South Carolina not ranked yet, but Gamecocks are getting closer to a spot in Top 25
South Carolina is a win (or two) away from its first Top 25 ranking in four seasons. At this point, though, the Gamecocks do have the attention of a least some national voters.
A day after USC knocked off No. 13 Kentucky 24-14 at Kroger Field, the Gamecocks (4-2) received enough votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll to essentially rank them No. 35 and No. 32 overall, respectively.
USC is off this week and returns to action on Oct. 22 to face Texas A&M at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks are 0-8 all-time against the Aggies.
South Carolina received more voter attention than Texas A&M in the new rankings, released Sunday. (Jimbo Fisher’s team didn’t receive any votes in the AP poll.) The Gamecocks have won three games in a row, while the Aggies (3-3) dropped two straight to Mississippi State and Alabama.
Kentucky is still ranked, dropping nine spots to No. 22 in both polls.
South Carolina was included on five writers’ AP Top 25 ballots this week, according to CollegePollTracker, with Notre Dame beat writer Mike Berardino of the South Bend Tribune placing the Gamecocks the highest at No. 22.
USC has three home games remaining (Texas A&M, Missouri, Tennessee) and three on the road (Vanderbilt, Florida, Clemson). South Carolina has the best chance for wins over Missouri and Vanderbilt, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index projections, with the gap against Texas A&M closing.
South Carolina was a regular in the AP Top 25 during the program’s best years under coach Steve Spurrier — in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 — peaking at No. 4 in 2013. They’ve been ranked once in the previous seven seasons, cracking the poll at No. 24 early in 2018.
South Carolina 2022 football schedule
Sept. 3: South Carolina 35, Georgia State 14
Sept. 10: Arkansas 44, South Carolina 30
Sept. 17: Georgia 48, South Carolina 7
Sept. 24: South Carolina 56, Charlotte 20
Oct. 1: South Carolina 50, S.C. State 10
Oct. 8: South Carolina 24, Kentucky 14
Oct. 22: vs. Texas A&M
Oct. 29: vs. Missouri
Nov. 5: at Vanderbilt
Nov. 12: at Florida
Nov. 19: vs. Tennessee
Nov. 26: at Clemson
This story was originally published October 9, 2022 at 2:00 PM.
