South Carolina’s SEC Opponents Locked In for 2026–2029
The SEC has officially announced the opponents South Carolina will face over the next four years as the league transitions to a nine-game conference schedule.
This isn’t a full schedule release — game dates and order are still to come — but it provides clarity on who the Gamecocks will line up against from 2026 through 2029.
Key Details on the SEC’s New Format
- Every team will play each conference opponent at least once every two years.
- Over a four-year span, each program will host and visit every other SEC school.
- Each school has been assigned three “permanent opponents” they’ll face annually.
- For South Carolina, those are Florida, Georgia, and Kentucky.
According to the league, permanent opponents were selected based on traditional rivalries, history, geography, and competitive balance. These designations can be reevaluated after the four-year window.
South Carolina’s SEC Opponents (2026–2029)
2026
- Home: Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Tennessee
- Away: Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma
2027
- Home: Florida, LSU, Missouri, Texas
- Away: Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Auburn, Vanderbilt
2028
- Home: Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma
- Away: Florida, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Tennessee
2029
- Home: Florida, Auburn, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt
- Away: Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, Texas
Notable Observations
- South Carolina alternates between four and five SEC home games each season. Conveniently, the Gamecocks will get five home games in 2028 — the year Williams-Brice Stadium’s renovations are expected to be complete.
- The South Carolina–Tennessee series resumes in 2026 after a two-year break. Prior to 2024, the two programs had met every year since USC entered the SEC in 1992.
- A trip to Auburn in 2027 will mark the Gamecocks’ first visit to Jordan-Hare Stadium since 2014.
- Arkansas will return to Columbia in 2028 for the first time since 2017.
- South Carolina’s first matchup with Texas as an SEC opponent won’t happen until 2027, when the Longhorns visit Williams-Brice. The Gamecocks will head to Austin in 2029.
- Some quirks are inevitable with the expanded schedule. For instance, Kentucky plays in Columbia in 2025 and will be back again just one season later in 2026.
