Editor’s note: Saturday Down South’s annual Crystal Ball series continues today with South Carolina. Last week, we predicted every game for every SEC West team. This week, we’ll predict every game for every SEC East team. You can find previous previews here.

Not too shabby.

If you told a casual fan that Year 1 of the Shane Beamer era would include wins against Florida, Auburn and UNC, they would’ve scratched their head and told you to lay off the bourbon. A 2-win team with a first-time head coach ranked No. 125 out of 127 FBS in percentage of returning production had no business showing immediate improvement.

But that’s exactly what we saw from the Gamecocks in 2021. Oh, and they did it with 4 starting quarterbacks.

It was about as promising of a start as South Carolina could’ve asked for under Beamer. It didn’t have a Year 0 feel to it, though up until Zeb Noland saved the day in the Vandy game, it looked like things were heading in that direction. That was the lone Power 5 team that South Carolina beat until November.

Those 3 aforementioned victories highlighted an encouraging close to 2022. Granted, there was a Mizzou loss and a shutout at the hands of Clemson sandwiched in there. Beamer is still searching for his first SEC road victory and South Carolina only beat the likes of East Carolina, Troy and Vandy by a combined 13 points. Let’s not make hotel reservations in Atlanta just yet.

Having said that, it’s hard not to be optimistic about South Carolina. It entered the offseason with a memorable Mayo Bowl victory, as well as the high-profile addition of Spencer Rattler from Oklahoma. The positive-minded Beamer was the face of the ultimate good vibes team in college football this offseason.

Vibes, however, don’t guarantee SEC wins. They don’t guarantee that proverbial next step, either.

What sort of vibe will South Carolina have at the end of Year 2? Let’s peek into the crystal ball.

The Spencer Rattler experience begins … now

In the same way that nobody could’ve predicted at this time last year that South Carolina would boast wins against Florida, Auburn and UNC, nobody in their right mind would’ve guessed that Rattler would be the Gamecocks’ QB1 going into 2022. Heading into 2021, Rattler was a Heisman Trophy favorite and the No. 1 player off the board in several way-too-early mock drafts. An unbeaten but disappointing start led to his benching in the Texas game.

All of that context matters for evaluating Rattler and setting expectations for 2022. But in some ways, it doesn’t.

Rattler got benched, yes, but he had a quarterback rating of 158 heading into the Texas game. In his last full season (2020), he had a quarterback rating better than pre-draft Trevor Lawrence. As Beamer pointed out, Rattler won his past 15 consecutive starts, a streak that dates to October 2020.

Are quarterback wins a thing? Not really. What is relevant is Rattler, despite all the criticism he endured in 2021, is going to have to handle struggles better than he did at Oklahoma. His offensive line won’t be at the level it was at during his time as Oklahoma’s starter (Rattler put on about 12 pounds to better handle the physicality that’ll come with the SEC). His team will be an underdog in possibly half the games it plays, including the first 2 games of the SEC slate. The question with Rattler isn’t whether he’ll show off his next-level skill set. That’s there. It’s whether he can stomach some likely criticism and lead South Carolina out of a potentially daunting start.

Rattler doesn’t need to live up to his pre-2021 billing in order to be considered a success. Lord knows plenty of people have already dismissed him for the simple fact that he got benched at a place with a standard at the QB position higher than anywhere in the country. That won’t be the case at South Carolina. Beamer doesn’t have a Caleb Williams to turn to if Rattler can’t lead South Carolina to 40 points per game out of the gate.

That’s the good news for Rattler. So, too, is the fact that he’s got some intriguing weapons in Jaheim Bell, Josh Vann, transfer Juice Wells, DK Joyner and fellow Oklahoma transfer Austin Stogner. There’s reason for hope for the Gamecocks at the quarterback position. That’s been hard to come by for a program that has never had an All-SEC quarterback or a QB drafted since they joined the SEC.

Rattler is as fascinating of a player as there is in college football entering 2022.

Can the running game turn things around?

Entering 2021, there was hope that Kevin Harris would run it back and again be one of the nation’s top tailbacks. The combination of an early-season back injury and poor offensive line play never allowed Harris to really look like the guy we saw in 2020. As a whole, South Carolina averaged just 3.78 yards per carry and it ranked No. 121 in FBS with 9 rushing touchdowns.

Part of that might’ve been the revolving door at quarterback. Defenses loaded the box and made life difficult on an unproven offensive line. One would think with Rattler’s ability to stretch the field that Marcus Satterfield’s offense won’t see quite as many loaded fronts, and even if it does, South Carolina brings back all 5 starters on the line.

The Gamecocks don’t return Harris or ZaQuandre White, but they do return the promising MarShawn Lloyd and JuJu McDowell, both of whom had over 50 carries last year. Beamer also added Georgia transfer Lovasea Carroll and Wake Forest transfer Christian Beal-Smith.

Was rushing for 301 yards in the Mayo Bowl a sign of what’s to come? Or did that cover up the fact that South Carolina only had 1 other game against FBS competition in which it produced a 100-yard rusher? Time will tell.

Whatever the case, South Carolina has to produce more yards on the ground this year if it wants to take that next step.

Speaking of the next step …

South Carolina’s run defense will take the next step if ___________.

“Zacch Pickens and Jordan Burch live up to their 5-star billing.”

So far, Pickens and Burch have a combined 12.5 tackles for loss and 6 sacks. Mind you, the former is entering Year 4 and the latter is entering Year 3. That’s gotta improve. I say that not to pick on a pair of guys who were decorated recruits, but rather to show that there’s talent that needs to surface.

Pickens and Burch received preseason All-SEC love. Pickens was one of South Carolina’s player representatives at SEC Media Days while Burch was on a pitch count during fall camp because he was dealing with an injury. Beamer didn’t recruit either of them, but he knows how important they are to becoming playmakers and improving that pedestrian run defense.

In 2021, South Carolina ranked No. 94 against the run and No. 102 in yards per carry allowed. The team’s top playmaker up front, JJ Enagbare, is off to the NFL, as are Demani Staley and Jabari Ellis. The good news is that former Georgia State transfer Jordan Strachan returned for a Year 5. The bad news is that he’s South Carolina’s only returning edge or interior defender who PFF graded among the top 30 SEC run defenders at one of those positions.

South Carolina surrendered at least 230 rushing yards in 6 of 9 regular-season games against Power 5 competition. Pickens and Burch will have a big say in turning that trend around.

Game-by-game predictions

Week 1: vs. Georgia State (W)

We get a Shawn Elliott-South Carolina reunion to kick things off. The Gamecocks’ post-Steve Spurrier interim coach has a thing for pulling off massive upsets against SEC teams. He led Georgia State past Tennessee in 2019, and he nearly stunned Auburn at Jordan-Hare last year. Elliott was even an assistant for arguably the biggest upset in opening weekend history when Appalachian State beat No. 5 Michigan in 2007. Against an 8-win team that ranks No. 25 in percentage of returning production, South Carolina has anything but an easy opening win. But South Carolina turns to McDowell and Lloyd to dig the passing game out of a slow start and it avoids a Week 1 stunner.

Week 2: at Arkansas (L)

It really is a tricky September for both teams. Facing South Carolina with Rattler so early in the season could make for an interesting chess match between Barry Odom and Satterfield. The difference, however, is at the line of scrimmage. That’s where Arkansas imposes its will instead of trying to test Cam Smith and that talented South Carolina secondary, which was the SEC’s top pass defense in 2021. The Hogs control the clock in the second half and pull away late to kick off SEC play.

Week 3: vs. Georgia (L)

Can we call this one the Oscar Delp Bowl? Nah? OK, but I do think that on the road, this is where all the hype about UGA’s tight ends is legitimized. After a slow start coming off injury, Brock Bowers looks like the 2021 version of himself and reaches the end zone twice while Arik Gilbert makes his first highlight-reel grab of 2022. Christopher Smith picks off Rattler twice to quiet the capacity Columbia crowd. Beamer’s squad can’t keep pace with UGA and its “hundred 5-stars.”

Week 4: vs. Charlotte (W)

It’s a much-needed “get the good vibes back” game after a frustrating start. Luke Doty gets action with Rattler taking an early breather and the offense gets back to basics in a blowout win.

Week 5: vs. South Carolina State (W)

It’s a good thing South Carolina essentially has 2 weeks to recover from that Arkansas-Georgia back-to-back. That’ll be needed. Joyner throws his first touchdown pass of the season and the Gamecocks cruise.

Week 6: at Kentucky (L)

After Mark Stoops’ “culture vs. climate” reference, it’s safe to say this one will have a little bit of extra juice. It’s no secret that the UK coach has taken great satisfaction in beating South Carolina over the years. Of course, things are different now with Beamer than the previous regime, so saying that Kentucky will win simply because Stoops is 7-2 against the Gamecocks isn’t enough. What does feel significant is that South Carolina is unproven in true road games. Kentucky wins the battle in the trenches in Lexington to assert itself in the top half of the SEC East.

Week 7: Bye

Week 8: vs. Texas A&M (L)

In the same way South Carolina needs Pickens and Burch to become stars, A&M is going to need Edgerrin Cooper to be an All-SEC player this year. It’s as simple as that. On this day, the A&M linebacker harasses Rattler. An interception and a strip sack both set up turnovers that flip the field and quiet the home crowd. A&M slows the pace with the ground game and prevents South Carolina’s offense from getting into rhythm. Achane busts loose for a late score to put a much-needed road win for A&M on ice.

Week 9: vs. Mizzou (W)

A scrutinized Mizzou defensive line found its mojo against the Gamecocks last year. That battle is a bit more even this time at Williams-Brice. Instead of forcing South Carolina into a 1-dimensional attack, Rattler uses his arm and his legs to burn the visiting Tigers. With Kris Abrams-Draine draped all over Vann, Rattler turns to Wells and Bell to move the chains and ultimately move South Carolina past Mizzou for a 2-score victory.

Week 10: at Vanderbilt (W)

It’s worth noting that Vandy was 1 defensive stand from winning in Columbia last year. That didn’t happen. That ended up being a massive exhale for South Carolina. This time, South Carolina puts the game away much earlier. Stogner gets involved early and often. Rattler attacks the middle of the field against Vandy’s secondary and South Carolina sees just how different things are a year removed from last year’s scare.

Week 11: at Florida (W)

A week after a massive victory in College Station, Florida doesn’t handle success the way Billy Napier hoped against an improving South Carolina squad. Rattler gets too much time to operate and he finds Bell and Vann downfield on several occasions. Florida doesn’t lay down like it did in that blowout in Columbia last year, but again in an obvious throwing situation late, Anthony Richardson picks on someone he shouldn’t. Smith, that is. Beamer locks up his first big road win to date to clinch bowl eligibility.

Week 12: vs. Tennessee (W)

In a battle of red-hot teams that are clicking on all cylinders with the passing game, yeah, South Carolina’s November mojo continues. Hendon Hooker and Rattler go back and forth in a game that has plenty of NFL eyes on it. But the difference is Hooker is asked a little too much to bail out the Vols on the road. A raucous South Carolina crowd fuels a couple of late defensive stands. Burch and Strachan both get in the backfield to force key stops. The Gamecocks close out the home slate with their most impressive win at Williams-Brice of the Beamer era.

Week 13: at Clemson (L)

Not yet. That Clemson defensive line might not totally dominate South Carolina’s offensive front like it did last year, but it should still have a significant advantage. Instead of getting the battle of the 2021 preseason Heisman favorites Rattler struggles to keep pace with true freshman Cade Klubnik, who injects new life into the Clemson offense after his midseason takeover. South Carolina ends the regular season still searching for its first win against Clemson since 2013.

2022 projection: 7-5 (4-4), 4th in SEC East

#SpursUp

Yep. This would be a wild ride.

An 0-4 start to SEC play followed by a 4-0 finish implies something crucial to South Carolina’s 2022 outlook. That is, Rattler will handle failure well. A more mature version of the South Carolina quarterback coupled with some new surroundings allows him to breathe instead of feeling like the walls are caving in during that slow start.

Instead of hearing chants for the backup in late September, Rattler gets words of encouragement from a South Carolina fan base who desperately wants to have a guy as its true QB1. That allows the offense to soar instead of spiral. Just like 2021 when Beamer righted the ship by pushing the right buttons, he finds a way to do that in an even more drastic way.

Getting through a schedule that daunting with 7 regular-season wins would indeed be a significant improvement. Winning road games against SEC competition and avoiding those blowouts would be a step in the right direction. Beamer preached about consistency in the offseason, and how as satisfying as the 2021 finish was, his team didn’t win consecutive games vs. FBS competition. This 2022 squad has the ability to turn that around.

If South Carolina is playing for win No. 8 in the postseason, those good vibes aren’t going anywhere.