The 2018 football season kicks into full swing in the coming days and the Gamecocks have their sights on getting an early win against the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina.

South Carolina’s schedule in 2018 is considered by most to be favorable. But in 2019, the Gamecocks will face three programs currently in the Top Five in the country in Georgia, Clemson and Alabama.

They also have North Carolina in Charlotte, Appalachian State at home and Charleston Southern in their out-of-conference schedule.

As of now, the UNC game is scheduled to be the season opener for South Carolina on August 31st. The game against Charleston Southern game has been moved from November 23rd to September 7th and App State will be played on November 9th.

This assures that the Gamecocks will not get their ‘tune-up’ game against an FCS opponent that is typically nestled in between the Florida and Clemson game at the end of each season.

From 1993-2000, South Carolina’s season finished with them playing Tennessee, Florida and Clemson. This stretch of games was known as the “Orange Crush.”

The dates for the Gamecock’s SEC schedule next year has not been released yet. However, with the way their out-of-conference schedule lines up, the Gamecocks will finish the season playing two SEC teams and then hosting Clemson to end the year.

While it may feel premature to look ahead, knowing what lies ahead makes this season that much more important.

A win over Georgia in week two should set Carolina up to win the SEC East. The bigger impact, however, would come in selling the program to recruits. At the very least, it would help close the gap between the Dawgs and the Gamecocks.

Carolina has a favorable road schedule this season as well, traveling to Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Florida and Clemson. Outside of Clemson, USC should be favored in at least three of the four games.

With new coaches at Florida and Tennessee, this may be the last season in which Carolina has a clear advantage.

They are on a four-game losing streak currently to Kentucky and Texas A&M. However, they should be able to defeat the Wildcats and they get A&M at home with a new coach at the helm.

The 2018 season is setup for the Gamecocks to have a lot of success. They need to take advantage of what is laid out for them because the next year is never promised.

With the way the 2019 schedule looks, the Gamecocks need to make the most of the 2018 season if they have any hopes of keeping in contention in the East division for years to come.