Shane Beamer on being left out of College Football Playoff picture: 'Disappointment is an understatement'

Earlier this week, Shane Beamer went on the offensive and vehemently promoted South Carolina‘s case for inclusion in this season’s 12-team College Football Playoff.

Unfortunately for the Beamer and the Gamecocks, it didn’t do much to convince the CFP’s 13-member selection committee as South Carolina (9-3) was ranked No. 14 in Tuesday night’s penultimate College Football Playoff Top 25, among the first four out of the 12-team field.

During a post-National Signing Day appearance on Thursday’s Andy & Ari On3 podcast, Beamer expressed dismay about the Playoff snub.

“I hate it for our seniors that won’t be back next year that they don’t get the opportunity, it appears, to go play in the playoff based on what we heard last night,” Beamer said Wednesday during a pre-tapped segment. “Which is, disappointment is an understatement on that one.

“But when you look at who we return, the core guys coming back, the freshmen that we have coming in, I’ve said it all along that the best days of South Carolina football are in front of us and about to happen. That wasn’t some coach speak that sounded cool at a booster club — I mean it,” Beamer continued. “The way that we’re recruiting, the people we have in our program, the way we’re developing the young men in our program, we’re just getting started.”

Despite a strong close to the regular season, including winning the final six games on its schedule, the CFP selection committee slotted South Carolina at 14 behind both No. 13 Ole Miss (9-3) and No. 11 Alabama (9-3), two teams with head-to-head wins over the Gamecocks this season. Currently, before Championship Weekend, the Crimson Tide represents the Playoff’s final at-large bid as the 11th seed in the 12-team field.

Beamer rethinks non-conference scheduling after CFP rankings

After South Carolina was effectively left out of the 12-team College Football Playoff field Tuesday night, the State’s Jordan Kaye asked Beamer if he would talk to his next athletics director about changing how the Gamecocks schedule non-conference games.

Beamer left little doubt that would be a point of conversation thanks to the CFP rankings.

“If you’re asking is there anything to gain by playing in some of these games that you play out of conference, I think it’s something that everybody, not just us, needs to look at,” Beamer said. “Because clearly you can go through an entire season, not beat a ranked team, and be in the playoff if you just win.

“So it’s something, I’m a competitor, I love playing in those games. I’m looking forward to playing Virginia Tech in Atlanta next season, but the committee made it very clear that they really don’t give a hoot who you beat. Just don’t lose three times and you’re in, even if it means you never beat a ranked opponent. Not one. Don’t beat a ranked opponent but just win the games on your schedule and you’re in. They made a pretty strong statement about that, absolutely.”

Thomas Goldkamp contributed to this report.