Five Thoughts Ahead of South Carolina’s Trip to Alabama
South Carolina heads into its first road game of the season against Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC) following last week’s collapse against Mississippi State, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and Alabama favored by 12.5 points.
1. 2024 Looks Increasingly Like an Anomaly
Since Beamer took over, South Carolina has generally hovered around .500 — except for a six-game winning streak to close 2024, finishing 9-4 in what seemed like proof the program had turned a corner. But results since then paint a different picture: South Carolina is 2-10 against Power 4 competition since that season, including blown leads against Texas A&M (27 points), Alabama, and last week’s Mississippi State collapse. As the analysis puts it: “It seems obvious now, but the anomaly isn’t tough to spot.”
2. Is This LaNorris Sellers’ Last Stand?
The stakes for Sellers this week are significant: “If Sellers plays poorly again this week at Alabama, I have no idea what South Carolina should do going forward.” Despite once generating Heisman buzz, Sellers “has not improved” since the 2024 Clemson game, and pressure is already mounting for backup Cutter Woods to get a look. Still, the piece predicts a benching remains unlikely barring an “egregious showing,” given Sellers’ talent and contract standing: “Hopefully for everyone involved, that discussion ends Saturday.”
3. History Suggests a Close Loss Is Coming
A troubling pattern emerges from recent seasons — South Carolina rarely lays an egg two weeks running, but instead tends to lead in the fourth quarter and still lose. This happened against Alabama in 2024 (27-25), and three separate times in 2025 against Missouri, Alabama, and Texas A&M. The analysis notes: “Recent history suggests that South Carolina will come out inspired, cover the 12.5-point spread, have a lead late… and still lose.”
4. Was Mississippi State a Bad Night or a Trend?
Breaking down the defensive collapse, the piece identifies fixable issues (busted coverages) alongside deeper concerns (poor cornerback play, weak linebacker depth outside Justin Okoronkwo). The verdict on the pass rush is more optimistic: “So long as Dylan Stewart is playing, the pass rush will be fine.” The key question for Saturday is tackling — Alabama running back Daniel Hill has already forced 10 missed tackles this season, meaning this game will reveal whether last week was an outlier or a real weakness.
5. What’s the Path to Bowl Eligibility?
Despite the rough start, there’s reason for cautious optimism given SEC-wide chaos elsewhere (Auburn struggling, Oklahoma’s offensive issues, Texas A&M’s own troubles). South Carolina’s remaining schedule breaks down into likely losses (Alabama, at Florida, Tennessee, Georgia) and genuine toss-ups (Kentucky, at Oklahoma, at Texas A&M, Clemson). The bottom line: “Even if South Carolina loses to Alabama on Saturday, there is still a very clear path for the Gamecocks to become bowl-eligible.” But losing to Alabama and stumbling against Kentucky at home would be a far more serious problem.
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