BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. — The part of the calendar known as "Talking Season" is in its final days.
South Carolina is set to kick off preseason practice on Friday, Aug. 4, and that will mark one of those key dates leading up to kickoff.
At Wednesday's golf outing, head coach Shane Beamer made the rounds, spending a few moments with each team before speaking to the media about a host of topics, with most of the questions centered around the upcoming season.
ESPN College GameDay will be on the scene from 9 a.m. to noon before the Gamecocks face North Carolina in Charlotte in prime time on Saturday, Sept. 2.
This season, USC will host LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri and Texas A&M and travel to Alabama, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and -- for the first time -- Oklahoma. Left out of the 2023-2024 schedule are traditional Eastern Division rivals Georgia, Florida and Tennessee. USC has played these teams every year since they joined the SEC in 1992.
South Carolina previously announced its four 2024 non-conference opponents, which include home games against Old Dominion (Aug. 31), Akron (Sept. 21) and Wofford (Nov. 23) and a road game at Clemson (Nov. 30).
According to Sports Illustrated FanNation, the Gamecocks are ranked No. 1 for College Football Strength of Schedule for the upcoming season (Clemson is tied with Georgia State, ranked 35).