South Carolina has never won an SEC title. In fact, the only conference championship in Gamecocks history came in 1969, when they were a member of the ACC.
However, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer believes an SEC title is a real possibility for his program. He made that clear at SEC Media Days on Monday, when asked by Paul Finebaum if winning a conference championship is “doable” with the Gamecocks.
Beamer responded that he believes it’s “very doable.”
“Very doable,” he emphatically stated. “We were two points away last season from being in the College Football Playoff and having a chance to compete for a national championship. We play in the toughest conference in America, and every year is different, and every Saturday, anybody can beat anybody.
“Some conferences, you look around and you go through the schedule, and you can chalk up a win. You can’t do that in this league. Literally every single Saturday is a war. But you come out of this league and you’re one of the best teams – and we’ve shown it in the past, too, Paul. You go back my last year as an assistant coach with Steve Spurrier was 2010, and we beat Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Clemson, (Alabama).”
The two-point loss that Beamer alluded to came at the hands of Alabama, 27-25, in Tuscaloosa last October. From there, South Carolina rattled off six straight wins to finish the regular season with a 9-3 overall record (5-3 SEC). The Gamecocks concluded the 2024 campaign with a 21-17 loss to Illinois in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
South Carolina opens the 2025 season with an Aug. 31 matchup against Virginia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the site of the SEC Championship Game. The Gamecocks play at LSU on Oct. 11, starting a stretch of four straight contests against ranked SEC opponents (Oklahoma and Alabama at home, Ole Miss on the road).
After an open date on Nov. 8 and then a road matchup at ranked Texas A&M on Nov. 15, followed by a home game against Coastal Carolina on Nov. 22, South Carolina will host Clemson on Nov. 29 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.
The Gamecocks welcome back two of the SEC’s top talents in quarterback LaNorris Sellers and edge rusher Dylan Stewart. South Carolina has only played in the SEC title game one time (2010), but Beamer says “we have everything that we need in Columbia to compete for championships on and off the field.”
“It’s exciting for me as a coach to do something that hasn’t been done before, and we have such a hungry fan base,” he added. “You guys have all been to Columbia – it may be the most passionate, loyal, loud fan base in all the SEC. And we want nothing more than to bring a championship to Columbia, and that’s what we’re working towards each and every day.”