COLUMBIA, S.C. — With all due respect to the previous season openers in the Shane Beamer era, a matchup with North Carolina Saturday night in prime time is generating national headlines.
"I just did an interview with Jim Rome before I came in here at 1 o'clock," Beamer said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. Rome hosts The Jim Rome Show on CBS Sports Radio from Los Angeles.
"I wasn't doing interviews with Jim Rome talking about the matchup Week 1 last year. You love that. You want to play in big games where you are on a national stage. We certainly are. I would rather do this than what we have done the last couple of seasons, as well."
The season opener will be a rematch of the 2021 Duke's Mayo Bowl which South Carolina won 38-21. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
The College Football Power Index has North Carolina as a slim favorite to win the matchup as a 2.5 point favorite, according to Sports Illustrated Sportsbook. The computer says USC has a 42.4 percent chance to pull off an upset.
UNC is ranked #21 in the AP Poll and #22 in the College Football Power Index.
USC is ranked #1 in the College Football strength of schedule rankings for 2023. That means, according to sports analysists, the Gamecocks have the toughest schedule in NCAA College Football.