Power ranking the SEC in 2025 preseason: #8 - South Carolina
Talk about a breakthrough year in Columbia. Shane Beamer and South Carolina's 2024 was frustrating at times for Gamecock fans, but starting with the huge win over Texas A&M on the first Saturday in November, USC hit the gas in a major way.
Though that loss is still hard to stomach for A&M fans, it wasn't just that game that was huge for Carolina. The comeback win over Missouri and LaNorris Sellers going superman mode against the Clemson Tigers were also huge highlights for the Gamecocks, and a massive source of hope for the upcoming year.
The problem is the returning production. Losing Raheim Sanders will do a number on the Carolina run game (even if Rahsul Faison is eventually cleared by the NCAA), but Sellers being the threat he is on the ground will help. At receiver, there are some clear weapons, including EA Sports College Football darling Nyck Harbor, but not a lot of proven production.
The front seven is all but gone besides Dylan Stewart, who will continue to grow into stardom, but it could be a rocky road early on for Carolina. They host Alabama and Clemson this year but they'll have to venture to LSU and Texas A&M in two really tough road contests.
Like Vanderbilt, they could have been a victim of their own success in 2024. This could be an improved Gamecock team that only barely matches— or even falls short of— last year's win total.