Looking at South Carolina's remaining opponents based on FPI

South Carolina sits at 4-2 with the second half of the season still to play. It will have five SEC matchups and Clemson remaining after its bye week.

The Gamecocks are currently ranked No. 51 in ESPN’s College Football Power Index, which measures team strength. Here’s a look at how the rest of their opponents shape out.

Texas A&M Aggies—No. 23

The Aggies crack the top 25 in the FPI, despite losing consecutive games to No. 13 Mississippi State and No. 3 Alabama. They were one good play away from pulling off a significant upset in Tuscaloosa last week, but they couldn’t get the job done. Nevertheless, seeing them hang tight with the Crimson Tide was still impressive. Texas A&M sits at 3-3 with a tough road test against South Carolina next Saturday night.

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Missouri Tigers—No. 58

After starting 0-3 in conference play, Missouri could be in serious trouble if it loses to Vanderbilt next Saturday afternoon. It will get the Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium on Oct. 29. ESPN gives the Tigers virtually zero chance to win many games the rest of the way. Eli Drinkwitz has indicated Brady Cook should be back at quarterback after leaving the Florida game with an apparent left ankle injury. But the schedule will not get easier for them from here.

Vanderbilt Commodores—No. 93

Unsurprisingly, the Commodores come in as the lowest-ranked FPI opponent remaining on South Carolina’s schedule. The Gamecocks will travel to Nashville on Nov. 5, and look to make it 14 years in a row without losing this matchup. Vanderbilt would have beaten the Gamecocks last year had it not been for a game-winning touchdown drive led by former quarterback Zeb Noland. And after starting 3-1 this season, the Dores have surrendered a combined 107 points in their past two games.

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Florida Gators—No. 39

Florida may not be there yet under first-year head coach Billy Napier, but they sit at 4-2 heading into a pivotal matchup with LSU Saturday night. Granted, its last three wins have come against teams either ranked low in the FPI or in Eastern Washington’s case being an FCS school. The Gamecocks head to the Swamp on Nov. 12, before closing out the year against two top-10 teams. And there’s a chance they could head into this contest on a five-game winning streak, but time will tell.

Tennessee Volunteers—No. 7

The college football world will find out what Tennessee is made of when it hosts Alabama Saturday afternoon. It’s an exciting time in Knoxville right now, especially with a top-ranked offense that averages 547.8 yards per game. The Volunteers have a 20.2% chance to win the SEC East and a 6.6% chance to win the conference championship. After three winnable games, this will be South Carolina’s toughest remaining SEC matchup, as it hosts Tennessee on Nov. 19.

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Clemson Tigers—No. 6

Following a “down” season last year, the Tigers are back on track in 2022. They sit atop the ACC at 6-0 and have a 77.5% chance to win the conference championship. All in all, Clemson has looked like the national championship contender of years past. Similarly to Tennessee, this will not be an easy game for South Carolina. It will make the nearly two-hour bus ride to Memorial Stadium to close out the regular season on Nov. 26.

South Carolina has a 77.9% chance to reach six wins and bowl eligibility for the second straight year under Shane Beamer. It also has a sliver of hope to win the SEC East with 0.1% odds.

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