South Carolina football vs Florida prediction. Can Shane Beamer end SEC losing streak?

South Carolina football is in desperate need of a win.

Coach Shane Beamer hasn't beaten an SEC team since September 2025 and his losing streak was extended to eight straight conference games with a 35-34 overtime loss to Kentucky .

Now the Gamecocks (2-3, 0-3 SEC) play at No. 15 Florida (4-1, 2-1) on Oct. 10 (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network), which is coming off a 45-17 loss to Missouri.

Here's The Greenville News' prediction on how the game will go.

South Carolina football vs Kentucky, Shane Beamer, LaNorris Sellers, Kenny Minchey photos

Florida looked like a completely different team in Week 4 when it beat Ole Miss 52-28 than it did when it lost to Missouri. South Carolina has looked somewhat consistent in SEC play but not in a good way.

The Gamecocks led by 16 and 17 before going on to lose vs Mississippi State and Kentucky, respectively.

Both teams started the season with easy wins before Florida picked up two straight to begin conference play in Year 1 under coach Jon Sumrall.

With rain in the forecast, it's likely going to be a run heavy game and will come down to who can dominate on the ground. Lucky for South Carolina, it's secondary has been its weakness and is allowing the sixth-fewest rushing yards in per game in the SEC right now.

That said, with the anger and embarrassment from last week's drubbing still on Florida's mind, the Gators will outplay South Carolina, pulling away in the fourth quarter.

South Carolina vs Florida scouting report

Why South Carolina has an advantage : The Gamecocks are the underdogs and it's a road game so they could knock Florida off its game early unexpectedly.

Quarterback LaNorris Sellers is coming off his best game of the season where he went 20-of-36 for 226 passing yards with two touchdowns and 147 rushing yards. That could give him confidence. Florida quarterback Aaron Philo completed a season-low 61.8% of his passes and was sacked three times last week.

South Carolina is averaging an SEC-best 256 rushing yards per game (199 ypg in SEC games) led by Matt Fuller, who has 433 rushing yards.

Missouri held the Gators to 42 rushing yards after they ran for a combined 545 yards in their first two SEC games against the two worst rushing defenses in the SEC. Like Missouri, South Carolina should have a better chance at stopping the run.

Why Florida has an advantage : Despite last week's rushing struggles, Florida has Jadan Baugh, who has 613 rushing yards, the fifth most in the country.

Philo has also only thrown two interceptions compared to eight touchdowns.

South Carolina's secondary is struggling and has had busts in coverage the last three games, which gives the Gators more opportunities on offense beyond just Baugh. South Carolina star wide receiver Nyck Harbor has been a non-factor so he's less of a worry on defense for Florida, and other Gamecocks receivers have struggled with dropping the ball.

Dallas Wilson has a team-high 302 receiving yards and three touchdowns for Florida.

Since 2022, Beamer's teams have led by 10 or more points and went on to lose the game seven times, which means Florida should feel comfortable even if it's down by two touchdowns at any point in the game.

South Carolina vs Florida score prediction

Florida 28: South Carolina 21 : Florida showed some flaws vs Missouri after looking unbeatable vs Ole Miss. But the Gamecocks continue to find ways to beat themselves, whether that's failed fourth-down conversions, coverage busts or red zone stalls. This game stays close but the Gators refuse to lose two straight, scoring midway through the fourth quarter to take the win.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com . Follow her on X @Lulukesin and Bluesky ‪@bylulukesin.bsky.social‬