At long last, football season is finally upon us once again. Excitement has filled the air as the Gamecocks look to improve on their previous season, which was already unexpected by many.

However, before fans form any speculations of the season to come, the Gamecocks must first make it past their opener against Georgia State.

Several outcomes are possible, and each one could or could not say a lot about the future of the season.

South Carolina Wins by (10-17)

South Carolina goes up by 10 early. Both teams go back and forth. The Gamecocks appear a little rusty and make several mistakes on both ends of the ball. Georgia State takes advantage a few times, but the Gamecocks appear to be too strong, and hold a 10 point lead for almost the entirety of the contest (maybe score a last minute touchdown before the end of the game).

Not a pretty victory by any means, but still a win against a very good Group of Five opponent. 

Following this potential outcome it would be rather difficult to scan where the Gamecocks would stand strength wise. Would you call it a messy start? Or maybe that’s as good as it’s gonna get?

Regardless, Carolina can definitely still make some noise in the east after a finish like this. As I mentioned, Georgia State is a great program this season.

A win against them in this scenario, is a positive. 

South Carolina Wins by (31+)

South Carolina comes out swinging and puts the panthers away early. The Gamecocks put up a near perfect performance that Georgia State can’t find a way to answer.

Carolina shuts the Panthers down defensively, and the offense has their way with the Panther’s defense. Many starters are off the field midway through the 3rd quarter. Pure dominating win. 

This should be the outcome that we all hope and pray for. At this point there’s no other way to say it. Carolina is legit! If they find a way to stomp Georgia State into the ground on Saturday, the sky’s the limit. Carolina will be a force to be reckoned with in the SEC, and I could see them winning 9 games.

Fans should not take a big win over the Panthers lightly. If the Gamecocks beat down Georgia State, then the future of the season will definitely be looking bright.  

South Carolina Loses by (3-6) 

Georgia State takes advantage of several Carolina mistakes and goes up early. First half is filled with mistakes and missed opportunities by the Gamecocks on both ends of the ball. Georgia State goes into halftime up big. South Carolina attempts to fight back in the second half. The Gamecocks can’t quite pull it off and wind up losing in heart breaking fashion. 

Not the outcome I or most fans would expect, but it is certainly a possibility. Georgia State is no stranger when it comes to showing up against SEC opponents. Shawn Elliott will also have this team fired up. However, I still find it quite possible for South Carolina to salvage their season after a loss like this.

Tennessee went 8-5 after their opening loss to Georgia State in 2019. Not to mention they faced a far weaker Georgia State team than the one coming into Columbia on Saturday.

Hope is not lost after an outcome like this. The Gamecocks will just have to regroup and push forward.

Conclusion 

Personally, I am anxious to see how the Gamecocks are going to come out this season. There is a possibility that this opener will tell us a lot about how good this football team really is, or it could tell us little to nothing.

Either way, I’m excited to see what they’ve got, and I’ll be rooting them on until the season’s conclusion.