Note: Before getting into the game preview, it is important to note that this game will not be the most important thing that is happening at the University of North Carolina right now. Obviously, the most important thing to note is the shooting that happened on Monday. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this horrific incident.
TV Schedule: September 2nd, 2023 at 7:30 P.M on ESPN
Location: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC)
South Carolina faces off against North Carolina in the Battle of Carolinas. Will Spencer Rattler be consistent enough to make sure they can beat North Carolina?
North Carolina vs. South Carolina: 2023 Week 1 SEC football game preview
South Carolina goes into this season after surpassing expectations last season. They were able to win eight games including a win over Orange Bowl winner Tennessee (albeit Hendon Hooker got injured in the fourth quarter when South Carolina was up 49-31). Addtionally, they were able to beat their rival, Clemson.
Both of these teams were top-ten ranked when they faced off against the Gamecocks. This came after South Carolina was able to beat a ranked Kentucky team. The Gamecocks have a very electric offense this season and are returning stud wide receiver Antwane Wells. They were not really able to address how this offense isn’t really stable and is prone to sacks.
North Carolina will head into this game with Heisman contending QB Drake Maye. Maye lost his top two wide receivers after his offensive coordinator left the school. Still, Maye should be able to dominate on his way to a potential ten-win season. That starts with playing well enough to beat South Carolina.
Prediction: South Carolina: 28, North Carolina: 31
This and LSU-Florida St. are the hardest games to pick this week. To be honest, a lot of these games are not going to be very close this week with a lot of SEC schools playing FCS or low-level FBS schools. North Carolina has the better QB but has the worse offense. If Spencer Rattler can stay consistent, then the Gamecocks could win this game. One or two mistakes may be all Drake Maye needs to win this game.