From Heisman hopes to SEC upsets, 3 bold predictions for South Carolina football in 2022

In less than two weeks, Williams-Brice Stadium will be packed with fans for South Carolina football's season opener against Georgia State.

South Carolina enters the 2022 season with plenty of questions, from Shane Beamer's second-season potential to new starting quarterback Spencer Rattler. Here are three bold predictions for the Gamecocks this fall.

Spencer Rattler is a Heisman finalist

Spencer Rattler's preseason Heisman Trophy hype didn't come to fruition in 2021 after a disappointing start led to his benching at Oklahoma. The redshirt junior quarterback came to South Carolina looking for a fresh start, and he'll get it by bringing his Heisman journey full circle.

In 2020, his first season as the Sooners' starter, Rattler threw for 3,031 yards and 28 touchdowns. He led the team to a Big 12 Championship and a win over Florida in the Cotton Bowl. South Carolina likely won't contend for an SEC championship this season, but Rattler can single-handedly elevate the Gamecocks to a legitimate threat against teams like Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Rattler won't beat out a player like Bryce Young for the award, but if he can control the turnovers that lost him the starting job and recapture the promise he showed at Oklahoma, he'll be more than deserving of finalist honors.

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Gamecocks upset an SEC East opponent

Most predictions already have wins penciled in for South Carolina against Vanderbilt and Missouri, but the upper half of the SEC East is as strong as it's been in years. That includes the Gamecocks, and they'll shock at least one of the conference's top squads.

A win against Georgia in Week 3 might be a bit too bold, but Kentucky on Oct. 8 is a solid opportunity. The Wildcats will come off a tough matchup with Ole Miss, while the Gamecocks will likely have secured an easy win over South Carolina State the previous week. Keep an eye on mid-November as well when USC faces Florida and Tennessee back-to-back. The Vols in particular will be an interesting matchup in Columbia amid both teams' competitive end-of-season schedules.

Pickens and Strachan combine for 15+ sacks

Zacch Pickens put off an NFL career to spend another year at South Carolina, and he's going to make the most of it. Jordan Strachan, a fifth-year senior, is also poised for a breakout season in his second year with the Gamecocks after transferring from Georgia State.

Kingsley Enagbare, who led the team with 4.5 sacks in 2021, is now a rookie for the Green Bay Packers, and Pickens should step right into his shoes after finishing last year just behind him with four sacks. Strachan added three in his first season at South Carolina and is an obvious choice to take on a bigger role on the defensive front beside Pickens. With a year of experience playing together under their belts, both linemen will wreak havoc on opposing offensive lines to more than double their combined sacks.

Contact Emily Adams at eaadams@gannett.com or on Twitter @eaadams6.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football: Three bold predictions for Gamecocks in 2022