SEC Media Days concluded last week, and before they wrapped up, the media made their prediction for the order of finish in the SEC next season.

There were no surprises as to who was pegged to finish first as Georgia easily secured the top spot in the conference. South Carolina was predicted to finish thirteenth behind Vandy, Mississippi State, and Arkansas who took the sixteenth, fifteenth, and fourteenth spots, respectively.

Just ahead of the Gamecocks, in order, were the Florida Gators, Kentucky Wildcats, Auburn Tigers, and Texas A&M Aggies. Is thirteenth a fair prediction for the Gamecocks next season, or are they being underestimated by the media?

I think for preseason predictions, thirteenth is fair. The difficulty of schedule combined with numerous positions of uncertainty make it difficult to buy South Carolina stock heading into next season.

That said, those close to the program understand the potential the Gamecocks have. While most positions do have questions, there is plenty of talent to work with. Beamer added much needed depth to all three levels of the defense as well as to the running back, receiver, and o-line positions. 

I am not saying that every unit that is at this point an enigma will play out in South Carolina’s favor, but I do not anticipate two vital positions, the defensive and offensive lines, to be much improved. I believe this will allow the talent at the skilled positions to develop appropriately and have significant impacts on each game and ultimately the outcome of their season. 

There will undoubtedly be growing pains for a mostly young team, but despite a challenging schedule, I think this is a group that can challenge for a top ten finish.

The Gamecocks will get to face off against seven SEC opponents who are projected to finish ahead of them in the conference. While the majority of these are against teams projected to finish in the top half of the conference, USC will have two opportunities to take down opponents projected ahead of them in the Texas A&M Aggies and Kentucky Wildcats.

I am not guaranteeing a victory in either of these games, but coming out on top is not far-fetched and would likely land the Gamecocks somewhere between eighth and tenth in the SEC assuming they take care of business in their other winnable games.

All things considered, being projected to finish thirteenth is fair and not a bad spot for the Gamecocks. The message that Beamer and the players present at media days sent to the media was that they knew they were not going to have high expectations from those outside of the program, and that they’re okay with that. Being projected to finish thirteenth proves that outside expectations are low, and I believe will only motivate this team next season. 

There will be bumps in the road for the Gamecocks next season, but when it is all said and done, I believe this is a group who will finish no worse than tenth in the conference.