2018 Football Schedule Announced
Sept. 19, 2017
The Southeastern Conference today announced the football schedules for all 14 SEC schools for the 2018 season.
With 13 playing weekends, the 2018 schedule includes one open date for each team and conference contests scheduled each week beginning the second weekend of September.
Each SEC team will play eight conference football games to include six games against division opponents and two games against non-division opponents. One of the non-division opponents will be a permanent annual opponent and the other non-division opponent will rotate each year.
The season begins the weekend of September 1 with 14 games, including five neutral site games on opening weekend.
The 2018 season will culminate with the SEC Championship Game in Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, December 1. It will be the 27th edition of the game and the 25th in the city of Atlanta.
The complete list of 2018 football schedules can be found on the SEC’s official website, SECsports.com.
The South Carolina Gamecocks will open the 2018 season at home for the first time since 2014 when Coastal Carolina comes to Columbia on Saturday, September 1. It will mark the Chanticleers second trip to Williams-Brice Stadium, as they were trounced by a 70-10 score in 2013 while still playing under the FCS classification. They have since moved up to Division I and are part of the Sun Belt Conference.
The Gamecocks will open the conference portion of the schedule in week 2 when Carolina hosts Georgia on September 8. The Bulldogs hold a 49-18-2 lead in the series, but the Gamecocks have won three of the last four games played in Columbia.
South Carolina will play at home for a third-straight week to open the season when they host the Marshall Thundering Herd on Saturday, September 15. That will mark just the second meeting between the two schools, as Marshall, a member of Conference USA, came away with a 24-21 win in Columbia during the 1998 campaign.
The Gamecocks will play back-to-back SEC Eastern Division road games to finish the month of September. On September 22, Carolina will travel to Nashville for a meeting with the Vanderbilt Commodores, then will travel to Lexington on September 29 to face the Kentucky Wildcats. The Gamecocks hold series advantages over both Eastern Division rivals, leading Vandy by a 22-4 margin, and Kentucky by a 17-11-1 margin.
The following two weeks will see the Gamecocks at home against SEC opponents. The Missouri Tigers will visit on October 6, then the Texas A&M Aggies will make their way to Williams-Brice Stadium on October 13. The Gamecocks and Tigers have split eight games evenly, while Carolina is winless in three previous outings against the Aggies.
After an open date, the Gamecocks will host the Tennessee Volunteers on October 27. Tennessee leads the all-time series by a 25-8-2 count, but the Gamecocks have won four of the last seven meetings with their Eastern Division rivals from Knoxville.
South Carolina’s final two conference games will be on the road in 2018, as the Gamecocks will travel to Ole Miss on November 3, then to Florida on November 10. The November 3 game will mark Carolina’s first trip to Oxford since the 2008 season. The Rebels hold a slim 8-7 advantage in the all-time series. The Gamecocks and Gators will be meeting for the 39th time, with Florida holding a 26-8-3 lead in the all-time series, one that will be renewed in Columbia later this season.
Senior Day and the final home game of the 2018 campaign is set for November 17 against Chattanooga, an FCS opponent out of the Southern Conference. It will be the first gridiron meeting between the Gamecocks and the Mocs.
The regular season will conclude on November 24 when the Gamecocks travel to Clemson for the annual Palmetto Bowl and bragging rights in the state for another year.
SOUTH CAROLINA 2018 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 1 Coastal Carolina
Sept. 8 Georgia*
Sept. 15 Marshall
Sept. 22 at Vanderbilt*
Sept. 29 at Kentucky*
Oct. 6 Missouri*
Oct. 13 Texas A&M*
Oct. 27 Tennessee*
Nov. 3 at Ole Miss*
Nov. 10 at Florida*
Nov. 17 Chattanooga
Nov. 24 at Clemson
*SEC game
