South Carolina rises in Massey SEC power rankings during bye

During South Carolina football’s bye week this past weekend, the Gamecocks actually moved up in several rankings. ESPN’s FPI moved Shane Beamer’s team from 23rd in the country to 21st. Kelley Ford kept USC at 20th but moved them up in points per game above FBS average rating. When the updated On3’s Massey Ratings dropped on Tuesday, the Gamecocks saw upward mobility again.

Analyzing game outcomes, location, and schedules, the Massey Ratings update weekly. After being ranked 22nd nationally and No. 9 in the SEC last week, the Gamecocks slotted up one space in each ranking. Now 21st in the country and 8th in the SEC, South Carolina also boasts the 33rd-ranked offense, 21-ranked defense, and 5th-ranked strength of schedule. Only the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide rank better than the Gamecocks in all three categories.

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South Carolina is one of two three-loss teams in the top 22 of the Massey Ratings (joining the Michigan Wolverines). The Gamecocks also have the No. 19 power value, the Massey metric used for projecting future success. Four of the teams ahead of Carolina in the overall rankings have worse power ratings than the Gamecocks (BYU Cougars, Indiana Hoosiers, Pittsburgh Panthers, and SMU Mustangs).

The Gamecocks will play one of their toughest tests this Saturday as the Texas A&M Aggies will travel to Columbia for the Battle for the Bonham Trophy. Mike Elko’s squad is 7-1 and owns the only undefeated SEC record in the conference (5-0).

A sold-out Williams-Brice Stadium crowd will be on hand for the prime-time matchup. The game kicks at 7:30 p.m., and ABC, ESPN+, and the ESPN app will carry the game. South Carolina won the previous meeting in Columbia back in 2020 by a score of 30-24.

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