Ranking The Gamecocks' 2024 Road Trips

"Ah, the college road trip. What better way to spread beer-fueled mayhem."- Homer Simpson

"If you're going for a ride, I'd like you to take Bart and Lisa."- Marge Simpson

Below we attempt to rank the best and worst destinations to watch the Gamecocks play this fall. Great college towns like Baton Rouge, Oxford, and Athens aren't on the schedule so they are not discussed below. We also did not factor the game day environment into the rankings. The ranking is simply based on how good of a time you will have before the opening kick and after the clock strikes zero. The rank of game difficulty is what we believe will be the order of the most difficult road tests for the Gamecocks, we are not analyzing anything football in this article outside of those rankings. The article is arranged from the worst trip for the 2023 season to the best.

"...and now I’ve got to go down to Clemson, S.C. I’m sure there’s a couple of Denny’s down there." - Former Syracuse Head Basketball Coach Jim Boeheim.

Date: November 30

Distance: 275.6 miles round trip. FYI all of these distances are from Williams-Brice to the school's stadium.

Flight Price: If you are flying to this game you own your plane or are renting one and you don't care about price.

Rank of Game Difficulty: 3

Record at the Venue: 11-19-1. One game Carolina winning streak.

Maybe it's the Gamecock in me speaking but I have just never seen the appeal of this place. It has a few picturesque spots and a lake nearby but nothing that is truly unique. There are almost no local restaurants, the Esso Club is one of the most overrated venues in college football, and parking/traffic is a nightmare. If you are going to Clemson, stay in Greenville and make the short 40-45 minute drive for the game. If you come into town from I-85 then stop in Pendleton and try The Smokin' Pig. For my money, it's one of the two best places for BBQ in the Upstate.

In all fairness to Clemson, Memorial Stadium is a fantastic college football venue and can get loud especially when the rival Gamecocks are in town. I've seen 11 Carolina/Clemson games in Clemson and 1996 and 2022 are the only Gamecock victory these eyes have seen up thar in those hills.

While this is a rivalry game, the crowds at Clemson are not what they were in the 80s when in cost $10 for an upper deck ticket, this goes for a lot of venues in the south. As long as you don't make any trouble, none should find you.

Date: October 12

Distance: 837.6 miles round trip. Depending on Atlanta traffic you are looking at anywhere from 6-to-6:30 hours to make this trip.

Price: You can find flights in the $420 range from Greenville and Charlotte. Flights are closer to the $500 range from Columbia or Charleston. All of these flights are to Birmingham which is about 50 minutes away from Tuscaloosa.

Rank of Game Difficulty: 1

Record at the Venue: 1-8. Bama has a 1-game winning streak but the last meeting between these two schools was in 2009.

In 32 seasons of college football in the SEC the Gamecocks have only visited Tuscaloosa four times. I went in 2004, the only game that South Carolina won at Bryant-Denny. Much has certainly changed since then and since the last game played in Tuscaloosa (2009).

Unfortunately, this game is going to be an 11-11:30 local time kickoff. There won't be much time for exploration prior to the game. After the game, I'd recommend the Bear Bryant museum if you are a fan of the college game. It's a nice museum and you will get your money's worth with a 45-60 minute stroll through. After the game if you are staying around the Tuscaloosa area, Catch-22 is a nice cocktail bar. University avenue is the nightlife area located about a mile away from the stadium.

Food wise, if you haven't been, you need to cross Dreamland BBQ off the list. I've had better barbecue, but this place is a local landmark and should be tried by any visiting fan on gameday.

Date: September 7

Distance: 865 miles round trip. Asheville is the only traffic scare if you are going through around rush-hour. Other than that- it's a fairly easy drive as far as 7-hour drives go.

Price: If you are making this trip, make Cincinnati or Louisville your destination. Both are easy drives to Lexington. Louisville to Lexington has several great Bourbon Trail stops. The Bengals have a home game against the Patriots the following the day if you want to have a football filled weekend.

Rank of Game Difficulty: 4

Record at the Venue: 10-8. The Gamecocks have a one-game win streak.

Remember this list is not about the quality of the stadium or the game-day environment of the opponent, it's the journey and experience at the destination. I've made the trip to Lexington twice, in 2006 and 2016. If you are driving to Lexington from anywhere in South Carolina, you can make an easy 1-2 hour detour straight into the heart of the Bourbon Trail. Four Roses, Wild Turkey, and Woodford Reserve are all a short drive off I-75 on the way to Lexington. Woodford is the best of the bunch near Lexington. They have a nice 45-minute tour with a great tasting at the end.

Once in Lexington, there are plenty of hotels near campus. Kentucky does not have a particularly aesthetic campus but Kroger Stadium is within a 5 minutes ride from the hotels. As long as you can stand to eat dinner in a shrine to Kentucky Basketball, go try Malone's. It's a reasonably priced steakhouse that is a regular eating spot for those that cover college basketball.

Lexington dropped a few spots on the list since 2022, due to the fact that Gamecocks' September visit will not fall during racing season at Keeneland, nor will the game be late enough to check out a Cats game at Rupp Arena.

Date: October 19

Distance: 2,137.8 miles round trip. 32 hours roundtrip. You aren't driving to this game.

Price: Flight out of Myrtle Beach are around $375. Anyone where else in SC is around $420-$450. Southwest does fly into Oklahoma City, (about 30 mins from Norman), but I don't believe their any direct flights from SC.

Rank of Game Difficulty: 2

Record at the Venue: This is first meeting between these two schools.

If not for a football game, Norman/Oklahoma City would fall behind Lexington in my book, however, the Gamecocks have never played the Sooners. Gaylord Family- Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is one of the most historic college football setting that the Gamecocks have never visited. The stadium was built in 1923 and has seen numerous championship level teams grace its' field.

Near the stadium is the W. Boyd area. Consider that OU's Five Points and about half-a-mile further to the north is the E. Main Street, which looks to be more like a Vista/Main Street district.

Most attending this game will fly into Oklahoma City. I had a local tell me recently that Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse has the best cuts around. OKC also features the oldest continually operating restaurant in Oklahoma, a favorite of George H.W. Bush, the Cattleman's Steakhouse. I was advised that Mantle's joint is better but the Cattleman is an experience. The Oklahoma City National Memorial is also worth seeing. The next time Norman pops up on the Gamecocks' schedule, it probably won't rank this high, but the newness factor pushes it to #2 this season.

Date: November 9

Distance: 892.8 miles round trip. About 7:15 each way. Manageable but still a long drive.

Price: Southwest now has non-stop flights from Greenville to Nashville. Cheapest flights are about $375 for non-stop, but if you are flexible with your dates or take a flight with a stop they are much cheaper. Flights from Myrtle Beach, Charlotte, Columbia, and Charleston are all affordable and well under $250.

Rank of Game Difficulty: 5

Record at the Venue: 15-2. Carolina hasn't lost in Nashville since 2008. The Gamecocks have won the last seven meetings at Vanderbilt.

It's Nashville, if you have a bad time that's a you problem. There doesn't even need to be a football game for someone to have a memorable weekend. If you are a sports nut like me, you will try to pair a Gamecock game with a nearby professional sporting event. Unfortunately, the Titans are on the road this week but the Nashville Predators will host the Utah Hockey Club, (a new NHL expansion team). Plently of non-hockey fans enjoy NHL action in-person. The Opry doesn't have an act that I'm familiar with, but its still the most celebrated concert hall in the southern US. They are running shows both the Friday and Saturday night of the game weekend.

Nashville has an untold number of great spots and there are probably a lot of folks reading this article that know the town better than I. I've seen Carolina defeat Vanderbilt in Nashville in 92, 04, 14, and 16. If you've never been to the city check out Broadway for bars, the Country Music Hall of Fame for education, and Monell's for food. Hotels are a plenty in this town so need to worry about booking anything this far in advance. This will be the best-attended road game of the year for Gamecocks fans outside of Clemson.

If you are only making one Carolina football road trip this year where are you headed? Any good road trip stories to tell?, (your wife is probably not checking this board) Head on over to the Insiders Forum to discuss.