Georgia football vs. South Carolina hits pause in SEC. ‘Going to be weird not playing’

DALLAS—Hanging on light posts near the Omni Dallas hotel where SEC Media Days opened Monday are two banners.

The quite familiar “It Just Means More,” and a sign of the times: “Now 16 Strong.”

Ushering in Texas and Oklahoma is a focal point of the four days of football chatter with more than 1,200 media members.

The Sooners hit the stage Tuesday and Longhorns on Wednesday.

Their additions meant the end of divisions and some familiar annual matchups taking a pause.

Like Georgia-South Carolina.

The teams won’t play this season or next—barring an SEC championship or playoff matchup—for the first time since 1992. That’s when the Gamecocks joined the SEC.

Not playing the beast that is Georgia could be looked at as a welcome break.

That’s not what the Gamecocks said.

“I always looked forward to playing Georgia every year,” said redshirt senior Luke Doty, who has played in four games against the Bulldogs including throwing for 190 yards in his first career start at quarterback against Georgia in 2020 and starting last season at wide receiver in the game. “It’s definitely going to be weird not playing them, Tennessee or Florida this year just because we’ve played them for so long.”

The Gamecocks led Georgia 14-3 at halftime in a week 3 game last season, but lost 24-14, their eighth defeat in the series in the last nine games.

South Carolina delivered Georgia their last home loss in the 2019 season.

Alex Huntley was there on a recruiting visit to Georgia. He’s now a fifth-year Gamecocks defensive tackle and would prefer to get a shot at what could be the preseason No. 1 ranked Bulldogs.

“I actually wasn’t a fan of it,” Huntley said. “I looked forward to playing Georgia. …I was there when South Carolina beat Georgia. I was at that game. So I kind of wanted that opportunity as well. Last year we had that opportunity. We came up short. I kind of wanted another shot.”

Georgia also won’t play Missouri or Vanderbilt the next two regular seasons. The Tigers are a tougher test now entering their fifth season under Eli Drinkwitz whose team went 11-2 and won the Cotton Bowl last season.

Georgia won its 10^th straight against Missouri last season, but the teams were tied at 10 in their Nov. 4 game in Athens before the Bulldogs pulled out a 30-21 win after Nazir Stackhouse’s interception return set up a fourth-quarter field goal.

In Shane Beamer’s fourth season as South Carolina coach, the Gamecocks also avoid Texas, but play at Alabama and Ole Miss in back-to-back weeks in October.

“You want to compete against the best, you want to coach against the best,” Beamer said. “We ain’t far off. We’ve had some fantastic wins over the last three seasons…There’s teams to be considered to be in the mix for that playoff that we have beaten.”

South Carolina went 5-7 last season and the Gamecocks aren’t expected to rise this season.

“I really like our football team, most of you don’t,” Beamer said.

He said he expects his team t be picked 13^th or 14^th.

The Gamecocks were picked 13^th in the USA Today Sports predicted order of finish ahead of only Arkansas, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.

Georgia was picked first, getting all but one vote to win the SEC title. The other went to Texas.

South Carolina lost quarterback Spencer Rattler. Redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers is in line to replace him.

“We’re young, we’re talented as an offense, but the question is how fast we can come together?” Beamer said.

Huntley is certainly confident.

Here’s what he said of not playing Georgia.

“We don’t see them on the regular schedule,” Huntley said. “I’m sure we’ll see them in the playoffs though or have that opportunity.”