Bowl projections starting to get ‘Bullish’ for Gamecocks

Any bowl projections before Sunday’s official announcements are speculation, but there’s some consensus where South Carolina might end up.

And the opponent they’ll play.

Projections from FoxSports, Sports Illustrated and ESPN’s Bret McMurphy all have the Gamecocks bound for the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 29, where they’d face South Florida from the American Athletic Conference.

That wouldn’t be an easy matchup, as the Bulls, coached by Jim Harbaugh disciple Willie Taggart, are 10-2 with one of the most potent offenses in the country. They’re led by dual-threat quarterback Quinton Flowers, who has thrown for 2,551 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions, in addition to running for 1,425 yards and 15 scores.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach placed USC in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis on Dec. 30 against TCU. College Football News projected South Carolina in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., against Wake Forest on Dec. 26.

This story was originally published December 1, 2016 at 8:28 AM with the headline "Bowl projections starting to get ‘Bullish’ for Gamecocks."