South Carolina moves up in Massey Ratings ahead of another ranked contest
South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and his Gamecock squad knocked off a top-10 Texas A&M squad last Saturday. The impressive performance wasn’t enough to earn USC a spot in the AP Poll, USA Today Coaches Poll, or the initial College Football Playoff rankings. Some other rankings systems, though, are higher on the Gamecocks.
Analyzing game outcomes, location, and schedules, the Massey Ratings update weekly. This week, the ranking system, in partnership with On3, slotted South Carolina into the No. 18 spot in the country before yet another tough SEC contest on Saturday. Last week, the Gamecocks were ranked 21st across all of college football. This week, Carolina still is 8th in the SEC, however, positioned one spot behind the very same Texas A&M team that they blew out 44-20 on Saturday.
All three of the Gamecocks’ losses (LSU, Ole Miss, and Alabama) came to teams currently ranked higher than USC. A&M is No. 14 overall and represents South Carolina’s highest-ranked victory.
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No three-loss team ranks higher than South Carolina, and the Gamecocks now sit ahead of the rival Clemson Tigers (19th). That means that Carolina ranks higher than all of their future opponents. With Vanderbilt (39th), Missouri (25th), Wofford (190th), and then Clemson (19th) remaining on the schedule, the Massey Rankings seem to believe a strong finish is coming for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina also is 16th overall in the Massey Power Rankings. That numbers stems from a 28th-place spot in offensive rating, a ranking of 18th in defensive rating, and a No. 2 national strength of schedule.
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Of the team’s remaining opponents, only Clemson has a better Massey offensive rating than South Carolina. None of them are ranked as high as the Gamecocks are in defensive rating or strength of schedule.
According to the updated rankings, the Gamecocks play their third-toughest remaining test this Saturday. South Carolina will travel to Nashville, Tennessee to face off with the Vanderbilt Commodores. Vandy, now ranked 24th in the AP Poll and 25th in the USA Today Coaches Poll, is on a 15-game losing streak to the Gamecocks. SEC Network and the ESPN app will carry Saturday’s 4:15 p.m. contest.
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The entire Massey Ratings SEC rankings are listed below (national rankings also included in parentheses):
- Georgia Bulldogs (1)
- Texas Longhorns (4)
- Alabama Crimson Tide (5)
- Tennesee Volunteers (6)
- Ole Miss Rebels (10)
- LSU Tigers (13)
- Texas A&M Aggies (14)
- South Carolina Gamecocks (18)
- Oklahoma Sooners (23)
- Missouri Tigers (25)
- Florida Gators (27)
- Arkansas Razorbacks (31)
- Vanderbilt Commodores (39)
- Kentucky Wildcats (44)
- Auburn Tigers (56)
- Mississippi State Bulldogs (82)
