Saturday's matchup between the LSU Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks is a massive game for both teams. LSU is looking to get back into the win column after suffering their first loss of the season to Ole Miss. For a team with SEC title hopes and eyeing a spot in the College Football Playoff, suffering a second loss in Week 7 would be crushing.
On the other side, South Carolina enters this game with a 3-2 record and has a gauntlet of a schedule ahead. After facing LSU, the Gamecocks face No. 6 Oklahoma, No. 8 Alabama, No. 4 Ole Miss, and No. 5 Texas A&M. That's about as tough as it gets, which means LSU needs to expect South Carolina to bring its best to Baton Rouge on Saturday night.
LSU's extra prep and recovery time from a bye week is neutralized by the fact that South Carolina also enter Saturday's matchup off of a bye week. However, Shane Beamer's South Carolina teams have struggled in October in recent seasons.
LSU needs to capitalize on South Carolina's October problem
The month of October has not been kind to South Carolina under Shane Beamer. Beamer took over in Columbia in 2021, and finding wins during this month has been a challenge. Some South Carolina fans refer to October as "Cocktober," meaning that the Gamecocks are tough to play against in October. However, that's not what the results say.
In four seasons under Beamer, South Carolina is 5-8 overall and 0-4 against ranked teams in October. The Gamecocks are 1-5 in October over the last two seasons, which means LSU has to take advantage of the Gamecock's October issues.
In Beamer's first season at the helm in 2021, South Carolina went 2-2 in four October games. Their wins came against Troy and a Vanderbilt team that posted a 2-10 record that season while going winless in SEC play (0-1). In 2022, the Gamecocks went 2-1 in October with wins over Kentucky and Texas A&M and a home loss to Missouri. In 2023, the Gamecocks went winless in three October games (0-1). Last season, Beamer led his team to 1-2 mark in October with both losses coming to ranked opponents.
As South Carolina prepares to face four straight top-15 teams and three top-10 teams following the LSU game, the Tigers need to stay vigilant on Saturday night. South Carolina has struggled with consistency this season, but they've shown flashes of what can make them a great team. As LSU prepares for its own tough upcoming schedule, Brian Kelly and company can't afford a misstep in this one.