For the first time since the Steve Spurrier years, there is a bit of hope in Columbia as brash, third-year head coach Shane Beamer has had the Gamecocks punching above their weight and into bowl games. The fan base got genuinely excited for the first time since the Spurrier years when the team closed last season by taking No. 5-ranked, 22-point favorite Tennessee to the woodshed in a 63-38 bombardment to end the Volunteers' hopes of sneaking into the playoffs. The cherry on top would come the next week when the Gamecocks ended a seven-year losing streak to much disliked cross-state rival Clemson in a 31-30 thriller... at Death Valley, no less. Blowing a lead in the subsequent Gator Bowl vs. Notre Dame hardly stung too much in the afterglow...

Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of South Carolina's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the SEC season.

SEC preview: Conference winner | Alabama | Arkansas | Auburn | Florida | Georgia | Kentucky | LSU | Mississippi State | Missouri | Ole Miss | South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas A&M | Vanderbilt

2023 South Carolina at a glance

• Last Year: 8-5 SU, 7-6 ATS, 8-5 O/U
  
• Returning Starters: Offense 4; Defense 4
• Win Total: 6 (Over -130, Under -115)
  

What do you need to know about South Carolina before locking in your SEC futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see SEC futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!