Despite being neighboring states, South Carolina and North Carolina have rarely met in Football since the early 90's. Thursday's Duke's Mayo Bowl will be just the 5th time the two teams have met since 1991. South Carolina has won three of the four matchups in the last 30 years. However, North Carolina won the last match up 24-20 in 2019.
For South Carolina the bowl game serves a few purposes and could bring some positives. The Gamecocks could get their 7th win and a winning season in year one under Coach Shane Beamer. It also can't be overstated how far a win in this game would go in recruiting. Beamer is known for building relationships and he was considered a good recruiter as an assistant coach. This game would give him a leg up in recruiting when battling UNC for top regional talent. A Gamecock win would give them wins over Florida, Auburn and UNC all in the same season.
North Carolina has been arguably the most inconsistent team in the nation this season. It's been a Jekyll and Hyde like year for UNC. Which Tar Heel team will show up? The one that got handled by Georgia Tech and lost to Florida State? Or the one who beat Wake and took N.C. State to the wire? It's anybody's guess, that's what makes bowl season so great.
"The Battle Of The Carolina's" is set for an 11:30 AM kick on Thursday and will air on ESPN.