South Carolina football bowl game projections. Could Gamecocks play Oklahoma?
COLUMBIA — South Carolina football is one win away from bowl eligibility, but their potential landing spots have shifted after losing to Missouri last week.
The Gamecocks (5-3, 2-3 SEC) failed to reach the six-win threshold with a 23-10 loss against the Tigers (4-4, 2-3), snapping a four-game win streak. They'll have their best remaining shot at it against Vanderbilt (3-5, 0-4) in Nashville on Saturday (7:30 p.m., SEC Network).
If South Carolina beats Vanderbilt, it will have a chance to reach seven wins — and a better bowl assignment — the following week at Florida before ending the season against No. 3 Tennessee and No. 5 Clemson. A loss to Vanderbilt would be the Gamecocks' first since 2008 and would place all bowl game hopes on beating the Gators.
SHANE BEAMER:Head coach Shane Beamer explains South Carolina football's offensive issues entering Vanderbilt
BIGGEST QUESTIONS:From Jaheim Bell to Spencer Rattler, here are South Carolina football's top questions
INJURY REPORT:South Carolina football wide receiver Corey Rucker to undergo surgery, out for season
Last season South Carolina beat North Carolina 38-21 in the Duke's Mayo Bowl after going 6-6 in the regular season. The Mayo Bowl alternates as an SEC tie-tin every year with the Las Vegas Bowl, so it will not be completed by a team in the conference in 2022. Pro Football Network projects the Gamecocks against Notre Dame the Vegas Bowl on Dec. 30 this year.
Prior to the 2021 season, South Carolina had not played in a bowl game since 2018 and had not won one since beating Michigan in the 2017 Outback Bowl, now known as the ReliaQuest Bowl. No Gamecocks coach has ever won a bowl game in each of their first two seasons, and only Steve Spurrier and Lou Holtz have won two consecutively.
The prevailing projection for South Carolina after losing to Missouri is the Liberty Bowl, played in Memphis on Dec. 28. The opponent would come from the Big 12, which could be particularly interesting because of quarterback Spencer Rattler's history in the conference.
USA TODAY and Sporting News both project Oklahoma as the Gamecocks' opponent in the Liberty Bowl, which would give Rattler and tight end Austin Stogner the chance to go head to head with the program they transferred out of. It would also be a revenge game for Rattler, who left the Sooners after being benched midseason for freshman QB Caleb Williams in 2021.
ESPN's Kyle Bonagura also projects a South Carolina-Oklahoma showdown in the Texas Bowl, played Dec. 28 in Houston. The Sooners (5-3) are unranked but have taken two of their three losses against ranked opponents. Their only unranked defeat was a 49-0 blowout by Texas.
However, the most likely opponent for the Liberty Bowl is Baylor (5-3). The Bears are not ranked but received votes in this week's poll after beating Texas Tech 45-17 last week. Two of their three losses are to unranked opponents, BYU and West Virginia, so their matchup with Oklahoma this week could alter the calculus on who ends up in Memphis.
Multiple outlets are also projecting South Carolina to the Music City Bowl on Dec. 31 in Nashville. College Football News lists Minnesota (5-3) as the Big Ten opponent, while The Athletic projects Wisconsin (4-4). Both Minnesota and Wisconsin are 2-3 in the conference, and neither has a ranked win this season.
Bowl projections
247Sports: Liberty Bowl vs. Baylor
Action Network: Gator Bowl vs. Notre Dame, Dec. 30
Athlon Sports: Liberty Bowl vs. Baylor
CBS Sports: Liberty Bowl vs. Baylor
College Football News: Music City Bowl vs. Minnesota
ESPN (Kyle Bonagura): Texas Bowl vs. Oklahoma
ESPN (Mark Schlabach): Liberty Bowl vs. Baylor
Pro Football Network: Las Vegas Bowl vs. Washington, Dec. 17
Saturday Down South: Birmingham Bowl vs. Coastal Carolina, Dec. 27
Sporting News: Liberty Bowl vs. Oklahoma
The Athletic: Music City Bowl vs. Wisconsin
USA TODAY: Liberty Bowl vs. Oklahoma
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football bowl projections. Gamecocks vs Oklahoma?
