Where ESPN ranks South Carolina in its post-spring top 25
Following a strong finish to the 2024 regular season, South Carolina football just missed the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. Finishing the regular season universally ranked in the top 16, the Gamecocks were a break away from the expanded postseason.
According to ESPN’s post-spring offseason top 25 from Mark Schlabach, that’s where USC will start the 2025 campaign, as well. Schlabach penciled the Gamecocks into the No. 13 spot in his updated preseason rankings. That marked a three-spot decline from his initial rankings in January. 13th also was the fifth-highest ranking among SEC teams. Texas (3), Georgia (4), LSU (6), and Alabama (9) sit ahead of South Carolina in Schlabach’s rankings. The rival Clemson Tigers are No. 2.
A ranking of 13th, if an accurate prognostication, would leave the Gamecocks just out of the CFP once again.
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The ranking is similar to most others for the Gamecocks in recent months. The majority of way-too-early polls have slotted South Carolina in as one of the final College Football Playoff teams or as one of the first teams left out of the field.
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Much of the offseason hype behind USC stems from expectations for quarterback LaNorris Sellers and EDGE Dylan Stewart. Considered by many to be top-10 players ahead of the 2025 season, both Sellers and Stewart were among the top freshmen (Sellers was a redshirt freshman) in the sport a year ago.
The Gamecocks also signed their third top-20 recruiting class in a row and signed an intriguing group of players from the transfer portal. One of the top transfer signees, running back Rahsul Faison, has hired a lawyer to help fight for one final year of collegiate eligibility.
