A 3-9 season doesn't sit well at most SEC schools, and Columbia certainly isn't an exception to that. The South Carolina Gamecocks got off to a horrid start last year, one which caused Steve Spurrier to step aside from the program once and for all. Now, with new coach Will Muschamp calling the shots, the Gamecocks are hoping to get back into contention immediately in the relatively open SEC East.
South Carolina Gamecocks Regular Season Win Total Odds at BookMaker.eu
South Carolina Over 6.5 Wins ( +210 )
South Carolina Under 6.5 Wins ( -290 )
There's no doubt that South Carolina needs to establish first and foremost who is going to be under center. This is problem which Muschamp had at Florida for basically his entire coaching career, and a whopping five men were listed as co-starters at the start of the spring. Redshirt freshman Brandon McIlwain figures to have the best shot at the job, but early enrollee Bobby Bentley could wrestle the job away from him as well as a true frosh.
The other big question Muschamp has to answer is whether he has a true playmaker on offense. Pharoh Cooper elected to leave early for the NFL, and David Williams, the top returning tailback, had just 299 rushing yards and was third on the team last year.
South Carolina ranked just No. 110 in scoring at 21.9 points per game, and Muschamp's history doesn't suggest good things on the horizon from that perspective.
Defense, though? That's a different story. The Gamecocks ranked No. 111 against the run at 217.4 yards per game, and you know that isn't going to happen again this year. The team lost Skai Moore in the offseason to a neck injury, and now that he's gone, there are only four returning starters projected on this defense. That said, Muschamp is a defensive mastermind, and he's sure to improve this unit this year.
2016 South Carolina Gamecocks Football Schedule
September 1 – at Vanderbilt
September 10 – at Mississippi State
September 17 – vs. East Carolina
September 24 – at Kentucky
October 1 – vs. Texas AM
October 8 – vs. Georgia
October 22 – vs. Massachusetts
October 29 – vs. Tennessee
November 5 – vs. Missouri
November 12 – at Florida
November 19 – vs. Western Carolina
November 26 – at Clemson
The schedule for South Carolina is quite odd. Its first two game of the year are both in conference play, and it doesn't play its first conference home game until playing three on the road. Massachusetts and Western Carolina are both placed in relatively strange places on the schedule when most other teams are in the midst of big time conference play.
A home game against East Carolina might ultimately be the difference between bowl eligibility and staying home for December.
The best news? All of the top dogs in the SEC West are off the table, as the Cocks only have to deal with a road game with Mississippi State and a home date with Texas AM, which is about as good as one could expect.
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The Gamecocks still have a long ways to go, and though we know Muschamp is going to get the best out of this team defensively, he doesn't have the raw talent in place quite yet to turn this into a top flight defense in the SEC. It's his lack of offensive playmakers and offensive prowess that really have us concerned the most.
This schedule isn't all that tough. The team should win at least one of the roadies at Vandy and Kentucky, and you'd like to think that there are home wins coming against the three non-conference teams not named Clemson. But where else are the wins on this schedule?
The future is certainly brighter now at South Carolina than it has been in years since Spurrier really had the program in its prime, but now isn't that time. We've got a hard time seeing this team winning six, let alone seven games this year.
College Football Odds: South Carolina Gamecocks Under 6.5 Wins
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