American college football season
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The 1979 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as an independent during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Jim Carlen, the Gamecocks compiled a record of 8–4. South Carolina was invited to the Hall of Fame Classic, where they lost to Missouri, 24–14.
In 1979, despite pressure on Carlen's job security, South Carolina received some preseason hype, as they returned eighteen of the 22 starters from last season. The Gamecocks would live up to the hype, with wins over two top-20 teams, their highest ranking since 1976, and their first bowl appearance since 1975. South Carolina's eight wins were the most since 1903. If only considering wins against college football teams, the eight wins were the most in program history. It would be the first of five eight-win seasons for the program in the late 1970s and 1980s.
References.
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