Where South Carolina is predicted to finish in the standings by SEC media
The predictions are out and South Carolina has a rough road ahead this football season.
The SEC released its annual media poll and predictions Wednesday, and the Gamecocks came in at fifth in the SEC East.
A panel of 96 media members were asked to predict the order of finish in both of the conference’s divisions, with a 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 point scale. USC finished a little over 60 points over projected sixth-place finisher Missouri and nearly 120 points behind fourth-place Kentucky.
The media’s projected SEC title game is Alabama-Florida, with the Crimson Tide the overwhelming favorite to take home the conference crown — coach Nick Saban’s squad earned 77 votes. In the East, perennial favorite Georgia was edged out by rival Florida by a narrow margin. The Gators racked up 53 first-place votes and 624 points compared to 43 first-place votes and 613 points for the Bulldogs.
South Carolina also put three players on the preseason All-SEC team, as offensive lineman Sadarius Hutcherson and cornerback Israel Mukuamu made the second team and defensive end Aaron Sterling landed on the third team.
Mukuamu is the lone returning Gamecock who picked up an All-SEC nod at the end of last season — he was named second-team all conference by the Associated Press. The junior corner intercepted a team-high four passes in 2019 and broke up another nine while making 59 total tackles.
Hutcherson has started 26 games in a row for USC, playing both guard and tackle. The 6-foot-4, 320 pound lineman has twice been named to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks” list because of his athleticism and prowess in the weight room.
Sterling, though slightly undersized for his position at 6-foot-1, 245 pounds, led the team in tackles for loss last season with 10. He also tied for the team lead and 10th in the SEC with six sacks.
The full lists of media predictions and All-SEC teams are below:
2020 PRESEASON MEDIA SEC POLL
EAST DIVISION
1. Florida (53) - 624
2. Georgia (43) - 613
3. Tennessee - 434
4. Kentucky - 405
5. South Carolina - 287
6. Missouri - 224
7. Vanderbilt - 101
WEST DIVISION
1. Alabama (86) - 660
2. LSU (8) - 489
3. Auburn - 488
4. Texas A&M (2) - 454
T5. Ole Miss - 238
T5. Mississippi State - 238
7. Arkansas - 121
SEC CHAMPION
1. Alabama - 77
T2. Georgia - 7
T2.LSU - 7
4.Florida - 5
2020 PRESEASON MEDIA ALL-SEC TEAM
OFFENSE
First Team
QB - Kyle Trask, Florida
RB - Najee Harris, Alabama
RB - Kylin Hill, Mississippi State
WR - DeVonta Smith, Alabama
WR - Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
TE - Kyle Pitts, Florida
OL - Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
OL - Trey Smith, Tennessee
OL - Landon Dickerson, Alabama
OL - Landon Young, Kentucky
C - Drake Jackson, Kentucky
Second Team
QB - Kellen Mond, Texas A&M
RB - Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
RB - Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M
WR - George Pickens, Georgia
WR - Terrace Marshall, LSU
TE - Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M
OL - Deonte Brown, Alabama
OL - Darian Kinnard, Kentucky
OL - Sadarius Hutcherson, South Carolina
OL - Ed Ingram, LSU
C - Trey Hill, Georgia
Third Team
QB - Mac Jones, Alabama
RB - Zamir White, Georgia
RB - Larry Rountree, Missouri
WR - Seth Williams, Auburn
WR - Elijah Moore, Ole Miss
TE - Arik Gilbert, LSU
OL - Austin Deculus, LSU
OL - Brodarious Hamm, Auburn
OL - Evan Neal, Alabama
OL - Wanya Morris, Tennessee
C - Landon Dickerson, Alabama
DEFENSE
First Team
DL - Big Kat Bryant, Auburn
DL - LaBryan Ray, Alabama
DL - Jordan Davis, Georgia
DL - Malik Herring, Georgia
LB - Dylan Moses, Alabama
LB - K.J. Britt, Auburn
LB - Nick Bolton, Missouri
DB - Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
DB - Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
DB - Richard LeCounte, Georgia
DB - Jacoby Stevens, LSU
Second Team
DL - Bobby Brown, Texas A&M
DL - Dayo Odeyingbo, Vanderbilt
DL - Kobie Whiteside, Missouri
DL - Zachary Carter, Florida
LB - Henry To’o To’o, Tennessee
LB - Monty Rice, Georgia
LB - Jabril Cox, LSU
DB - Kaiir Elam, Florida
DB - Eric Stokes, Georgia
DB - Marco Wilson, Florida
DB - Israel Mukuamu, South Carolina
Third Team
DL - Aaron Sterling, South Carolina
DL - Glen Logan, LSU
DL - Josh Paschal, Kentucky
DL - DJ Dale, Alabama
LB - Ventrell Miller, Florida
LB - Erroll Thompson, Mississippi State
LB - Boogie Watson, Kentucky
DB - Demani Richardson, Texas A&M
DB - Smoke Monday, Auburn
DB - Tyree Gillespie, Missouri
DB - Christian Tutt, Auburn*
DB - Bryce Thompson, Tennessee*
SPECIALISTS
First Team
P - Max Duffy, Kentucky
PK - Brent Cimaglia, Tennessee
RS - Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
AP - Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
Second Team
P - Jake Camarda, Georgia
PK - Cade York, LSU
RS - Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss
AP - Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
Third-Team
P - Zach Von Rosenberg, LSU
PK - Anders Carlson, Auburn
RS - Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
AP - Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss
* - Indicates a tie
This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 3:09 PM.
