Where South Carolina sits in updated ESPN FPI rankings
South Carolina football fans were disappointed when both USA Today Coaches Poll and the AP top 25 left the Gamecocks out of their weekly rankings (for what it’s worth, if the rankings continued past No. 25, USC would be 28th in the Coaches Poll and 27th in the AP). However, some other ranking systems really like the Gamecocks.
The ESPN FPI (Football Power Index) is one of those ranking systems.
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The worldwide leader already was higher than most on South Carolina before the Gamecocks splattered Texas A&M. Following the top-10 beatdown, the FPI ranks Shane Beamer’s team No. 18 in college football.
Now, ESPN projects a 7.6-4.4 record for South Carolina (meaning 7-5 and 8-4 are the team’s most likely regular-season outcomes). They also give the Gamecocks a 15.4% chance of winning the rest of their scheduled games. Though it wouldn’t be a big chance, a 9-3 record would give South Carolina a small chance at the College Football Playoff. According to ESPN’s FPI, Carolina has a 2.8% possibility of running the table AND reaching the new 12-team CFP.
ESPN ranks the Gamecocks as the 22nd-best team in the country in terms of overall efficiency. South Carolina’s defensive efficiency (ranked 4th-highest in the country) anchors that number. Only the Tennessee Volunteers, Texas Longhorns, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish rank higher. The offense (ranked 71st) pulls the overall efficiency down a bit, but if Saturday’s game against Texas A&M is any indication, it could be improving. ESPN ranks Carolina’s special teams as the 63rd-best overall unit nationally.
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According to ESPN’s other metrics, the Gamecocks have an impressive resume. Despite the team’s three losses, they rank 21st in strength of record. Much of that is because of South Carolina’s 7th-ranked strength of schedule. Game control is 10th in all of college football.
As things stand today, of USC’s remaining opponents, only the rival Clemson Tigers (13th) rank ahead of the Gamecocks in the overall FPI. This week’s foe, the Vanderbilt Commodores, ranks 34th. The Missouri Tigers are 26th, and the Wofford Terriers (being an FCS team) are unranked. All three of the Gamecocks’ future FBS opponents rank ahead of Carolina in offensive efficiency but below USC in defensive efficiency. Vanderbilt is ahead of Shane Beamer’s team in special teams efficiency, but Missouri and Clemson are ranked lower.
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South Carolina and Vanderbilt will meet in Nashville this weekend. The 24th-ranked Commodores will host the Gamecocks as the two teams both have their eyes set on their best season in quite some time. Kickoff is set for 4:15 p.m. SEC Network will carry the game, and the ESPN app will make it available for streaming.
