COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Columbia-based South Carolina football team jumped four places Tuesday night and now sits at No. 17 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, a week after the selection committee slotted the Gamecocks at No. 21 in its first poll of the season.
It is the highest the committee has placed South Carolina since the Gamecocks ended the 2024 regular season at No. 15. The climb rides a four-game winning streak that has the team at 6-3 overall and 4-3 in Southeastern Conference play.
No other three-loss SEC team sits higher. Ole Miss is No. 19, LSU is No. 21 and Missouri is No. 22, while Oregon, at No. 16, is the only three-loss team in the country ranked above South Carolina. The other major polls are a little cooler on the Gamecocks, who check in at No. 20 in the AP Top 25 and at No. 24 in the coaches poll sponsored by US LBM.
The math for a spot in the 12-team field is unforgiving. South Carolina realistically needs to sweep its last three games, beginning Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:45 p.m. at Arkansas, which is 3-6. Top-ranked Georgia comes to Williams-Brice Stadium on Nov. 21, and the regular season ends at Clemson on Nov. 28.
Georgia leads the committee rankings, with Utah, Alabama, UCLA and Notre Dame rounding out the top five.
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