Let me start by saying this: I’m sick of everyone on Twitter or the “media” acting like South Carolina is a terrible team and that this season is already a loss.

Yes, South Carolina has arguably the toughest schedule in the country. However, that doesn’t mean they’ll be a bad team.

Texas A&M also has an extremely tough schedule, but people are saying they’ll still get eight or nine wins. Go figure.

One reason why people are lowballing the Gamecocks is because they lost 28-0 in the Belk Bowl last year against Virginia.

Look, I get it. That game was embarrassing.

However, Carolina had a ridiculous amount of injuries last year and they were missing their key playmaker, Deebo Samuel.

You could tell that South Carolina didn’t have a lot of motivation in that game. People for some reason think that game is a precursor to what we’ll see this fall.

That’s just a terrible way of thinking to bring into this 2019 season.

Speaking of Deebo Samuel, people think South Carolina will struggle because of his departure.

Although he was the best offensive weapon for the Gamecocks last year, South Carolina will have plenty of offensive options available.

The offense will be led by a senior Jake Bentley, who should be primed to have his best season in garnet and black.

Then there is Bryan Edwards, who will be one of the top receivers in the SEC.

The running back position is still a mystery, but with Bentley’s progression and capable weapons on the outside, the offense should be fine.

I’m not saying South Carolina will be an eight or nine win team. Hell, seven wins won’t even be easy with their schedule.

However, USC isn’t going to be a horrible team, especially if they can stay healthy.

Their secondary will be heavily underrated with guys like Jaycee Horn, Israel Mukuamu and RJ Roderick, who all showed their skills off late last year.

The defensive line will be drastically improved, especially with the addition of five-star Zacch Pickens.

It’s absurd that people are saying that South Carolina will lose to UNC, who will be relying on a true freshman quarterback.

South Carolina will realistically finish with six wins. However, things are bound to change in the case of upsets or blown leads, which have unfortunately been common recently.

Muschamp finally has a team that his staff has recruited. Schedule be damned, this year’s slate provides a wealth of opportunity to prove that he and this program are heading in the right direction.