Final South Carolina bowl projections
There are no more games to be played before South Carolina’s bowl fate is known, and the picture is getting much clearer.
The Gamecocks entered Championship Saturday with three likely scenarios with the Citrus, Gator and Reliaquest (formerly the Outback) bowls the favorites.
After Saturday’s wild action–which saw two top-four teams lose–one bowl has jumped out as an overwhelming favorite by national media.
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Most national media outlets widely pick South Carolina to head back to Tampa for the sixth time since 2001 and play a Big 10 team in the Reliaquest Bowl.
The Gamecocks haven’t been mocked to the Citrus in any regard with LSU seemingly the favorite nationally to head there. Only one projection has South Carolina in the Gator Bowl.
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Most prognostications have South Carolina playing either Notre Dame or Illinois in January or late December. Here are the final projections.
The Action Network: Reliaquest Bowl (Jan. 2) vs. Illinois
Athlon Sports: Reliaquest Bowl (Jan. 2) vs. Illinois
CBS: Reliaquest Bowl (Jan. 2) vs. Illinois
ESPN (Kyle Bonagura): Gator Bowl vs. Notre Dame (Dec. 30)
ESPN (Mark Schlabach): Reliaquest Bowl (Jan. 2) vs. Illinois
Saturday Down South: Reliaquest Bowl (Jan. 2) vs. Illinois
Sporting News: Reliaquest Bowl (Jan. 2) vs. Illinois
USA Today: Reliaquest Bowl (Jan. 2) vs. Illinois
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Three weeks ago it didn’t look like South Carolina would be in the upper echelon of SEC bowls, but a strong surge at the end of the season put the Gamecocks there.
South Carolina upset Tennessee then snapped Clemson’s seven-game rivalry streak and 40-game home winning streak the following week.
That catapulted the Gamecocks from six to eight wins and near the top of the pecking order for the non-New Year’s Six bowls. Those seem, at the moment, reserved for George (playoff), Alabama and Tennessee.
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It appears right now it’s a decision between LSU and South Carolina for the Citrus in Orlando. That means the other is likely heading to Tampa. The Gator is also still lingering there.
LSU clinched the SEC West by starting the season 9-2 but the Tigers have lost their last two games. They lost by 15 on the road to a hapless Texas A&M team before a 50-30 loss Saturday in the SEC Championship.
The Gamecocks looked rough in losses to Missouri and Florida but finished the year on a high note and went 7-2 to end the season after consecutive losses to Arkansas and Georgia.
The playoff field gets announced at noon Sunday followed by the NY6 bowls then a free-for-all after that with other bowls getting announced after that.
Shane Beamer will meet with the media Sunday night at 5 p.m. to discuss the Gamecocks’ destination, opponent and more.
