Bowl projections for South Carolina trending toward game on or near New Year’s Eve

A trip to Florida might be on the horizon for coach Shane Beamer and the South Carolina football team, according to the latest college football bowl projections.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura both have the Gamecocks headed to Tampa for the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly Outback Bowl) on Dec. 31. Schlabach has USC facing Illinois, while Bonagura has them going up against Iowa.

247Sports and Action Network’s Brett McMurphy also have the Gamecocks in Tampa against Iowa. McMurphy admitted on social media Sunday that he didn’t have USC in his Associated Press Top 25 ballot.

South Carolina (6-3) won its third-straight game on Saturday against Vanderbilt for its sixth victory to become bowl-eligible. The Gamecocks are ranked No. 23 in the latest Associated Press and Coaches Poll going into this Saturday’s matchup against Missouri.

Here is a look at other bowl projections:

▪ CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm has South Carolina facing Kansas State in the Texas Bowl on Dec. 31.

▪ Athlon Sports has USC going to Nashville for the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 against Big Ten opponent Nebraska, where former USC assistant coach Marcus Satterfield is the offensive coordinator.

The Southeastern Conference has automatic tie-ins with seven bowls this year after picks for the college football playoffs are settled. SEC bowl tie-ins are The Citrus Bowl, Liberty Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, ReliaQuest Bowl, Texas Bowl, Gator Bowl and Music City Bowl.

The Citrus Bowl gets its pick of the top SEC team available after the playoff bracket is announced. The rest of the bowls will be assigned by the SEC.

The SEC also has affiliations with the Birmingham Bowl and Gasparilla Bowl if needed.