On3 analyst predicts College Football Playoff for South Carolina
South Carolina just missed out on the College Football Playoff this season. Following a nine-win regular season, Shane Beamer’s team was one of four (along with Alabama, Ole Miss, and Miami) that got jumped after both Clemson and SMU made the field from the ACC. However, with LaNorris Sellers returning at quarterback, the Gamecocks have been a trendy pick to be in the discussion again.
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That trend continued on Monday as On3’s Andy Staples released an early projection for the 2025-2026 College Football Playoff, and the Gamecocks made the cut. In Staples’ prediction, South Carolina will earn the No. 10 seed and will match up against the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions. He includes a USC win in his hypothetical 2025 playoff, as well. However, Staples has the Gamecocks falling to the No. 2-seed Oregon Ducks in the second round.
The rival Clemson Tigers made this hypothetical field but lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in their first game. Clemson is the only Staples-endorsed team on the Gamecocks’ schedule this fall. Based on his seeding number, it appears he believes Texas, Oregon, Clemson, and BYU will win their respective conferences. Staples also included the Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, Tulane Green Wave, and Florida Gators in his field.
Staples’ entire field is below:
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According to Staples, Sellers and EDGE rusher Dylan Stewart can lead South Carolina to the postseason this fall. However, he provided the caveat that Beamer and company will need to hit on enough new players (both from high school recruiting and from the transfer portal) to build a solid team around the two star sophomores. Staples seems optimistic, though. He explained, “The way [Carolina] finished last season suggests this team might be able to handle a fairly difficult schedule.”
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That difficult schedule includes seven games against teams often included in early preseason projections for 2025 (Missouri, LSU, Oklahoma, Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Clemson). The Gamecocks also face a loaded five-game stretch from mid-October to mid-November. South Carolina will go to LSU before returning home for contests against Oklahoma and Alabama. Then, USC will play Ole Miss and Texas A&M in back-to-back road games.
The road won’t be easy for South Carolina to earn its first trip to the College Football Playoff, but the Gamecocks will continue to be a popular pick this offseason.
