"Ah, the college road trip. What better way to spread beer-fueled mayhem."- Homer Simpson

"If you're going for a ride, I'd like you to take Bart and Lisa."- Marge Simpson

Below we attempt to rank the best and worst destinations to watch the Gamecocks play this fall. Great college towns like Baton Rouge, Oxford, and Lexington aren't on the schedule so they are not discussed below. We also did not factor the game day environment into the rankings. The ranking is simply based on how good of a time you will have before the opening kick and after the clock strikes zero. The rank of game difficulty is what we believe will be the order of the most difficult road tests for the Gamecocks, we are not analyzing anything football in this article outside of those rankings. The article is arranged from the worst trip for the 2023 season to the best.

Date: October 21

Distance: 1,644 miles round trip. You aren't driving to this game from Columbia. FYI all of these distances are from Williams-Brice to the school's stadium.

Price: $376 from Columbia to Kansas City. Below $250 from Charlotte to Kansas City but you are flying on a lower-level airline. To fly directly to Columbia, Missouri is close to $700 from Columbia, SC, and about $418 from Charlotte (both options have terrible layovers).

Rank of Game Difficulty: 4

Record at the Venue: 2-3

There isn't a ton to do in Columbia, Missouri. You are better off flying to either St. Louis or Kansas City and making the approximate 1:45 drive from either city to Columbia. I personally enjoyed Kansas City more than St. Louis and would recommend that option. The Chiefs host the Chargers the following day and Arrowhead is one of the better places in the league to catch a game, especially since the Chiefs are the hottest team in the NFL.

Don't think you won't have a good time in CoMo, you will but it is pretty clear that Missouri fans don't have the same energy for football as most of the other schools in the SEC. I do wholly recommend CJ's Wings in Columbia. CJ's is an excellent college wing bar. The food is good and the building feels like it belongs in a college town. The downtown college area (E. Broadway) is within walking distance of the stadium and has several cool spots aside from CJs. I do remember being disappointed that after the game we had a difficult time finding a place showing other college football games.

Date: September 2

Distance: 90 miles from Columbia.

Price: You'll get there faster by driving from most spots in SC.

Rank of Game Difficulty: 5

Record at the Venue: 4-2. 2-1 vs UNC

Most of our readers are probably familiar with Charlotte and already have their favorite stops, whether it be in the Epicenter, South End, Midwood, or Fourth Ward. The pregame atmosphere will be enhanced by the presence of ESPN College Gameday. We dinged this trip because it is not a college football venue despite Charlotte being a perfect melting pot of SEC and ACC fans. The feel outside the game will more closely resemble an NFL atmosphere despite the anticipation for this game. Due to the ease of travel, we'd expect a large Gamecock component present in the Queen City next weekend.

Date: September 30

Distance: 532 miles roundtrip.

Price: $371 from Columbia if you want the cheapest option with an awful layover. $596 with a shorter layover in Charlotte. Unless you are on the coast- it makes more sense to drive.

Rank of Game Difficulty: 2

Record at the Venue: 3-17

After the events of last year, I would expect Tennessee's fans to be the least hospitable of all fans Carolina will encounter on the road this season but don't let that keep you at home. Knoxville is a fun town and a great spot for college football. The Tennessee River does add to the appeal of the Neyland Stadium, however, the inside of Neyland is terribly outdated. If you are staying downtown you can walk to the game but beware it's hilly. An Uber is a better option. There aren't a ton of places next to the stadium. Calhoun's is the closest spot and it's a little over a mile away. Neyland is on campus so there aren't a lot of great parking options near the stadium.

Your best eating/drinking options can be found on Market Square and S. Gay Street downtown. I prefer Clancy's and Stock & Barrel. Downtown Grill and Brewery is a good spot for local beers. A very good time can be had in Knoxville. If you stay the night, I recommend Ye Olde Steakhouse just south of town.

Date: October 28

Distance: 2,082 miles round trip in car. Unless you are in college - this is probably not feasible.

Price: $657 from Columbia to College Station but Columbia has non-stop flights to DWF for $428. More on the reasons for flying into Dallas are below. Charlotte has nonstop flights to Dallas for as low as $152. (Cheaper airlines).

Rank of Game Difficulty: 3

Gamecock Record at this Venue: 0-4

College Station is a solid stop in the SEC. It's Texas so you need to sample some brisket. I'd recommend Rudy's, but there are probably 2-3 other places that are excellent. College Station has a nice bar and restaurant area that is an easy walk from Kyle Field. (Kyle Field is the nicest stadium in the SEC). Dixie Chicken is the most famous bar and for me, it lived up to the hype. While A&M rightfully gets ridiculed for its' all-male cheerleader squad, the cheers themselves, and some other downright annoying "traditions", their fans were amongst the nicest I've encountered in any college game. I have no desire to attend Midnight Yell Practice, but it is a unique spectacle.

Your best bet is to stay in Houston as it's only about 90 miles away. Austin and Dallas are both under 2:45 drives from College Station as well. The Cowboys host the Rams the following day and the Friday before the game the Mavericks have their season opener against the Nets the night before the game, Kristaps Porziņģis is one of the best players in the world. All in all, you could have yourself one hell of a sports weekend.

Date: September 16

Distance: 334 miles round trip from William-Brice to Sanford Stadium- about 6 hours

Price: Doubt anyone is flying from Columbia to Athens- if you are then you don't care about the price.

Rank of Game Difficulty: 1

Gamecock Record at this Venue: 8-25

While I haven't been to all of them, I feel safe in saying that there is not another college town in America that can match Athens on a football game weekend. If you ask some of your Georgia friends for food or drink recommendations you are likely to get three different spots per person you ask. You won't be disappointed no matter where you go. There seems to be a bar for every three people in Athens' small but vibrant downtown. Sanford Stadium is situated in the middle of UGA's campus and is an easy walk from the downtown bars and restaurants. The restaurants range from bar food to fine dinning. Parking can be difficult and the few hotels near campus fill up fast, (likely out of luck for the game this year).

The Packers are in Atlanta on September 17th for a game with the Falcons. Athens and Atlanta are only about 60 miles apart but that can be a rough 60 miles as Atlanta traffic is among the worst in the country. Hotels are aplenty in Atlanta.

If you are only making one Carolina football road trip this year where are you headed? Any good road trip stories to tell?, (your wife is probably not checking this board) Head on over to the Insiders Forum to discuss.