Where ESPN ranks South Carolina this offseason and the Gamecocks’ most important game

The past few months have been pleasant for South Carolina football fans. Other than a Citrus Bowl loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini, most news has been good news since before Halloween. On-field results were great down the stretch, quarterback LaNorris Sellers became a star, the 2025 recruiting class finished well, the transfer portal didn’t take much away from next year’s team, and most national voices and major outlets seem to like the Gamecocks moving forward into year five of the Shane Beamer era in Columbia.

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ESPN, the self-proclaimed “worldwide leader in sports,” is one of those major outlets. In its most recent iteration of the idea, ESPN ranks South Carolina at No. 10 in their way-too-early offseason rankings. Based on current automatic qualifier rules, ESPN’s rankings (if predictive of the 2024 season) would put the Gamecocks in the College Football Playoff field as the 11-seed. That mark also puts Shane Beamer’s team at No. 4 in the loaded Southeastern Conference.

To reach that type of success, a lot must go right for the 2025 version of South Carolina football. According to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, that means USC would have to beat the Virginia Tech Hokies in Atlanta, win out (or come close) at home, and steal a road game or two along the way. Carolina plays seven total home games, and at least three of them will be tough matchups. Last year, the Gamecocks dropped two at home, though, one came in controversial fashion to the LSU Tigers.

Schlabach argues that the October 25th contest at Williams-Brice Stadium against Alabama will be the team’s toughest at home. Despite the game’s difficulty, Schlabach believes the matchup to be season-defining. According to the veteran ESPN personality, if South Carolina can knock off the ‘Tide in the fall, they should be able to do what else is necessary to make a real run at the playoff. (For those concerned, he also said that the annual Palmetto Bowl rivalry against the Clemson Tigers is extremely important.)

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On the discussion’s flip side, ESPN also includes South Carolina as the season-defining opponent for the Texas A&M Aggies. Ranked No. 22 in the outlet’s way-too-early top 25, A&M has a tough road this season. The showdown with Carolina is one of several swing games in College Station and will be big for both teams.

For now, though, there are still over 190 days until toe meets leather for the first time. The Gamecocks will open 2025 with a neutral site contest against the Virginia Tech Hokies in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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