THIS IS SOUTH CAROLINA FOOTBALL
PREFACE
In the 81 seasons South Carolina has been affiliated with a conference, they have won that conference once...the ACC in 1969, with a 7-4 record. Since the Associated Press began ranking football teams in 1936, the ##### have finished in the Top 20 of the rankings only eight times in those 86 years. South Carolina has finished in the Top 10 of a major recognized poll...THREE times, in 2011, 2012 and 2013, the best seasons in their entire history with 11 wins. In 2011 the entire team received rings for going 11-2 and for finishing a tough, hard fought 5th place in the SEC. As they say in tee ball, everyone is a winner. This is South Carolina football.
The first year of Gamecock football was in 1892, South Carolina won its first bowl game 103 years later under BRAD SCOTT. In 130 seasons of football, South Carolina never participated in a pre-BCS major bowl (Rose, Fiesta, Orange, Cotton, and Sugar) never received a BCS invite during the BCS era and has yet to be chosen for the College Football Playoff or Access bowls. As South Carolina just finished their 130th season of collegiate football, they have won 11 or more games in a single season only three times. In 130 seasons, South Carolina has won more games than it lost only 61 times. In 130 seasons, South Carolina has won more than 6 games in a season 28 times, and lost 6 or more 44 times. This is South Carolina football.
CHAPTER 1 - By the numbers
South Carolina has had 36 different head coaches in its storied tradition...only six of them have stayed longer than 5 seasons, while 25 of them have losing records. “It’s another Carolina Touchdown!?”…not quite. Of the 56 programs, which have played more than 1000 games all-time, only four have scored fewer points than South Carolina in their school’s history. This is South Carolina football.
Since joining the SEC in 1992, South Carolina has had a winning record in the conference 8 times in 30 years. Although South Carolina has yet to win the SEC, they have finished 0-8 in the conference twice. South Carolina has won 6 conference games in a season only 3 times. Only Kentucky and Vanderbilt have less 6 conference win seasons. This is South Carolina football.
Of the most memorable moments in their history is the fact that South Carolina went two consecutive seasons without winning one conference game. That’s right, not one. Carolina had an impressive string of 21 consecutive games with a loss snapped in 2000 by beating New Mexico State (and to let the rest of the country know what South Carolina football was all about, their fans commenced to tear down the goal-posts. No, I am not kidding). This is South Carolina football.
Since 1992, only three non-probation members of the conference failed to win two or more games overall in a season…South Carolina has accomplished this feat three times, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Missouri once (excluding Vanderbilt’s reduced 2020 season). Since 1992, only once has a conference member failed to win a game overall in a single season…you guessed it, South Carolina (excluding Vanderbilt’s reduced 2020 season). South Carolina’s all-time record versus other current conference members is even more impressive: 4-11 vs Alabama, 10-14 vs Arkansas, 3-10-1 vs Auburn, 10-30-3 vs Florida, 19-54-2 vs Georgia, 19-14-1 vs Kentucky, 2-19-1 vs LSU, 8-9 vs Ole Miss, 9-7 vs Mississippi St., 11-28-2 vs Tennessee, 5-8 vs Missouri, 1-8 vs Texas A&M and 28-4 vs Vanderbilt. That’s correct, South Carolina leads the all-time series against 3 SEC Teams...Kentucky, Miss St. and Vanderbilt. This is South Carolina football.
But, the comparison of only 23 seasons in one conference does no justice to the tradition of South Carolina football. Comparing the ##### record versus FBS schools they have played 20 or more times: 43-72-4 vs Clemson, 17-24-3 vs Duke, 8-26-3 vs Florida, 10-30-2 vs Georgia, 28-26-4 vs NC State, 9-12 vs Georgia Tech, 11-17 vs Maryland, 20-35-4 vs North Carolina, 3-17 vs Florida State, 11-28-2 vs Tennessee, 21-13-1 vs Virginia, 19-14-1 vs Kentucky, 10-14 vs Arkansas, 2-19-1 vs LSU, 11-7-2 vs Virginia Tech, 28-4 vs Vanderbilt, and 34-20-2 vs Wake Forest. That’s correct, South Carolina leads the all-time series against 6 of these 17 teams. This is South Carolina football.
Gamecock fans justify their horrible football record thru the strength of the SEC conference. But let’s look at the Gamecock’s record against the other big 5 conferences. South Carolina is 193-236-22 vs the ACC, 10-11-1 vs the Big 12, 18-26 vs the Big Ten, 1-1 vs Pac12 and 5-6 vs Independents. This is South Carolina Football.
Chapter 2 – Legendary Coaches to the Rescue
Prior to the start of the 1999 season the Gamecocks lured legendary National Championship coach Lou Holtz out of retirement to take over the 1-10 Gamecock football team in Columbia. It was a foregone conclusion to Gamecock fans that Uncle Lou would take them to the promised land. In his first season, Coach Holtz failed to win a single game. Holtz did manage to rebound and spark Gamecock nation with back to back 8 and 9 seasons in 2000 and 2001 on their way to their 2nd and 3rd bowl games. In August of 2002 Gamecock fans were sure they were headed for the National Championship. The team failed to reach a bowl game again under Lou Holtz going 5-7 back to back in 2002 and 2003. This is South Carolina Football.
That 2003 season under Holtz was the season that the ##### would rebuild and compete for a SEC title with their consecutive top 10 recruiting classes. Yet, they finished the season with another sub 500 performance. That season ended with a 63-17 thumping at home from archrival Clemson. This is South Carolina football.
Surely 2004 would be the year. After all, Holtz was a recruiting machine. Not to be. They managed just one more win than the previous year and, after taunting Clemson at the bottom of their famed hill, ended up in an on field brawl that would lead to their school keeping them from a bowl game. Lou Holtz would never coach another college football game again. This is South Carolina Football.
In 2005 a new era began for the Gamecocks as they hired yet another legendary coach, Steve Spurrier. As they say, if at first you don’t succeed try, try again. They opened up their wallets (and another grave plot in their cemetery of washed up head coaches) for what surely would be the coach to get them on the road to glory. Spurrier would take the Gamecocks to bowl games in his first two seasons in 2005 and 2006 and won his first game vs Clemson. Surely they were on their way to prominence?
In 2007 the Gamecocks got off to a roaring 6-1 start after beating #12 Georgia and #8 Kentucky. Surely this would be the year that all the Gamecock faithful had been yearning for. It was finally the “Next Year”! But hold the presses. After beating #8 Kentucky and garnering a rank as high as #6 in the country, those Gamecocks lost to lowly Vanderbilt that started a Gamecock trademarked “fall from grace” to lose their last 5 games, including arch rival Clemson, and finish 6-6 for the season. Yes, it was #6 to 6-6 for the Gamecocks This is South Carolina football.
The very next season, in 2008, those South Carolina Gamecocks got right back up and at it again beginning the season with a 7-2 record. But again those BCS hopes were dashed by a 56-6 drumming by the Florida Gators. South Carolina would go on to lose their last 3 games of the season to finish 7-5. This is South Carolina football.
In 2009, with rival Clemson clinching the Atlantic Division in the ACC, the South Carolina Gamecocks had lost 3 straight and were sitting on a 6-5 record. When those Tigers came to town, those Gamecocks took advantage of turnovers and dampened the mood for the ACC Championship bound Tigers…. “Was this the end of the dreaded Chicken Curse?” the faithful coots prayed. But Ol’ Pitchfork Ben Tillman could only chuckle as UConn slammed the Gamecocks 20-7 in the Papa Johns.com bowl. This is South Carolina football.
PREFACE
In the 81 seasons South Carolina has been affiliated with a conference, they have won that conference once...the ACC in 1969, with a 7-4 record. Since the Associated Press began ranking football teams in 1936, the ##### have finished in the Top 20 of the rankings only eight times in those 86 years. South Carolina has finished in the Top 10 of a major recognized poll...THREE times, in 2011, 2012 and 2013, the best seasons in their entire history with 11 wins. In 2011 the entire team received rings for going 11-2 and for finishing a tough, hard fought 5th place in the SEC. As they say in tee ball, everyone is a winner. This is South Carolina football.
The first year of Gamecock football was in 1892, South Carolina won its first bowl game 103 years later under BRAD SCOTT. In 130 seasons of football, South Carolina never participated in a pre-BCS major bowl (Rose, Fiesta, Orange, Cotton, and Sugar) never received a BCS invite during the BCS era and has yet to be chosen for the College Football Playoff or Access bowls. As South Carolina just finished their 130th season of collegiate football, they have won 11 or more games in a single season only three times. In 130 seasons, South Carolina has won more games than it lost only 61 times. In 130 seasons, South Carolina has won more than 6 games in a season 28 times, and lost 6 or more 44 times. This is South Carolina football.
CHAPTER 1 - By the numbers
South Carolina has had 36 different head coaches in its storied tradition...only six of them have stayed longer than 5 seasons, while 25 of them have losing records. “It’s another Carolina Touchdown!?”…not quite. Of the 56 programs, which have played more than 1000 games all-time, only four have scored fewer points than South Carolina in their school’s history. This is South Carolina football.
Since joining the SEC in 1992, South Carolina has had a winning record in the conference 8 times in 30 years. Although South Carolina has yet to win the SEC, they have finished 0-8 in the conference twice. South Carolina has won 6 conference games in a season only 3 times. Only Kentucky and Vanderbilt have less 6 conference win seasons. This is South Carolina football.
Of the most memorable moments in their history is the fact that South Carolina went two consecutive seasons without winning one conference game. That’s right, not one. Carolina had an impressive string of 21 consecutive games with a loss snapped in 2000 by beating New Mexico State (and to let the rest of the country know what South Carolina football was all about, their fans commenced to tear down the goal-posts. No, I am not kidding). This is South Carolina football.
Since 1992, only three non-probation members of the conference failed to win two or more games overall in a season…South Carolina has accomplished this feat three times, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Missouri once (excluding Vanderbilt’s reduced 2020 season). Since 1992, only once has a conference member failed to win a game overall in a single season…you guessed it, South Carolina (excluding Vanderbilt’s reduced 2020 season). South Carolina’s all-time record versus other current conference members is even more impressive: 4-11 vs Alabama, 10-14 vs Arkansas, 3-10-1 vs Auburn, 10-30-3 vs Florida, 19-54-2 vs Georgia, 19-14-1 vs Kentucky, 2-19-1 vs LSU, 8-9 vs Ole Miss, 9-7 vs Mississippi St., 11-28-2 vs Tennessee, 5-8 vs Missouri, 1-8 vs Texas A&M and 28-4 vs Vanderbilt. That’s correct, South Carolina leads the all-time series against 3 SEC Teams...Kentucky, Miss St. and Vanderbilt. This is South Carolina football.
But, the comparison of only 23 seasons in one conference does no justice to the tradition of South Carolina football. Comparing the ##### record versus FBS schools they have played 20 or more times: 43-72-4 vs Clemson, 17-24-3 vs Duke, 8-26-3 vs Florida, 10-30-2 vs Georgia, 28-26-4 vs NC State, 9-12 vs Georgia Tech, 11-17 vs Maryland, 20-35-4 vs North Carolina, 3-17 vs Florida State, 11-28-2 vs Tennessee, 21-13-1 vs Virginia, 19-14-1 vs Kentucky, 10-14 vs Arkansas, 2-19-1 vs LSU, 11-7-2 vs Virginia Tech, 28-4 vs Vanderbilt, and 34-20-2 vs Wake Forest. That’s correct, South Carolina leads the all-time series against 6 of these 17 teams. This is South Carolina football.
Gamecock fans justify their horrible football record thru the strength of the SEC conference. But let’s look at the Gamecock’s record against the other big 5 conferences. South Carolina is 193-236-22 vs the ACC, 10-11-1 vs the Big 12, 18-26 vs the Big Ten, 1-1 vs Pac12 and 5-6 vs Independents. This is South Carolina Football.
Chapter 2 – Legendary Coaches to the Rescue
Prior to the start of the 1999 season the Gamecocks lured legendary National Championship coach Lou Holtz out of retirement to take over the 1-10 Gamecock football team in Columbia. It was a foregone conclusion to Gamecock fans that Uncle Lou would take them to the promised land. In his first season, Coach Holtz failed to win a single game. Holtz did manage to rebound and spark Gamecock nation with back to back 8 and 9 seasons in 2000 and 2001 on their way to their 2nd and 3rd bowl games. In August of 2002 Gamecock fans were sure they were headed for the National Championship. The team failed to reach a bowl game again under Lou Holtz going 5-7 back to back in 2002 and 2003. This is South Carolina Football.
That 2003 season under Holtz was the season that the ##### would rebuild and compete for a SEC title with their consecutive top 10 recruiting classes. Yet, they finished the season with another sub 500 performance. That season ended with a 63-17 thumping at home from archrival Clemson. This is South Carolina football.
Surely 2004 would be the year. After all, Holtz was a recruiting machine. Not to be. They managed just one more win than the previous year and, after taunting Clemson at the bottom of their famed hill, ended up in an on field brawl that would lead to their school keeping them from a bowl game. Lou Holtz would never coach another college football game again. This is South Carolina Football.
In 2005 a new era began for the Gamecocks as they hired yet another legendary coach, Steve Spurrier. As they say, if at first you don’t succeed try, try again. They opened up their wallets (and another grave plot in their cemetery of washed up head coaches) for what surely would be the coach to get them on the road to glory. Spurrier would take the Gamecocks to bowl games in his first two seasons in 2005 and 2006 and won his first game vs Clemson. Surely they were on their way to prominence?
In 2007 the Gamecocks got off to a roaring 6-1 start after beating #12 Georgia and #8 Kentucky. Surely this would be the year that all the Gamecock faithful had been yearning for. It was finally the “Next Year”! But hold the presses. After beating #8 Kentucky and garnering a rank as high as #6 in the country, those Gamecocks lost to lowly Vanderbilt that started a Gamecock trademarked “fall from grace” to lose their last 5 games, including arch rival Clemson, and finish 6-6 for the season. Yes, it was #6 to 6-6 for the Gamecocks This is South Carolina football.
The very next season, in 2008, those South Carolina Gamecocks got right back up and at it again beginning the season with a 7-2 record. But again those BCS hopes were dashed by a 56-6 drumming by the Florida Gators. South Carolina would go on to lose their last 3 games of the season to finish 7-5. This is South Carolina football.
In 2009, with rival Clemson clinching the Atlantic Division in the ACC, the South Carolina Gamecocks had lost 3 straight and were sitting on a 6-5 record. When those Tigers came to town, those Gamecocks took advantage of turnovers and dampened the mood for the ACC Championship bound Tigers…. “Was this the end of the dreaded Chicken Curse?” the faithful coots prayed. But Ol’ Pitchfork Ben Tillman could only chuckle as UConn slammed the Gamecocks 20-7 in the Papa Johns.com bowl. This is South Carolina football.
