Gamecocks No. 12 in first preseason poll
South Carolina opens the 2011 season as the No. 12 team, according to the USA Today Preseason Top 25 Poll released Thursday.
The Gamecocks finished 22nd in the USA Today rankings last year.
USC is one of eight SEC teams in the preseason Top 25. Alabama and LSU are No. 2 and 4, respectively.
Auburn, last season's national champions, is ranked 19th to open the year.
Oklahoma earned the No. 1 ranking.
USA Today Preseason Top 25 Poll
The USA Today preseason Top 25 football coaches poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, final 2010 records, total points based on 25 points for first place through one point for 25th, and 2010 final ranking:
| Record | Pts | Pvs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Oklahoma (42) | 12-2 | 1454 | 6 |
| 2. Alabama (13) | 10-3 | 1414 | 11 |
| 3. Oregon (2) | 12-1 | 1309 | 3 |
| 4. LSU (2) | 11-2 | 1296 | 8 |
| 5. Florida State | 10-4 | 1116 | 16 |
| 6. Stanford | 12-1 | 1101 | 4 |
| 7. Boise State | 12-1 | 1065 | 7 |
| 8. Oklahoma State | 11-2 | 933 | 10 |
| 9. Texas A&M | 9-4 | 885 | 21 |
| 10. Wisconsin | 11-2 | 829 | 8 |
| 11. Nebraska | 10-4 | 814 | 19 |
| 12. South Carolina | 9-5 | 779 | 22 |
| 13. Virginia Tech | 11-3 | 767 | 15 |
| 14. Arkansas | 10-3 | 750 | 12 |
| 15. TCU | 13-0 | 687 | 2 |
| 16. Ohio State | 12-1 | 631 | 5 |
| 17. Michigan State | 11-2 | 536 | 14 |
| 18. Notre Dame | 8-5 | 440 | — |
| 19. Auburn | 14-0 | 329 | 1 |
| 20. Mississippi State | 9-4 | 301 | 17 |
| 21. Missouri | 10-3 | 266 | 18 |
| 22. Georgia | 6-7 | 260 | — |
| 23. Florida | 8-5 | 240 | — |
| 24. Texas | 5-7 | 162 | — |
| 25. Penn State | 7-6 | 161 | — |
Others receiving votes: Arizona State 158, West Virginia 149, Utah 50, Miami 49, Iowa 41, Northwestern 30, Arizona 28, UCF 22, Michigan 19, Air Force 15, North Carolina 14, Houston 13, South Florida 9, Hawaii 8, Clemson 7, Tennessee 7, Southern Miss. 6, BYU 5, N.C. State 4, Northern Illinois 4, Oregon State 4, Pittsburgh 3, Washington 3, Georgia Tech 1, Nevada 1.
This story was originally published August 4, 2011 at 12:19 PM with the headline "Gamecocks No. 12 in first preseason poll."