Editor's Note: These interviews were conducted before Saturday's win over Georgia.
The midpoint of the college football season is getting closer with each passing day. At this point, most fans are able to decipher whether or not their beloved teams will be able to play in a bowl game during the post season or not.
Some fans and experts begin making their predictions even earlier.
Each week, Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach at ESPN roll out a list of their predictions for who will be playing in each bowl game. In their latest predictions, Bonagura had South Carolina playing in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, and Schlablach had the Gamecocks playing in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
After seeing the experts' opinion, The Daily Gamecock asked a few students on campus how they felt about the Gamecocks' bowl game odds.
Prior to the season starting, third-year broadcast journalism student Trey Martin said he had high expectations. However, he said he now sees the Gamecocks on a “five to six win line.” Martin said he thought the Gamecocks might play in the Independence Bowl or Birmingham Bowl, if they make it into any bowl game.
First-year exercise science student Melkevis Pearson said he didn't think the Gamecocks have a good chance at making it to a bowl game. Pearson said he believes South Carolina has a lot of “unorganized potential."
“We have the necessary skills," Pearson said. "We have certain parts of the team that's not consistent.”
Second-year civil engineering student Patrick McGrath said he isn’t confident about the Gamecocks' chances for a bowl game this year, but he does think the future could be bright for South Carolina.
“I definitely think we’re going to be getting a lot better," McGrath said. "We have some pretty good recruits, I feel like, coming in. Hilinski will just have more experience."
South Carolina faces a tough second-half schedule. No. 7 Florida will be a challenge, and away games in Tennessee and Texas A&M also have the potential to be challenging.
Obviously, the Gamecocks will need to win a few, if not all, of these games in order to stay in consideration for a bowl game. Even teams such as Appalachian State can be considered a threat after the Mountaineers beat North Carolina in Chapel Hill, something South Carolina was unable to do in Charlotte at the beginning of the season.
Martin said he thinks the Florida game could be a pivotal game for the course of South Carolina's season.
"If the Gamecocks are able to win the Florida game, I think that they would definitely go into their next three games against Tennessee, Vanderbilt and [Appalachian] State with a lot better mindset," Martin said. "And then they'd also know that they can compete against A&M and Clemson.”
However, Martin said if South Carolina loses the game to Florida, then the Gamecocks are “kind of behind the eight ball.”
The general public opinion is that if the Gamecocks continue to struggle this season, head coach Will Muschamp might be on the hot seat. But Martin, McGrath and Pearson all said they think otherwise.
“He is still a new coach and he's still trying to establish a program," Pearson said.
“He’s done a good job of recruiting, he’s done a good job of running a clean program, he's done a good job of getting guys into the league and, most importantly, he’s selling tickets," Martin said. "When you've got Georgia at their peak, Clemson's at their peak, it’s about the last time that you want to hit the reset button on everything.”
"Maybe one or two more seasons with just, complete mediocracy, I could see him leaving," McGrath said.
The Gamecocks have plenty of chances to turn their season around and compete in a bowl game. South Carolina's game against Florida will kickoff Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium at noon.