2017 Football Preview – SEC – Gamecocks
Looking for 2017 South Carolina Gamecocks predictions? The Gamecocks are hoping to surprise a few teams in the SEC East and have a shot at the SEC Title game.
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- 2017-18 College Football Preview – South Carolina Gamecocks
- Head Coach: Will Muschamp
- 2016 Record: 6-7
- South Carolina Gamecocks Odds to win the 2017 FBS Championship: +20000
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2017 South Carolina Gamecocks Predictions: Team Strengths
Explosive young Quarterback: Under Will Muschamp everyone expected him to focus on the defensive side of the ball and the Gamecocks become a one dimensional offensive team. However the signing of top 11 quarterback Jake Bentley turned things around.
Bentley should have redshirted last season as we enrolled early and was technically going to be a senior in high school, but poor QB play forced Muschamp to take the redshirt off.
He was inconsistent at times but the offense jumped from 14 points per game in the first six to 26 points per game in the six that he started.
Look for Bentley to improve upon his 2016 numbers and should have a chance to crack 25 touchdown passes.
Very talented defensive line : The Gamecocks have loaded up on quality defensive lineman over the last two seasons and it should be a dominant force in 2017.
Last season they had to replace five defensive lineman who combined for 125 tackles and allowed over 200 rushing yards per game. In a talented SEC East with great running backs they can’t put up those types of numbers and be a contender in the conference.
Dante Sawyer will be the leader on the defensive line, and may have a chance to reach 7-8 sacks this season. The BUCK position will be vital for this defense and it should be operated by true sophomore DJ Wonnum.
He played in all 13 games last year and racked up 32 tackles, but should expect to get to 60-70 with a handful of sacks when the season comes to a close.
One of the best secondary’s in the nation? : With the changes on defense, and graduating players, the Gamecocks went into last season with basically a completely new secondary unit. They put up really good numbers with the young players who saw the field and picked off 15 passes.
The 60% completion percentage was also an improvement from their 2015 numbers (66%).
On the outside expect former top 10 junior college signee Jamarcus King to become a shutdown corner in the SEC. He had 56 tackles and 9 passes broken up and I expect similar numbers this year.
2017 South Carolina Gamecocks Predictions: Team Weaknesses
Special Teams may lose a close game: The Gamecocks lose their kicker from last season, who was 13-17 and the school’s all-time leading scorer.
They also have to replace a four year long snapper and their punter who averaged 38 net punting yards.
Having to replace all three of those positions will be key during training camp, but the one bright spot of this unit is the return team.
Both returners averaged over 25 yards on kickoffs, but punt returns were barely over 6. I expect this unit to struggle a little and they may end up in the bottom half statistically of all FBS teams.
South Carolina Gamecocks Prediction: 7-5
South Carolina will have a good season led by strong QB player and an excellent defensive line, but their schedule is tough on the road and I only see a slight improvement from last season.
2017 South Carolina Gamecocks Football Schedule
- 9/2/17 TBD NCST
- 9/9/17 TBD @MIZZOU
- 9/16/17 TBD UK
- 9/23/17 TBD LATECH
- 9/30/17 TBD @TXAM
- 10/7/17 TBD ARK
- 10/14/17 TBD @TENN
- 10/28/17 TBD VANDY
- 11/4/17 TBD @UGA
- 11/11/17 TBD UF
- 11/18/17 TBD WOFF
- 11/25/17 TBD CLEM
What do you think about our 2017 South Carolina Gamecocks predictions? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do in 2017!
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