Football in South Carolina is big, no doubt abbout it. SC fans are as loyal as them come making both Clemson and South Carolina stadiums some of the toughest places to play for road teams. As far as the National Football League is concerned, having Carolina as a home base, whether North or South, means that the Panthers rule. So there is action on both Saturday's and Sundays for South Carolina sports betting fans who live for grilling out on the weekends and watching some kick ass hit you in the mouth SC football.

Clemson Tigers 2015 Football

Consistency has been the hallmark of Dabo Swinney’s teams the last four years, with 42 victories on the side of the Clemson Tigers. That number figures to reach 50 after the 2015 college football season, even though Clemson has to find a way to replace a number of players on both sides of the ball. One key returnee on offense is sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson, who’s dangerous with his feet and is developing an arm to match. His value to the team was evident in 2014, when he sat out close to five games due to a broken finger and an ACL tear. In those contests, the Tiger offense collectively sputtered.

Assuming Watson can stay healthy, he’ll have two key weapons at wide receiver in Arttavis Scott and Mike Williams. That duo nearly gained 2,000 yards on their 133 receptions, while finding the end zone 14 times. At running back, Wayne Gallman will provide much of the ground game not already offered by Watson’s exploits. However, the status of the offensive line means that all of these numbers could drop if they’re not able to come up with acceptable replacements.

The team’s defense has even more to live up to in 2015 after leading the entire country in fewest yards allowed per game. That figures to be difficult since the entire defensive line needs to be replaced. One of the key players to be counted one here will be end Shaq Lawson, who looks to get back to the strong campaign he had in 2013.

Linebackers also need to be found someone to help Ben Boulware and B.J. Goodson, but the secondary doesn’t have such concerns. That’s because cornerback Mackensie Alexander and safety Jayson Kearse have the type of talent to keep opposing passing games in check. While it’s certainly not out of the question that Clemson can reach the national championship playoffs, the Tigers first need to worry about winning the ACC Atlantic.

South Carolina Gamecocks 2015 Football

A decline precipitated by a defensive collapse has led to changes on that side of the ball for head coach Steve Spurrier, who’s hoping that the Gamecocks’ 7-6 campaign was an aberration and not a precursor to a gradual slide in relevance. Besides that area, quarterback has a gaping hole that needs to be filled. That looks to be what sophomore Connor Mitch will do, but he’ll have competition from Perry Orth and Michael Scarnecchia.

An equally large hole at running back has Brandon Wilds and David Williams angling to carry the pigskin. No such concerns at wide receiver exist since junior Pharoh Cooper is Spurrier’s biggest weapon after making 69 catches for over 1,100 yards in 2014. The offensive line has Brandon Shell at right tackle, but question marks elsewhere, so depending on who starts here may determine if South Carolina moves up in the always-tough SEC.

The Gamecock defense was bad enough during the 2014 college football season that new defensive coordinator Jon Hoke has been shifting players around and has changed the defense to a standard 4-3.  Up front, Marquavius Lewis is a junior college transfer to watch, while linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams will be joined by Larenz Bryant to shake things up.

For the defensive backs, newcomer transfer Isaiah Johnson and Jordan Diggs will handle the safety slots, while T.J. Gurley will be used in nickel situations. The Ol’ Ball Coach might think about hanging it up if his team can’t find a way to rebound, since stopping this slide is tough enough without having to do it within the confines of the SEC.

The NFL Presence in South Carolina

As a Carolina team, it’s only natural that the Carolina Panthers are the NFL team that most people in South Carolina support. That wasn’t always the case prior to the team’s arrival in 1995, with the Atlanta Falcons getting most of the market. It’s likely that some in the western half of the state still have more feeling toward the Falcons, but it’s nowhere close to what the Panthers have right now.