COLUMBIA, S.C. (Gamecock Athletics) – South Carolina (5-3, 3-3 SEC) debuted at No. 21 in the first College Football Playoff Rankings on Tuesday night as revealed on ESPN. It’s the program’s eighth appearance and the first time the Gamecocks have been ranked in the initial CFP rankings.
Head coach Shane Beamer has helped lead an impressive mid-season turnaround as Carolina has won three-straight SEC games which includes a pair of top-20 wins over No. 16/15 Florida on Oct. 10 and No. 11/11 Tennessee on Oct. 24. The Gamecocks recently defeated Oklahoma, 42-25, on the road in Norman. It was the team’s second SEC road win in the three-game victory streak by 17 or more points (also beat the Gators 38-19).
With the 27-24 win over the Volunteers at home two weeks ago, Beamer has nine ranked wins in his first 70 games leading the program, which ties a program record with former coach and College Football Hall of Famer Steve Spurrier.
The Gamecocks are one of 10 SEC teams ranked in this week’s first CFP ranking.
The CFP Selection Committee evaluates teams on a comprehensive body of work, not by any single metric. Rankings are determined by comparing the full profile of teams.
The selection committee utilizes three sources to measure a team’s performance: video, data (via a customized portal) and conference input.
When teams look comparable, members apply the following four principles:
• Strength of schedule: who a team played, not just whether it won.
• Head-to-head results: if two teams met, that result carries additional consideration.
• Results against common opponents: how each fared against shared opponents, without rewarding running up the score.
• Other relevant factors: such as injuries to key players or unavailability of a coach that affected a team’s season or will affect its postseason.
The CFP Selection Committee will next meet Nov. 9-10. Its next set of rankings will be revealed on Tuesday, November 10 at approximately 9 p.m. ET live on ESPN and the ESPN app.
The full rankings history for the College Football Playoff can be found here.
The Gamecocks return home Saturday afternoon to face Texas A&M (4-4, 1-4 SEC) at Williams-Brice Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. (ET) and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN with Roy Philpott (pxp), Brock Osweiler (analyst) and Stormy Buonantony (sideline) on the call. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as gates will open 2 hours prior to kickoff. Visit the Know Before You Go page for more information.
Nov. 3 College Football Playoff Rankings
1. Miami
2. Georgia
3. Utah
4. Indiana
5. Alabama
6. Kentucky
7. Texas
8. UCLA
9. BYU
10. Ole Miss
11. Notre Dame
12. Ohio State
13. Tennessee
14. LSU
15. Texas Tech
16. Wake Forest
17. Houston
18. Missouri
19. Iowa
20. Southern Cal
21. South Carolina
22. Arizona
23. Oregon
24. Florida
25. Boise State
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