South Carolina Slips in AP Top 25 After Sloppy Win Over SC State
In the early hours of Sunday morning, South Carolina football walked away with a 38-10 victory over SC State. On paper, it looked like a comfortable win. In reality, the scoreboard masked an uneven performance, as the Gamecocks needed three non-offensive touchdowns to pad the margin. Still, USC sits at 2-0 heading into next week’s SEC opener against Vanderbilt.
While the win didn’t derail South Carolina’s momentum, it did cost them in the national rankings. When the Associated Press released its updated Top 25 on Sunday afternoon, the Gamecocks slipped to No. 11 overall, falling out of the top 10 after just one week. That places them fourth among SEC teams.
If those rankings mirrored the final College Football Playoff standings, South Carolina would be the dreaded “first team out” of the field.
Next week’s opponent, Vanderbilt, earned a spot in the “also receiving votes” category after snagging one No. 25 vote.
Full AP Top 25 (first-place votes in parentheses):
- Ohio State (57)
- Penn State (5)
- LSU (2)
- Oregon (1)
- Miami
- Georgia
- Texas
- Notre Dame
- Illinois
- Florida State
- South Carolina
- Clemson
- Oklahoma
- Iowa State
- Tennessee
- Texas A&M
- Ole Miss
- South Florida
- Alabama
- Utah
- Texas Tech
- Indiana
- Michigan
- Auburn
- Missouri
Also receiving votes: Arizona State, BYU, Georgia Tech, Florida, USC, TCU, Mississippi State, Louisville, SMU, Nebraska, Tulane, Baylor, UNLV, Pittsburgh, Navy, Memphis, Vanderbilt.
The USA Today Coaches Poll painted a slightly rosier picture, bumping South Carolina up to No. 10, which would be enough to land them in the expanded 12-team playoff if the season ended today.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) was less forgiving. The Gamecocks dropped to No. 20 nationally and 11th in the SEC, with efficiency issues and a weaker strength of schedule from facing an FCS opponent dragging them down.
South Carolina will have a chance to quiet the doubters this week. The Gamecocks host Vanderbilt on Saturday at 7:45 p.m., with coverage on SEC Network and streaming available via the ESPN a
