South Carolina football cracks several top-25 rankings following Oklahoma beatdown
There is perhaps nothing more volatile in sports than a top-25 ranking. Every week, ranked teams lose or aren’t convincing enough in their wins. Injuries pop up. Now, with the four-game redshirt rule and a restrictions-lite transfer portal, personnel changes can come at any time. However, fans across America can’t help but check these rankings weekly to see if their favorite team made the cut. After a smackdown of the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday, South Carolina football finds itself as part of multiple top-25 lists.
The Massey Ratings, now in partnership with On3, have been a major figure in sports rankings for 30 years. Analyzing game outcomes, location, and schedules, the Massey Ratings are updated weekly. As things now stand, Shane Beamer’s team sits at No. 22 in college football. They also are 9th in the SEC. Carolina has the 19th-best defense and 32-ranked offense according to Massey.
The Gamecocks are No. 23 in America according to ESPN’s FPI. “The worldwide leader” now gives South Carolina a 91.9% chance of reaching the six-win threshold for bowl eligibility and projects a 6.9-5.1 regular season record. The outlet favors the ‘Cocks to beat Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Wofford and has the team positioned as slight underdogs to Texas A&M but believes Clemson is a heavy favorite in the annual rivalry game.
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College football personality Josh Pate gave South Carolina football some well-earned respect this week, as well. In his weekly JP Poll, the Gamecocks slotted into the No. 25 position. The JP Poll is based on an algorithm Pate and his team developed a couple of years ago. It is, primarily, a power ranking, not a ranking of resumes. According to this metric, the South Carolina Gamecocks would be favored over all but 24 teams on a neutral site.
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Another power ranking, this one from Kelley Ford, also thinks highly of South Carolina. The Gamecocks are 20th in the week nine KFord Ratings. Because these ratings are predictive in nature, Ford favors USC in three of their final five games (Clemson is 13th, Texas A&M is 14th, Missouri is 23rd, and Vanderbilt and Wofford are unranked).
The AP poll did not include the Gamecocks, but thanks to one voter, USC would have slid into the 30th spot had the rankings continued past No. 25.
South Carolina has this weekend off before four games in four weeks to finish the season. Texas A&M is next up on the docket as the Aggies will travel to Williams-Brice Stadium for a night contest on November 2nd. The Gamecocks won the previous meeting in Columbia (their only victory in the series) back in 2022.
