agonizing days on August 24, aka Week Zero and the SEC Media unveiled their preseason selections late last week. The staff writers here at Gamecock Scoop are going on record to give you our best guesses as to what the 2024 season holds. Below, we are revealing our picks for Shane Beamer's fourth season in Columbia, our projected SEC standings, and a brief overview of how we see things shaking out nationally. Curious as to how we did last season? This year we are going to be better, although Caleb Alexander nailed Michigan as National Champs.

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, social media challenged staff writer Stephen Anderson, and formed the Gamecock Scoop aggregate final standings below.

The staff agreed on the top and the bottom of the SEC. Everyone had Georgia beating Texas in the SEC Championship game, in a game that will be for a first round playoff bye. South Carolina was voted as high as seventh on one ballot and as low as twelfth. If the staff projections hold true, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Florida will be looking for new coaches in December. Auburn, South Carolina, and Missouri were all separated by five spots in the their respective highest and lowest projections, the widest variations of any teams.

All four staff members have the Gamecocks back in the postseason after a 1-year hiatus. Perry and Caleb have the Gamecocks returning to 2022 form with what would be several wins over Top 25 caliber programs. Stephen and Alan were slightly more pessimistic but both see improvements in year four under Beamer from year three. We all agreed that a 3-1 September is a necessity for this team to make it back to the postseason, with the game at Kentucky being the most critical game of the season. Four wins is the basement whereas eight is probably the ceiling, anything over eight and Shane Beamer is the SEC Coach of the Year, anything under four and he could be unemployed in December. (Unlikely, but a 3-win season in Year 4 would be a tough pill to swallow for the fanbase).

Get ready for playoff rematches and a whole lot of red in the national championship if the Gamecock Scoop Staff predictions come true. Georgia, Ohio State, and Florida State are the consensus top three. There is a split between Kansas State and Utah as the Big 12 winner and final team to earn a bye. Remember the first four must be conference champions. As a result of that rule, the remaining Power Four league champions are essentially assured a first round bye. The staff was split between Ohio State and Georgia as the 2024 National Champion.

Caleb:

Playoff Byes: 1. Georgia; 2. Ohio State; 3. Florida State; 4. Utah

Remaining Playoff Field: 5. Ole Miss; 6. Oregon; 7. Texas; 8. Alabama; 9. Notre Dame; 10. Miami; 11. Oklahoma State; 12. Liberty

1st Round: 5. Ole Miss beats 12. Liberty; 6. Oregon beats 11. Oklahoma State; 7. Texas beats 10. Miami, 8. Alabama beats 9. Notre Dame

Quarterfinals: 1. Georgia beats 8. Alabama; 7. Texas beats 2. Ohio State; 6. Oregon beats 3. Florida State; 5. Ole Miss beats 4. Utah

Semifinals: 1. Georgia beats 5. Ole Miss; 7. Texas beats 6. Oregon

National Championship: 1. Georgia beats 7. Texas

Alan:

Playoff Byes: 1. Georgia; 2. Ohio State; 3. Florida State; 4. Utah

Remaining Playoff Field: 5. Texas; 6. Oregon; 7. Tennessee; 8. Alabama; 9. Michigan; 10. Notre Dame; 11. Kansas State; 12. Boise State

1st Round: Texas beats Boise State; Oregon beats Kansas State; Tennessee beats Notre Dame, Michigan beats Alabama

Quarterfinals: Georgia beats Michigan; Ohio State beats Tennessee; Oregon beats Florida State; Texas beats Utah

Semifinals: Georgia beats Texas; Ohio State beats Oregon

National Championship: Ohio State beats Georgia

Perry:

Playoff Byes: 1. Georgia; 2. Ohio State; 3. Florida State; 4. Kansas State

Remaining Field: 5. Texas; 6. Liberty; 7. Oregon; 8. Missouri; 9. Michigan; 10. Oklahoma State; 11. UNC; 12. Notre Dame.

1st Round: Texas beats Notre Dame; UNC defeats Liberty; Oregon defeats Oklahoma State; Missouri defeats Michigan.

Quarterfinals: Georgia defeats Missouri; Ohio State defeats Oregon; Florida State defeats North Carolina; Texas defeats Kansas State.

Semifinals: Georgia defeats Texas; Ohio State defeats Florida State

National Championship: Georgia defeats Ohio State.

Stephen:

Playoff Byes: 1. Georgia; 2. Ohio State; 3. Florida State; 4. Kansas State

Remaining Playoff Field: 5. Texas; 6. Michigan; 7. Alabama; 8. Penn State; 9. Oregon; 10. Ole Miss; 11. Clemson; 12. Memphis

1st Round: Texas over Memphis; Michigan over Clemson (only because they'll steal Clemson's signs); Ole Miss over Alabama (DeBoer on the hot seat); Oregon over Penn State.

Quarterfinals: Georgia over Oregon; Ohio State over Ole Miss; Michigan over Florida State; Texas over Kansas State.

Semifinals: Georgia over Texas; Ohio State over Michigan.

National Championship: Ohio State over Georgia.

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. Travis Hunter currently has the best odds of a non-quarterback and he's +6000 with the 24th best odds. Hunter is behind powerhouses like Cade Klubnik, Miller Moss, Jackson Arnold, Conner Weigman, and Nico Iamaleava. Nico might be really good, but he hasn't started a regular season game yet.

Caleb is going with one of the favorites in Quinn Ewers, QB from Texas. Perry is going against the grain and selecting Missouri star wideout Luther Burden. Burden has the next best odds of any non-QB after Hunter. Alan is trusting the tried and true Heisman voters for taking the quarterback on a top team and tabbing WIll Howard from Ohio State as his winner. Stephen thinks it's time for another running back to hoist the trophy, something that hasn't happened since 2015 with Derrick Henry won the award. His pick, Quinshon Judkins the Ohio State hired gun from Ole Miss.

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