Is Sweet Seventeen a thing? Because if not, it sure is now! In the second edition of the College Football Playoff rankings, the Gamecocks moved up four spots to 17. After beating Texas A&M to extend their current win streak to four, the Gamecocks’ playoff hopes have continued to increase. South Carolina sits just behind Oregon (16) as the other three loss teams.
After beating A&M, the general vibe was that South Carolina would move up in the rankings, simply by the nature of winning. But the question remained: by how much? Breaking into the top 20 would have been crucial, so to jump four spots and sit above the other USC is remarkable. The committee is giving Kudos to the Gamecocks’ performance last week, which saw heroics by LaNorris Sellers and a strong defensive effort.
Eyes forward. pic.twitter.com/Y1yOTc3zgW
— South Carolina Football (@GamecockFB) November 11, 2026
The message to South Carolina
Unlike the first edition of the rankings, it looks like the CFP Committee is sending a clear message to South Carolina: just win. It didn’t matter that South Carolina beat an unranked Texas A&M team by one possession; what mattered was that they won. And the committee rewarded them as such.
The committee seems to be looking at the body of work for the Gamecocks, something that I didn’t see coming. The losses against Kentucky and a fully healthy Mississippi State didn’t hold South Carolina back from being ranked initially. And I believe that the totality of the season, highlighted by a four-game SEC win streak, has bolstered the Gamecocks’ resume. Additionally, the star power of LaNorris Sellers and Dylan Stewart gives the Gamecocks a higher profile and name recognition than in years past…