First it was On3, then USC head coach Shane Beamer, and now, the Southeastern Conference.
During his weekly press conference, Coach Beamer confirmed that the Gamecocks will have Florida, Georgia, and Kentucky as their permanent opponents moving forward as part of the new nine-game league schedule. Beamer said he had no role in selecting the other teams, adding no preference was involved.
Every SEC school will face three permanent opponents and three rotating ones, with matchups against every other league team being played every two years, with a home-and-home every four years.
So, after being scooped by reporters and coaches alike, the league unveiled the permanent opponents during a live television event on Tuesday night..
USC Athletics Media Release: Beginning with the 2026 football season, South Carolina will play Florida, Georgia and Kentucky each year for the next four seasons as part of the Southeastern Conference’s nine-game schedule format, announced Tuesday by the league office.
The Gamecocks will play the three annual opponents, and the remaining six conference games each year will rotate among the remaining SEC schools from 2026-29. In the new format, South Carolina will play every SEC school at least once every two years, and every opponent home and away over four years.
For 2026 season, in alphabetical order, the Gamecocks will host Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Texas A&M and travel to Alabama, Arkansas, Florida and Oklahoma.
The schedule in 2027, in alphabetical order, has Carolina hosting Florida, LSU, Missouri and Texas and visiting Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. Texas will be making its first-ever trip to Williams-Brice Stadium.
In 2028, in alphabetical order, the Gamecocks will host Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky and Oklahoma while visiting Florida, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
In 2029, the final year of the rotation, in alphabetical order, Carolina will host Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt and visit Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri and Texas.
“We play in the toughest conference in college football,” said South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer. “Competition is a core value of our program. We look forward to competing against this challenging schedule in the years to come.”
The SEC schedule was built based on the priorities of traditional rivalries, geography, competitive fairness and alignment with existing non-conference home/away commitments.
“This schedule format is a win for our football program, our fans and all fans of college football,” said Athletics Director Jeremiah Donati. “The Conference has put a tremendous amount of work into putting together a competitive, fair, and balanced schedule over the next four seasons. We look forward to the start of this historic 9-game conference schedule beginning next season.”
Georgia returns to the Gamecock schedule after a two-year hiatus. The rivalry is the most-played SEC series in South Carolina record books at 76 games. The teams played every year from 1992, Carolina’s first year in the SEC until 2023. Georgia leads the series, 55-19-2, including 22-10 in games while both are SEC members.
At 44 games played, South Carolina’s rivalry with Florida is the second most-played SEC series in the Gamecock football record books. The teams played every year from 1992 until the 2023 season. Florida owns a 31-10-3 lead in the series, including a 26-7-1 mark while both are SEC members.
South Carolina and Kentucky will play for the 37th time this Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium. It is the fourth most-played rivalry in the Gamecock record books. South Carolina leads the series, 21-14-1. Up to this season, South Carolina has played only Kentucky and Vanderbilt in each of its SEC seasons.
The 2026 SEC football schedule will be released by the league office in December, which will include dates for all of the season’s games.