The predictions are in: Where South Carolina will finish in new-look SEC for 2024
The South Carolina football team was picked to finish 13th in the SEC for the 2024 season in the annual preseason vote by league reporters at SEC Media Days this week in Dallas. It’s the first year with Oklahoma and Texas in the Southeastern Conference and the first without divisions.
USC was predicted to finish ahead of Arkansas, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks also received one vote to win the conference. (Vanderbilt had two votes to win the SEC.)
The media’s vote was released Friday.
Coach Shane Beamer on Monday expressed his excitement about the 2024 Gamecocks, regardless of what the media vote would say at the end of the week.
“I really, really, really like our football team going into 2024,” Beamer said addressing the media in Dallas. “Most of you don’t. That’s OK. When you guys do your picks, we’ll be picked 14th, 15th or 16th, I’m sure. But I’m excited about this group. We got a lot of really good young talent on this football team with veteran leadership.”
Based on the media’s vote, Georgia and Texas are predicted to meet in the SEC Championship game, with the Bulldogs the favorite to win.
South Carolina was voted to finish third in the SEC East last season, the last year with divisions. The Gamecocks did not live up to expectations, though, posting a 3-5 conference record en route to a fifth-place finish behind Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee and Florida.
In 2020, Beamer inherited a program coming off a two-win season. He took the Gamecocks to seven victories in 2021 and eight in 2022 — including a thrashing of No. 5 Tennessee and a rivalry win at No. 7 Clemson. USC went 5-7 overall in 2023 and missed a bowl game.
“You’ve got to be uncomfortable in order to grow,” Beamer said. “We certainly had some uncomfortable moments last year as a team, but we also showed throughout the season how strong our culture is.”
2024 Preseason SEC Media Poll
Points are a cumulative reflection of where teams were ranked in each ballot; each place has a designated point value per vote. More points means higher cumulative slot in the voting.
Georgia, 3,330 points
Texas, 3,041 points
Alabama, 2,891 points
Ole Miss, 2,783 points
LSU, 2,322 points
Missouri, 2,240 points
Tennessee, 2,168 points
Oklahoma, 2,022 points
Texas A&M, 1,684 points
Auburn, 1,382 points
Kentucky, 1,371 points
Florida, 1,146 points
South Carolina, 923 points
Arkansas, 749 points
Mississippi State, 623 points
Vanderbilt, 293 points
SEC CHAMPION
Georgia (165)
Texas (27)
Alabama (12)
Ole Miss (4)
Vanderbilt (2)
LSU (2)
South Carolina (1)
Preseason All-SEC nods
Running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, linebacker Debo Williams and longsnapper Hunter Rogers were named to the Preseason All-SEC Second-Team.
Defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway and defensive back Nick Emmanwori received Third-Team nods.
Key dates for Gamecocks
July 25: Shane Beamer’s media golf outing
Aug. 1: Gamecocks report for camp
Aug. 2: First practice
Aug. 10 and 17: Scrimmages
Aug. 20: First day of class
Aug. 31: Season opening game vs. Old Dominion
South Carolina football schedule
Kickoff times for games with early, noon, night or flex designations will be determined during the season
Aug. 31 – vs. Old Dominion – 4:15 pm, SEC Network
Sept. 7 – at Kentucky – 3:30 p.m., ABC
Sept. 14 – vs. LSU – Noon, ABC
Sept. 21 – vs. Akron – Night (6 to 8 p.m., TBD)
Oct. 5 – vs. Ole Miss – Flex (afternoon or night kick, TBD)
Oct. 12 – at Alabama – Noon, ABC or ESPN
Oct. 19 – at Oklahoma – Early (noon to 1 p.m., TBD)
Nov. 2 – vs. Texas A&M – Night (6 to 8 p.m., TBD)
Nov. 9 – at Vanderbilt – Afternoon (3:30 to 4:30 p.m., TBD)
Nov. 16 – vs. Missouri – Afternoon (3:30 to 4:30 p.m., TBD)
Nov. 23 – vs. Wofford – 4 p.m., SEC Network Plus
Nov. 30 – at Clemson – TBD