How many games will the Football team win next season?
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There is nothing to indicate that we will do any better than last season. We didn’t even qualify for a bowl game. I’m not expecting much.
Look at the schedule….4 or 5 wins tops. Do hope I am wrong, but the schedule is brutal.
This was my thinking.
3 patsies and vandy make the floor 4 wins. We pull an upset somewhere, and get 5.
Don't know about wins but men's bb was picked to finish last in the SEC. I wonder what the expectations were for Missouri football going into Drinkwitz' 4th season when they won 10 games in the regular season? I suspect they were not expected to have even a winning season. Expecting just 7 wins I'm going soft on them in comparison. Did we not beat Clemson at Clemson in Beamer's 2nd season? Did we not stomp Top 10 Tennessee at home in Beamer's 2nd season? I would hope that in his 4th season with 2 more of his recruiting classes, that Beamer would field a team, at least as comparable to that of his 2nd season, when they won 8 games. But, that's me.
You all do realize, I hope, that the bar you are setting for Beamer in his 4th season is low to his delight.
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Outside the 4 cakewalk wins, which 3 games do you see as likely/possible wins? I just can’t see it, but curious what you think.
Missouri, Ole
Missouri, Ole Miss and Kentucky have not destroyed us in recruiting. We play 2 of them at home. We lost to Clemson by 9 points last year in what looked like a poorly coached game by us. And we were able to beat them 2 years ago over there. LSU should not be any more difficult at home in Beamer's 4th season than Tennessee, then #5 in the nation was in Beamer's 2nd season. Texas A&M comes to Williams-Brice with a new coaching staff. Only Alabama and Oklahoma on the road look out of reach. Will we beat everybody but Bama and OU? Not saying that. I am saying we have 7 winnable games on the schedule in Beamer's 4th season on the job.
This is pointless. We will be fielding a completely different team next Fall as will most of our opponents. I understand people "in the know" feel compelled to weigh in on things like this. However, one might as well guess what the temperature will be for our opening game. NIL and the portal have both made it even more difficult to predict the future. Go ahead and have fun, but I refuse to even speculate about something that is clearly unknowable.
I get the overachiever of the bball team. I just don't think it's a good argument to say that since one sport did, we should expect a team in a different sport to also do that. (What I was reading as implied)
I also get the low expectations idea. It's a double edged sword, imo. I don't see us winning more than 5 games, and some will call a 5 win season a success because we met expectations.
I'm with you in that we SHOULD be expecting more in year 4, but I think it's a comment on the program that I do t see it happening.
Last year we were predicted by most to win 5-6 games. It doesn't seem completely unknowable.
An example of a 7-win season might include ODU, Kentucky, Akron, Vandy, Wofford, and one of A&M, Mizzou, Ole Miss, Clemson, etc. Then we'd beat somebody in the Independence Bowl.
But I agree with Hoganman that predicting what teams will look like from one season to the next is harder than it has ever been. I wouldn't trust many assumptions.
Other than the 4 patsies, I struggle to see 3 more wins.
Kentucky is the obvious first choice. But Ole miss is a top 10 team, right? Just having them at home doesn't give me a lot of confidence. Mizzou? Only this year counts, but they have a little streak against us, and finished last year playing really well. A&M might be another good option. We can hope a staff in their first year struggles.
I'll add that I'm saying regular season wins, not counting a bowl if we make one.
Kentucky is the obvious first choice. But Ole miss is a top 10 team, right? Just having them at home doesn't give me a lot of confidence. Mizzou? Only this year counts, but they have a little streak against us, and finished last year playing really well. A&M might be another good option. We can hope a staff in their first year struggles.
I'll add that I'm saying regular season wins, not counting a bowl if we make one.
Mizzou's streak isn't so little, though. Five in a row now, which is pretty sad.
I think 5 is probable and if 5 is the number, Beamer should be fired. Year 4 will show exactly what we have and what we will have going forward. 6 wins should put Beamer on a white hot seat unless that is all the fans really want and are satisfied with.
Let's be honest, Carolina has never been and will probably never be a championship football program. 7 or 8 wins should be considered a good season and a 9 win season should be cause for great celebration. USC is the SEC equivalent of NCState, a decent team that can't be overlooked and can upset a top tier team but not a team that is going to win a championship.
Let's be honest, Carolina has never been and will probably never be a championship football program. 7 or 8 wins should be considered a good season and a 9 win season should be cause for great celebration. USC is the SEC equivalent of NCState, a decent team that can't be overlooked and can upset a top tier team but not a team that is going to win a championship.
I believe too many of our fans are psyched out by having to play Alabama and Oklahoma back-to-back on the road. However, the other teams on the schedule do not have the Alabama/Oklahoma talent edge on us, on the road.. Missouri and Ole Miss come nowhere near Alabama and Oklahomas talent. And we play both at home. How about Kentucky? We have beaten them the past 2 years in a row. We beat them again, that would make 5 right there. How did we smoke #5 Tennessee at home 2 years ago? We now have 2 extra Beamer classes since beating Tennessee. Explain to me how that makes sense, unless we are saying that Beamer has fallen down on the job regarding recruiting? I'm not saying that 7 wins is "overachieving". I'm saying that 7 wins, which would mean .500 ball in the conference should be the reasonable expectation in Year 4 of Beamer's program.
Again, we are not playing Bama/Sooner talented teams on the road throughout our schedule. We are playing much less talented teams, in conference in addition to Vandy at home.
Here is the thing that is being forgotten: We won 8 games 2 seasons ago. So, why would 7 wins be a dream 2 years later? That makes no sense, UNLESS it is being said that Beamer fell on the job regarding recruiting, which is supposed to be his strength as opposed to "coaching". Is THAT what is being said? I'm trying to understand the logic, because the low expectations does not add up.
I agree that if we win only 5, Beamer should be fired. 6 wins and his seat should be smoking.
I agree that Carolina will never be a championship football program. I believe our ceiling is in the national Top 15-20 range of a program. I'm not convinced that Beamer has the coaching ability to consistently put us there. Hope I'm wrong.
These answers to these kinds of questions are always inconsistent because some folks answer based on what they actually think we'll win. Others answer based on what they hope we win. Others answer based on what they think is a reasonable Year 4 expectation.
And as I said, some answered 8 because that’s what I always do
I think you hit the nail on the head here. If we're honest, the team that beat two top 10 teams in a row should not be struggling for bowl eligibility the next year, or the year after. (I said should)
Expectations are lower, but whether it's lack of recruiting or portal can be debated. Merge those two into "gathering talent", and our lowered expectations say to me that we are doing a worse job of "gathering talent" than our competitors. Or we're not doing as well in "gathering talent" and we don't feel we have the coaching to overcome that.
I am not sold on him being fired if we win 5 games though. Again, difference in what I think will happen vs what I think should happen. But 5 wins, imo, buys him just enough good will for a make or break 5th year.
I think he gets through 2025, no matter what, short of something like an 0-12 or 1-11 season. He's got too much of the nice, family guy vibe going on and Ray's too nice to can him if we get 4 or 5 wins this year.
I believe a more interesting question would have been how many wins in 2024 do you feel should merit a pay raise and contract extension for Beamer. The answers would be "telling".
I do believe Gamecock fans were sold a "bill of goods" regarding Beamer's recruiting ability, based on recruiting rankings.
I have said from the get go that he will NOT be fired after a 4th season and will be given as much of a chance as Muschamp was given. Tanner will go the extra miles to prevent from having another football coaching hire failure as part of his legacy.
I see a path to 6 or 7 wins on this schedule. More than that is a bit tougher, but I don't think projecting 6 or 7 is unreasonable.
The month of October is brutal, but beyond that the schedule isn't unmanageable as far as SEC football goes.
ODU, Akron, Vandy, Wofford = 4 easy wins
Could we lose every other game? Sure, but that's literally worst case scenario. We've beaten UK back to back years. LSU is coming to Williams-Brice after losing their entire offense in Daniels. Ole Miss is in Williams-Brice. Going to Alabama and Oklahoma is virtually a lock for 2 losses, but this Alabama team might be the most "gettable" since 2007. A&M has a new staff and comes to Columbia, a team we beat 2 years ago. Missouri is always tough, but at home. Clemson we've played really close 2 years in a row, splitting the results.
At this point in 2024, it's hard to project what any team is going to look like in August, but there's no reason to look at that schedule so pessimistically (right now).
The month of October is brutal, but beyond that the schedule isn't unmanageable as far as SEC football goes.
ODU, Akron, Vandy, Wofford = 4 easy wins
Could we lose every other game? Sure, but that's literally worst case scenario. We've beaten UK back to back years. LSU is coming to Williams-Brice after losing their entire offense in Daniels. Ole Miss is in Williams-Brice. Going to Alabama and Oklahoma is virtually a lock for 2 losses, but this Alabama team might be the most "gettable" since 2007. A&M has a new staff and comes to Columbia, a team we beat 2 years ago. Missouri is always tough, but at home. Clemson we've played really close 2 years in a row, splitting the results.
At this point in 2024, it's hard to project what any team is going to look like in August, but there's no reason to look at that schedule so pessimistically (right now).
There must be a reason because I'm looking at it pessimistically (right now).
That's your right, but I just don't see a reason to be that pessimistic in March. Otherwise what's the point in getting excited for football? I imagine there will be plenty of time for pessimism once the season starts.