1979 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

1979 South Carolina Gamecocks football
ConferenceIndependent
Record8–4
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorRichard Bell (5th season)
Home stadiumWilliams–Brice Stadium
Seasons
← 1978
1980 →
1979 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Florida State       11 1 0
No. 7 Pittsburgh       11 1 0
UNLV       9 1 2
No. 17 Temple       10 2 0
Tulane       9 3 0
Rutgers       8 3 0
Tennessee State       8 3 0
East Carolina       7 3 1
No. 20 Penn State       8 4 0
South Carolina       8 4 0
Navy       7 4 0
Notre Dame       7 4 0
Southern Miss       6 4 1
Syracuse       7 5 0
Colgate       5 4 1
Boston College       5 6 0
Holy Cross       5 6 0
Memphis State       5 6 0
Miami (FL)       5 6 0
North Texas State       5 6 0
Villanova       5 6 0
Virginia Tech       5 6 0
West Virginia       5 6 0
Georgia Tech       4 6 1
Louisville       4 6 1
William & Mary       4 7 0
Illinois State       3 8 0
Northeast Louisiana       3 8 0
Army       2 8 1
Air Force       2 9 0
Cincinnati       2 9 0
Richmond       0 11 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as an independent during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Jim Carlen, the Gamecocks compiled a record of 8–4. South Carolina was invited to the Hall of Fame Classic, where they lost to Missouri, 24–14.

In 1979, despite pressure on Carlen's job security, South Carolina received some preseason hype, as they returned eighteen of the 22 starters from last season.[1] The Gamecocks would live up to the hype, with wins over two top-20 teams,[2] their highest ranking since 1976,[3] and their first bowl appearance since 1975.[4] South Carolina's eight wins were the most since 1903. If only considering wins against college football teams, the eight wins were the most in program history.[1][5] It would be the first of five eight-win seasons for the program in the late 1970s and 1980s.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Do not ignore all the signs. But which, the optimistic or ominous, will South Carolina's Jim Carlen heed?". Sports Illustrated Vault. 1979. Retrieved September 30, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "1979 South Carolina Gamecocks Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  3. ^ "South Carolina Gamecocks Poll History". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  4. ^ "South Carolina Gamecocks Bowls". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "South Carolina Gamecocks College Football History, Stats, Records". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.