South Carolina's 2024 SEC Opponents: A Closer Look at the Gamecocks Schedule as the Southeastern Conference Shifts

On Wednesday night, South Carolina and the other teams in the Southeastern Conference received their schedules for the 2024 college football season. The official unveiling of the schedules occurred during a special edition of SECNow on the SECNetwork.

Traditionally, the timing of receiving the schedule for the 2024 season, just over a year before the games begin, may indeed seem a bit late. However, due to cases of conference realignment, the SEC finds itself in a unique position as it approaches 2024.

The Conference will be expanding its roster by welcoming two new teams in 2024, Oklahoma and Texas. This significant addition necessitated adjustments to the schedule. This puts the number of college programs in the SEC to a total of 16.

South Carolina 2024 Schedules on Microscope

Dates and times are yet to be communicated by the league office. However, the South Carolina Gamecocks will be hosting LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri, and Texas A&M at the Williams-Brice Stadium. They will hit the road to face Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Vanderbilt.

The conference will undergo a significant change with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma. The SEC will transition from the traditional two-division format (East and West) to a single 16-team division. The restructuring will bring the teams together in one unified division.

Therefore, the Gamecocks will experience a departure from their longstanding tradition of facing their traditional Eastern Division rivals, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee in 2024. These are teams that South Carolina has consistently played since joining the SEC in 1992.

The absence of Tennessee and Florida from South Carolina's schedule in 2024 can be seen as advantageous for the Gamecocks. They’ve had an inferior record against both teams since 1992.

The Gamecocks will also be locking horns with one of the new additions to the SEC in 2024. They are scheduled to face the Oklahoma Sooners in what will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Head coach Shane Beamer will also be facing his former team in the contest.

South Carolina has already disclosed its non-conference opponents for the 2024 season. The Gamecocks have scheduled four games, including home matchups against Old Dominion, Akron, and Wofford. They will also face Clemson on the road in a traditional in-state rivalry game.

It remains uncertain whether the 2024 schedule will influence future schedules with a potential return to a nine-game format. However, the conference has indicated that it will take into account "historical rivalries" when planning future schedules.