Way-too-early 2025 rankings put South Carolina inside top 12
From a national perspective, South Carolina football is a program on the rise. Shane Beamer’s team has outperformed expectations three of his four years in Columbia, but the Gamecocks finally have some lofty prognostications heading into 2025.
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One recent projection from Athlon Sports has Carolina in the College Football Playoff hunt once again. Earlier this week, Steven Lassan ranked the Gamecocks No. 12 in his “Way-too-early picks” and preseason rankings. That is also 6th among SEC teams.
If Lassan’s rankings were predictive for next season, USC would be left out of the College Football Playoff in heartbreaking fashion, just like last season. Though they would be ranked 12th, only three possible conference champs (BIG Ten, SEC, and ACC) would get auto-bids ahead of the Gamecocks. Barring a rule change, that means that the Big 12 champion and Group of 5 champ (ranked lower overall than South Carolina) would leapfrog the Gamecocks into the hypothetical CFP field.
However, a No. 12 final ranking would mean that South Carolina had another strong season, likely 9-3 or better. Plus, with the Gamecocks playing against No. 7, No. 9, and No. 10, perhaps Shane Beamer’s team could win one or two of those big-time matchups to give the team the “head-to-head data point” that the committee mentioned so frequently during this year’s selection process.
Despite a way-too-early ranking outside of the CFP field, Lassan believes South Carolina has a real chance at the Playoff in 2025.
He wrote in his piece that quarterback LaNorris Sellers “was a big reason” USC was so close in 2024 and that the rising redshirt sophomore is capable of pushing his team over the threshold next fall. If the running game can retool without Rocket Sanders, and the defense can play close to its ’24 level, Lassan thinks Carolina can have a special group once again.
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Lassan’s entire top 30 can be seen below:
Ohio State Buckeyes
Texas Longhorns
Georgia Bulldogs
Penn State Nittany Lions
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Oregon Ducks
Clemson Tigers
Miami Hurricanes
LSU Tigers
Alabama Crimson Tide
Tennessee Volunteers
South Carolina Gamecocks
Arizona State Sun Devils
Florida Gators
Kansas State Wildcats
BYU Cougars
SMU Mustangs
Indiana Hoosiers
Ole Miss Rebels
Texas A&M Aggies
Illinois Fighting Illini
Michigan Wolverines
Iowa State Cyclones
Boise State Broncos
Missouri Tigers
Louisville Cardinals
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Baylor Bears
Auburn Tigers
* Lassan also included the Army Black Knights, Colorado Buffaloes, Duke Blue Devils, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, James Madison Dukes, Iowa Hawkeyes, Kansas Jayhawks, Navy Midshipmen, Syracuse Orange, TCU Horned Frogs, Tulane Green Wave, UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, Southern Cal Trojans, Utah Utes, Vanderbilt Commodores, and Washington Huskies as “other teams to watch in 2025.”
As things stand with Lassan’s list, South Carolina will play six teams ranked in Lassan’s top overall 25 teams (Clemson, LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Missouri) and one more from his teams to watch group (Vanderbilt). Like last year, the Gamecocks will have one of the most difficult strength of schedule ratings in the country. While that means the road is difficult, it also means that winning their fair share will go a long way for USC’s 2025 resume.
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