South Carolina: The darlings of the Thursday night season-opener
In three weeks you’ll be settling into your recliner as you watch the SEC Network begin the college football season. The South Carolina-Texas A&M battle followed by Vanderbilt vs. Temple is a nice appetizer for the main course that Saturday.
Since 2005, FBS schools have been putting themselves on the field two days earlier than the first Saturday of the season. The number of games has varied from as little as 11 back in 2005 to as many as 18 in 2010. There will be 14 games on Aug. 28.
SEC teams have dipped their toe in the water first every year since the Thursday night season-opener has been around. There has only been one SEC team that has won their Thursday night season-opener and has gone onto to have a losing record: Kentucky. The Wildcats, in their lone appearance, defeated Western Kentucky 14-3 in 2011 but went onto a 5-7 record.
Coincidently the first year of these games was the first year Steve Spurrier took over in Columbia. The Gamecocks are darlings of the Thursday night affair. South Carolina is a perfect 7-0, including 2-0 against SEC opponents: a 15-0 win over Mississippi State in 2006 and 17-13 victory against Vanderbilt in 2012. What great publicity and a powerful recruiting tool for the Head Ball Coach.
LSU has only played once in a Thursday night opener, an SEC contest against Mississippi State back in 2007. The Tigers made a big splash, shutting out the Bulldogs 45-0 and went onto win the national championship.
The Bulldogs lone win came in 2011 against Memphis, 59-14.
Vanderbilt is 0-2 in conference games. The Commodores lost a shootout to Ole Miss 39-35 last year.
Here are the numbers:
South Carolina 7-0, 2-0:
- 2013: 27-10 W North Carolina, 11-2
- 2012: 17-13 W Vanderbilt, 11-2
- 2010: 41-13 W Southern Miss, 9-5
- 2009: 7-3 W N.C. State, 7-6
- 2008: 34-0 W N.C. State, 7-6
- 2006: 15-0 W Mississippi State, 8-5
- 2005: 24-15 W UCF, 7-5
LSU 1-0, 1-0
- 2007: 45-0 W Mississippi State, 12-2
Ole Miss 1-0, 1-0
- 2013: 35-39 W Vanderbilt, 8-5
Kentucky 1-0, 0-0
- 2011: 14-3 W Western Kentucky, 5-7
Mississippi State 1-2, 0-2
- 2011: 59-15 W Memphis, 7-6
- 2007: 45-0 L LSU, 8-5
- 2006: 15-0 L South Carolina, 3-9
Vanderbilt 1-2, 0-2
- 2013: 39-35 L Ole Miss, 8-5
- 2012: 17-13 L South Carolina, 9-4
- 2008: 34-13 W Miami (OH), 7-6