Should South Carolina be considered an Eastern Division sleeper this season?

It’s possible the Gamecocks win 10 games with a bowl victory, a total that would certainly make the Head Ball Coach stick around for a couple more years. If the defense improves and they get solid quarterback play out of Connor Mitch, they’ll have a shot to win a division void of elite competition behind Georgia.

No longer the sexy preseason media darling, but instead a projected fourth or fifth-place cast off, South Carolina’s in a good position to surprise folks with a talented roster if it can tip-toe through one of the league’s toughest schedules. But that’s the tough part.

Best case scenario SEC series

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS

2014 record: 7-6, 3-5
2015 best case: 9-3, 5-3
Closer look: Not only do the Gamecocks have a challenging SEC slate this season, but the non-conference portion of the schedule is considered the league’s toughest with games against North Carolina, UCF and Clemson. To win nine games, South Carolina must win all three, add another against The Citadel and finish a respectable 5-3 against SEC competition. By the open date on Oct. 24, we’ll know if Spurrier’s team has legitimacy coming off games against Mizzou and LSU in October. On the other side of the coin if things go south, it’s possible the Gamecocks could lose all four SEC road games this season and split four league contests at home. A losing season would be Spurrier’s first at South Carolina and could be enough to warrant an early exit after last fall’s disappointing 7-6 slide.
Silver lining: The second half of the season, at least on paper, appears more favorable than the first which will be important if the Gamecocks are playing for bowl eligibility as a .500 team. They’re still a tough out at home and South Carolina ends its regular season with three consecutive contests at Williams-Brice Stadium including a Nov. 14 meeting with Florida. Splitting road games at Georgia and Mizzou is essential to a quality season and an upset win over LSU, a team the Gamecocks haven’t beaten since 1994, would be icing on the cake.