The 2015 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gamecocks competed as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) as part of its East Division. The team was led by head coach Steve Spurrier, who was in his eleventh year before his resignation on October 12, 2015, after a 2âÂÂ4 start. Co-offensive coordinator Shawn Elliott took over as interim head coach. They played six home games at WilliamsâÂÂBrice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina and one home game at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They finished the season 3âÂÂ9, 1âÂÂ7 in SEC play to finish in seventh place in the East division.
The Gamecocks had their first losing season since 2003 and their worst record since 1999. The upset by The Citadel was the first time an SEC team had lost to an FCS team since 2013. It was South Carolina's first loss to a FCS team since 1990, and it remains the most recent. The Gamecocks' loss to archrival No. 1 Clemson was the second in a row, and the first in WilliamsâÂÂBrice Stadium since 2007.
South Carolina announced their 2015 football schedule on October 14, 2014. The 2015 schedule consisted of 7 home games, 4 away games and 1 neutral game in the regular season. The Gamecocks hosted SEC foes Florida, Kentucky, LSU, and Vanderbilt, and traveled to Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas A&M.
The Gamecocks hosted three of the four nonâÂÂconference play against UCF, the Citadel and in-state rival Clemson. South Carolina traveled to play North Carolina at a neutral site in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Gamecocks traveled to College Station, Texas, for the first time ever on Halloween. They were set to host LSU at home but the contest was relocated to Baton Rouge as a consequence of severe flooding in Columbia, South Carolina. On October 13, 2015, Steve Spurrier officially announced his resignation as head football coach, and co-offensive coordinator Shawn Elliott was named interim head coach for the remaining games of the season.
As part of their penalties for NCAA violations, Missouri and LSU have retroactively vacated their 2015 victories over South Carolina. However, the penalty to vacate victories does not result in a loss (or forfeiture) of the affected game or award a victory to the opponent, therefore South Carolina still considers the game a loss in their official records.