Final 2025 SEC power rankings: 12 - South Carolina
The Gamecocks were yet another SEC team that fell completely off the face of the earth. The preseason hype for Shane Beamer’s team, which was just barely left out of the College Football Playoff last year, was considerable, but it makes sense— LaNorris Sellers captured the hearts and minds of many, as did Dylan Stewart and Nyck Harbor.
Football games are played by 22 players at a time, however, rather than just 3, and the Gamecocks ended up lacking in far too many positions compared to last season. The offensive line took a step back, as did the defense overall— which should not have been much of a surprise, given what the Gamecocks lost.
Despite dissatisfaction from the fanbase down the stretch, Carolina is running it back behind their big three for one more year. Shane Beamer’s teams have swung back and forth, pendulum-like, year to year when it comes to the quality of their final records, so maybe 2026 will be their year.
Given what was expected out of the Gamecocks this season, this was a complete letdown. Though there were certainly teams that ended up worse than SC this season, they weren’t near the level they had the promise to be coming into the year.