The Gamecocks’ 2025 schedule offers plenty of chances for revenge as they face three of the four teams they lost to in the previous season.
After finishing 2024 with a 9-4 record and securing a No. 19 ranking in the final AP poll, South Carolina football is focused on the upcoming season. In 2025, the Gamecocks will take on four teams that were ranked in the AP poll at the end of last season.
The season will kick off in Atlanta, where South Carolina will face Virginia Tech in the Aflac Kickoff game. The Hokies finished 2024 with a 6-7 record and have only had four winning seasons since Frank Beamer, father of South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, departed in 2015. This game presents a winnable opportunity for South Carolina, and their performance could set the tone for the rest of the season.
Following that, the Gamecocks will play South Carolina State before diving into SEC play with a home matchup against Vanderbilt. Once seen as an easy win in the SEC, Vanderbilt proved otherwise in 2024, securing multiple upset victories. They ended the season 7-6 and will return their quarterback, Diego Pavia.
The Gamecocks’ first true road game will be at Missouri, which also represents their first opponent from the top-25 of last season’s AP rankings. Missouri lost to South Carolina 34-30 in Columbia in 2024.
South Carolina will then face Kentucky, LSU, and Oklahoma, all of which finished outside the rankings last season but could pose significant challenges in 2025. The matchup against LSU offers a shot at revenge after a controversial 33-36 loss to the Tigers last year.
Another revenge opportunity awaits in the Gamecocks’ homecoming game against Alabama. The Crimson Tide edged out South Carolina 27-25 in a thrilling contest last season, and fans will be hoping for a different outcome in 2025.
The Gamecocks’ SEC slate wraps up with road games against Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Both teams had solid seasons in 2024 and will be looking to make a push for the College Football Playoff in 2025. The Ole Miss game provides yet another chance for South Carolina to avenge their most embarrassing loss of 2024.
To close the regular season, the Gamecocks will host Coastal Carolina and Clemson. The Tigers will be seeking revenge after South Carolina’s 17-14 victory over them in 2024.
Overall, the schedule is challenging but not insurmountable. With matchups against three of the teams they lost to last season, plus three teams with Tigers for mascots, could 2025 be the year Shane Beamer’s squad earns a spot in the College Football Playoff? Only time will tell.
