The South Carolina Gamecocks will take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in Charlotte, North Carolina, for their first game of the season this Saturday. This marks the 58th time the two teams will face each other, the last being in 2015. 

The game will take place at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Bank of America Stadium is the home of the Carolina Panthers, but also hosts the Belk College Kickoff and the Belk Bowl. West Virginia and Tennessee played in the Belk College Kickoff in 2018, and in 2017, South Carolina defeated North Carolina State. 

Both teams enter the season unranked, but South Carolina received fifteen votes in the AP Top 25. North Carolina did not receive any votes in the AP Top 25.

Rivalries aside, this game is a huge game for both teams. South Carolina has the hardest schedule according to ESPN FPI, and needs to get off to a hot start. For North Carolina, a win would be a great start to Mack Brown’s second stint as a coach at North Carolina. The teams last played in 2015 with South Carolina winning 17-13. 

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels football TV channel

South Carolina and North Carolina will kick off at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels players to watch

Many people have mixed views on South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley. He led South Carolina to a 9-4 season in 2017, but many say he took a step back in 2018. If South Carolina is to have a great season and pull off upsets against teams like Alabama and Clemson, Bentley will have to have an amazing season. The opening game is huge for building his confidence especially after a rocky performance against Virginia to end the season. 

North Carolina is starting true freshman Sam Howell at quarterback. Howell was a four star recruit, and the number two player in the state of North Carolina according to 247 Sports. Howell also broke the North Carolina all time passing record in High School. It will be interesting to see how Howell adjusts to the college game.

TJ Brunson is the heart and soul of the South Carolina defense. Last year he was a second team All SEC player. This year he looks to build off of that and improve his draft stock.

Dazz Newsome will more than likely be the number one option at slot receiver for Sam Howell. Newsome has amazing speed and is extremely shifty in space. He is also the punt returner for North Carolina and averaged 15.1 YPR on punts last year. 

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Vegas Odds

The line opened at -7.5 in favor of South Carolina but moved to 10 in favor of South Carolina. The current over/under is set at 63.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels football predictions

The majority of experts have South Carolina winning by around 14-17 points.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels football history

This will be the 58th matchup between both teams dating back to 1903. Throughout the 1920’s the game was played every year, but stopped in 1930. The teams didn’t play that often until the 1950’s when they played every year until 1960.

North Carolina leads the overall series with 34 wins compared to South Carolina’s 19 wins. The two teams have also tied four times. 

The most recent meeting between the teams was in 2015 when South Carolina won 17-13 in Charlotte. Before that, they played in 2013 in Columbia, South Carolina, with the Gamecocks winning 27-10. The two teams also met in 2007 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a game in which the Gamecocks won 21-15. Prior to their 2007 meeting, the teams last played in 1991 (coincidentally, Mack Brown was the head coach at North Carolina).

The largest win in the series happened in 1914, when North Carolina won 48-0.

The longest win streak is five games for both teams. South Carolina’s win streak was from 1967-1974 and North Carolina’s win streak was from 1903-1911. 

South Carolina Gamecocks 2018 season review

In Will Muschamp’s fourth year at the helm, South Carolina went 7-6. The Gamecocks won close games against Tennessee, Missouri and Ole Miss, but dropped key games against Georgia, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Florida and Clemson. South Carolina earned a bowl bid in the Belk Bowl against Virginia, but ultimately lost 28-0.

The Gamecocks were 7th in the SEC in scoring offense and return senior quarterback Jake Bentley and six others on offense. South Carolina was 10th in the SEC in points given up per game on defense but they return 8 starters and multiple key players from injury.

Jake Bentley finished the year 7th in the SEC in passing efficiency and had an up and down season. He threw for 3,171 passing yards with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Bentley struggled in the beginning of the season and even missed the Missouri game due to injury, but finished the season strong. He threw for 1,650 yards and 16 touchdowns in November, and remember that he had to play Clemson and Florida in that month.

Will Muschamp Opening Game History

This will be Will Muschamp’s eighth year as a head coach and fourth year at South Carolina. He is 7-0 all time in opening games.

– 2011: Florida win over Florida Atlantic
– 2012: Florida win over Bowling Green
– 2013: Florida win over Toledo
– 2014: Florida win over Eastern Michigan
– 2016: South Carolina win over Vanderbilt
– 2017: South Carolina win over North Carolina State
– 2018: South Carolina win over Coastal Carolina

North Carolina Gamecocks 2018 season review

Last year, the Tar Heels went 2-9 overall with and 1-7 in the ACC, with wins against Pittsburgh and Western Carolina. They had a game scheduled against UCF, but that game was cancelled due to weather. The 2-9 season led to the firing of Larry Fedora and the hiring of former Texas head coach Mack Brown. This will be Mack Brown’s second stint at North Carolina, with his first lasting from 1988-1997.