The South Carolina Gamecocks are about to enter the final stretch of their 2024 campaign, and the next five games are likely to shape the future of the program in a major way. Shane Beamer’s fourth season at the helm has been interesting, to say the least, in both good and bad ways.
The Gamecocks currently sit at four and three, but anybody who has watched this team will tell you the record doesn’t tell the full story. Carolina was in prime position to beat both LSU and Alabama, but lack of execution and discipline cost them dearly in both. Now Carolina faces down what might be the most pivotal stretch in Beamer’s tenure.
What should we expect over the final five games of the season, and what will they tell us about next season and beyond? That’s what we’re going to try to find out here.
Difficult Stretch Ahead
While the Gamecocks can still make this a successful season, getting there will be no small task. As of this writing, Carolina currently has three ranked opponents left on their schedule. These are Texas A&M, Missouri, and arch-rival Clemson. They also play an extremely dangerous Vanderbilt squad that has already beaten Alabama and just took Texas to the brink.
As if things weren’t difficult enough, the Gamecocks will also play three of these games on the road. They travel to College Station this Saturday to face the Aggies, then go on the road to face Vandy, and finish things up in Death Valley against Clemson. It may not be easy, but Beamer is excited about the challenge.
“It’s the best conference in America,” Beamer said in a presser last Tuesday. “It’s so much fun to be a part of because you’ve got to literally be at your best every single Saturday.”
The enthusiasm isn’t necessarily unwarranted from Beamer either. Outside of Ole Miss, Carolina was in a position to win every game they’ve played so far. They’ll also have a chance to win every game they have remaining as well. Whether they do or don’t will all depend on which Carolina team decides to show up.
Carolina and Inconsistency
The Gamecocks currently sit at four and three, but as was mentioned before that record doesn’t tell the whole story. The reality is that Carolina is two plays away from sitting at 6-1 and serious SEC contention. “Almost winning” doesn’t count as winning though, and despite valiant efforts against LSU and Alabama the blame for both losses falls entirely on Carolina’s shoulders.
An unfortunate theme that has become all too common for the Gamecocks this season is their inconsistency. Not only from game to game but from quarter to quarter and even series to series. Carolina will look phenomenal one second, and then the very next they’ll commit an utterly boneheaded error or mistake that kills any momentum they had built up to that point.
This type of Jekyll and Hyde play has already cost them twice, and it’s likely to lose them more than one game down the stretch if they can’t sort it out. It’s for this reason that it’s almost impossible to predict just how Carolina will finish the season. They can win the rest of their games, but can they manage to stay out of their own way? Only time will tell, but whatever happens in the next several weeks is sure to impact more than just this season.
Beamer’s Future in the Balance
These next five games could very well be the most pivotal of the Shane Beamer era. We are four years into his tenure as head coach, and things appear to be trending in the right direction. This perspective can change in an instant though, and the past three seasons are proof.
His first two seasons at the helm showed immense promise as the Gamecocks had back-to-back winning campaigns, and even finished off 2022 ranked. The 2023 campaign showed massive regression, however, as Carolina finished with a losing record and failed to make a bowl game.
Now we are over halfway through the 2024 campaign, and while the Gamecocks have shown signs of improvement they face the very real possibility of a second consecutive losing season. Conversely, Carolina could also finish in the seven-to-nine-win range and carry that momentum into next spring with a sense that things are still on track.
Final Thoughts
This is the conundrum Beamer finds himself in. Barring a total collapse it’s unlikely the head coach is in any real danger of losing his job this season. A less-than-stellar finish does put immense pressure on him going into next season though, and he’ll almost certainly be coaching worse teams talent-wise, particularly on defense.
This is why how Carolina finishes this year is so important. An extra win or loss could very well be the difference in Beamer entering next season with his job firmly secure, or with his seat practically on fire. Year five is when the powerbrokers in Columbia decided to can Beamer’s predecessor in Will Muschamp, and they did it midway through the season.
A large part of Muschamp’s firing can be attributed to having a losing record in his second to last year at the helm. If Beamer wants to avoid a similar fate, then finishing these next five games strong is imperative. If he can’t then he may have put himself in a position he can’t dig himself out of come next year.
