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South Carolina Football: Gamecocks finally beat a ranked opponent

By Matt Green

COLUMBIA, SC - OCTOBER 29: Head coach Will Muschamp of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates after defeating the Tennessee Volunteers 24-21 in their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on October 29, 2016 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SC - OCTOBER 29: Head coach Will Muschamp of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates after defeating the Tennessee Volunteers 24-21 in their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on October 29, 2016 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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There are 18 days till college football season, and today we focus on a team that has struggled to beat ranked opponents.

The South Carolina football program just had the best three-year run in school history. From 2011 to 2013, the Gamecocks had a three straight 11-2 seasons and had three straight top 10 finishes, including no. 4 in the final AP poll in 2013. They also made their first SEC championship game appearance in 2010.

Steve Spurrier spent 10 and a half seasons in Columbia, SC, where he led the Gamecocks to an 86-49 record. But after a 2-4 start to the 2015 season, Spurrier stepped down, and South Carolina football subsequently took a nosedive. And that leads us to no. 18 on the Southbound and Down College Football Countdown.

South Carolina is 1-8 in their last nine games against ranked opponents.

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The Gamecocks lost the final two games against ranked opponents in 2014 against Auburn and Clemson, then it got much worse in 2015. The Gamecocks played four ranked opponents in 2015 and lost every one of those games. They were man-handled by Georgia and LSU by the tune of 52-20 and 45-24 respectively.

Spurrier stepped down after the loss to LSU, and the Gamecocks went 1-5 down the stretch under interim head coach Shawn Elliot, with their only win coming against Vanderbilt.

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But Will Muschamp arrived in Columbia, SC in 2016, and if nothing else, he seems to have added a toughness to South Carolina. They didn’t start the season very well, but by the end of the season they were playing their best football.

The Gamecocks lost to Texas A&M 24-13 early in the season, but they finally broke through and knocked off no. 18 Tennessee 24-21 on Oct. 29. Their true freshman quarterback, Jake Bentley, was likely the catalyst for the Gamecocks’ second half improvement. In their win over the Volunteers, Bentley went 15-for-20 for 167 yards and two touchdowns.

If the Gamecocks are going to take another step forward, they’re going to have to get their in-state rival Clemson off their backs. They’ve lost three straight to the Tigers by a total score of 128-56.

South Carolina football will open the season with North Carolina State at 3:00 p.m. on Sept. 2.

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