After taking down two top-10 squads in consecutive weeks, the Gamecocks could not extend that winning streak against ranked opponents to three.
South Carolina ended up on the wrong end of a very high-scoring, entertaining Gator Bowl, dropping the game to Notre Dame by the score of 45-38.
The final contest of the year may have ended in an L, but USC still managed to increase its win total by a game from seven to eight over the past year. So, at least we have evidence that the program is headed in the right direction.
That direction could be clarified once we know about the decisions to enter the 2023 NFL Draft or not for Spencer Rattler and Juice Wells, neither of whom had that statement game in the finale they were desperately hoping for.