South Carolina Gamecocks' football program looks to defy the odds in Shane Beamer's second season

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South Carolina coach Shane Beamer is looking for more out of his program heading into his second season after a debut few saw coming.

The Gamecocks were considered one of the Southeastern Conference's weakest teams when Beamer took over for Will Muschamp in December 2020.

But Beamer led South Carolina to its first winning season since 2018, capped by a memorable mayonnaise bath following the Gamecocks Duke's Mayo Bowl win over North Carolina last December.

Nonetheless, the team is picked to finish fifth in the SEC East and will likely be the underdog in six of eight SEC games this year.

The players were thrilled with their finish last year, but are after bigger things than a winning season, Beamer said.

"The cool thing was, it was momentum coming back excited about the way we finished but also momentum about we can be even better," he said.

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Some on the outside also see the potential, too.

One of those people is ex-Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler, who transferred to South Carolina looking for a new start. Rattler also wants to show he's the passer he was two years ago when he led the Sooners to a Big 12 title and not the Heisman hopeful who was benched midway through last season.

South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler throws at the Manning Passing Academy on the Nicholls State University campus in Thibodaux, Louisiana. In the offseason, one-time Oklahoma Heisman Trophy contender Rattler transferred to the University of South Carolina, one of several additions expected to add punch to the team. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton, File)

Rattler has shown off a strong arm and a