This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/usffan on 2025-08-08 13:11:05+00:00.
The cumulative link to the preseason rankings can be found here.
South Carolina (high = 11, low = 27) sits at #15 in this countdown, the preseason #6 team in the conference and capping almost a full week of SEC teams. Shane Beamer led the Gamecocks to a 9-4 record, a 4th place tie in the SEC and finished the season ranked #19, which is their highest finish since the halcyon days when the Ol’ Ball Coach was the king of the coop. The only things separating the Cocks from their first double digit winning season since Hatin’ Ass Spurrier was a late game end zone interception at Alabama or the Citrus Bowl loss to Illinois. South Carolina faced 8 ranked teams over the course of the season, going 4-4 against them. As his good pal Bret Bielema told Beamer while wishing him a happy new year, congrats on a great season!
Roster outlook
Beamer and the Cocks return the 71st most production in FBS, ranking 40th on offense. The biggest chunk of that is in the form of QB LaNorris Sellers, who amassed 25 total TDs and 3,200 total yards as a dual threat, falling only 200 rushing yards short of #1 RB Raheim Sanders. Sanders is now off to the NFL, as is TE Joshua Simon, but Norris’ favorite WRs (Nyck Harbor and Mazeo Bennett) are back. Five USC defensive starters were drafted – S Nick Emmanwori (Seattle, 2nd round), DT TJ Sanders (Buffalo, 2nd round), LB Demetrius Knight (Cincinnati, 2nd round), DE Kyle Kennard (Chargers, 4th round) and DT Tonka Hemingway (Raiders, 4th round), so the defense is going to have to be fully restocked. Beamer definitely did that, pulling in the 18th rated recruiting class and 15th rated portal class (good enough for the 22nd best overall incoming class), but as is always the case in the SEC, those are only good enough for 11th, 8th and 12th across the conference. Having a top 25 total incoming class nationally but having it be 5th worst in your conference is borderline insanity. They’re hoping former Utah State RB Rahsul Faison will step into the starting role, but as of this writing it’s still not assured that he’s gong to be cleared to play by the NCAA. They also fortified their OL with a couple of portal pick ups, including Wake Forest LG Nick Sharpe. On defense, they didn’t add as much as you’d hope after losing half the lineup to the NFL, but NC State CB Brandon Cisse and Florida State LB Shawn Murphy are both projected to be day 1 starters. Still, the biggest name is probably DE Demon Clowney, just because of his more well known cousin.
Schedule and outlook
South Carolina’s OOC, which features a Beamer-bowl opener vs. Virginia Tech in Atlanta as well as the Palmetto Bowl at home against Clemson, would undoubtedly break Curt Cignetti’s brain. The remainder of those games (South Carolina State and Coastal Carolina – do they give chicken wings to the winner of that game?) should both be wins. In fact, the weirdest thing about the Gamecocks’ schedule is that they finish SEC play on November 15 at Texas A&M, and their penultimate conference game is the day after Halloween. The conference slate opens at home with Diego Pavia and Vandy, and following a trip to Missouri they get Kentucky at home. On paper, the Cocks should be 5-0 heading into a bye before going to Baton Rouge. They then get both Oklahoma and Alabama at home before traveling to Ole Miss and finally getting another bye before going to College Station. They only play 3 teams rated above them here, but I don’t see how they’ll be favored in either of those last two SEC road games, making Vegas’ 7.5 over/under win total look like a complete stay away. A whole lot is going to be riding on LaNorris Sellers shoulders (and legs, and arm)…