Final bowl projections: One pundit has South Carolina facing undefeated Coastal
South Carolina will find out Sunday if it will be headed to a bowl game this season or not.
Despite a 2-8 record, the Gamecocks have a shot to play one more time because the NCAA waived the minimum wins requirement to play in a bowl game this season, making all teams eligible. Some teams — including LSU, Stanford, Boston College, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Virginia Tech — have said they won’t play in a bowl. No other Southeastern Conference team said they won’t play in a bowl.
The SEC has 10 bowl tie-ins, not including the New Year’s Six games or playoffs. Alabama won the SEC title game and is the only conference team projected to make the playoff.
The College Football Playoff final rankings are released at noon Sunday (ESPN), and bowl selections are expected to be released throughout the day.
Five different bowl projections have the Gamecocks going to a bowl, with all of them saying it will be the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa. Here is list of projections for USC:
▪ ESPN’s Mark Schlabach: Gasparilla Bowl, Coastal Carolina vs. South Carolina (Dec. 26)
▪ ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura:Gasparilla Bowl, Liberty vs. South Carolina (Dec. 26)
▪ Stadium: Gasparilla Bowl, Liberty vs. South Carolina (Dec. 26)
▪ College Football News: Gasparilla Bowl, Liberty vs. South Carolina (Dec. 26)
▪ CBS Sports: Gasparilla Bowl, South Carolina vs. Liberty (Dec. 26)
Coastal (11-0) was scheduled to be the Gamecocks’ original opponent for the 2020 season before the pandemic forced leagues to alter schedules. USC instead played an all-SEC slate. The Chants were co-champions of the Sun Belt Conference and ranked No. 12 in the most recent CFP Top 25.
New Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer won’t coach in the game but would watch the team practice. Mike Bobo would continue to be interim coach if the Gamecocks are selected. Assistants Travaris Robinson and Kyle Krantz also will coach in the game, according to reports, despite them indicating via social media that they won’t return next year.
Players already are back in town after a break to restart COVID-19 testing.
“I understand there’s mixed feelings when it comes to that,” Beamer said of playing in a bowl. “But a lot of the guys that I’ve talked to on the team, they’re excited about the opportunity to go out there and compete one more time, and I think they’re energized by the fact that I’ll be in Columbia next week, and having a chance to watch those guys each day.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2020 at 2:32 PM with the headline "Final bowl projections: One pundit has South Carolina facing undefeated Coastal."
