# 2016 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

The 2016 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gamecocks played their home games at Williams–Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina and competed in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gamecocks' first-year head coach was Will Muschamp, with Kurt Roper as offensive coordinator and Travaris Robinson as defensive coordinator. They finished the season 6–7, 3–5 in SEC play to finish in fifth place in the East Division. They were invited to the Birmingham Bowl, where they lost to No. 25 South Florida in overtime.
Following a 2–4 start, freshman Jake Bentley became the starting quarterback and led the Gamecocks to a 4–3 finish, including an upset over No. 18 Tennessee. South Carolina had a three-win improvement over the previous season and returned to the postseason, but finished with a second consecutive losing season.

## Schedule

South Carolina announced its 2016 football schedule on October 29, 2015. The 2016 schedule consisted of seven home and five away games in the regular season. The Gamecocks hosted SEC foes Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas A&M, and traveled to Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt.
For the tenth year, the Gamecocks opened their season on a Thursday. The team hosted three out of four of its non–conference games which were against Clemson (from the ACC), East Carolina (from the American), Massachusetts (from the MAC), and Western Carolina (from the Southern Conference).
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 8:00 p.m. | at Vanderbilt | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, TN | ESPN | W 13–10 | 30,304 |
| September 10 | 7:00 p.m. | at Mississippi State | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS (SEC Nation) | ESPN2 | L 14–27 | 57,763 |
| September 17 | 4:00 p.m. | East Carolina* | Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | SECN | W 20–15 | 80,384 |
| September 24 | 7:30 p.m. | at Kentucky | Commonwealth StadiumLexington, KY | SECN | L 10–17 | 51,702 |
| October 1 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 9 Texas A&M | Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | SECN | L 13–24 | 78,245 |
| October 9 | 2:30 p.m. | Georgia | Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, SC (rivalry) | SECN | L 14–28 | 77,221 |
| October 22 | 12:00 p.m. | Massachusetts* | Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | SECN | W 34–28 | 73,428 |
| October 29 | 7:15 p.m. | No. 18 Tennessee | Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, SC (rivalry) | ESPN2 | W 24–21 | 78,696 |
| November 5 | 4:00 p.m. | Missouri | Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, SC (Mayor's Cup) | SECN | W 31–21 | 73,817 |
| November 12 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 22 Florida | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL (SEC Nation) | CBS | L 7–20 | 89,614 |
| November 19 | 4:00 p.m. | Western Carolina* | Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | SECN | W 44–31 | 76,650 |
| November 26 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 4 Clemson* | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC (Palmetto Bowl) | ESPN | L 7–56 | 81,542 |
| December 29 | 2:00 p.m. | vs. No. 25 South Florida* | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL (Birmingham Bowl) | ESPN | L 39–46 $^{OT}$ | 31,229 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||
    The game between South Carolina and Georgia on October 8, 2016, was postponed due to Hurricane Matthew, and was rescheduled the following day on October 9, 2016.
    Schedule Source: