South Carolina slides into college football Top 25 after win over Vanderbilt

After a two-year absence, the South Carolina football team is back in the Top 25.

The Gamecocks (6-3, 4-3 SEC) were ranked No. 23 in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll released Sunday. The Associated Press Top 25 comes out around 2 p.m. Sunday.

It’s the first time since 2022 that USC has cracked the Top 25. USC in 2022 moved into the USA Today rankings after wins over Tennessee and Clemson, climbing as high as No. 19 before finishing No. 23 in the final poll of that season.

South Carolina is one of the hottest teams in the country. They have three straight wins, including back-to-back victories over then-No. 10 Texas A&M (44-20) on Nov. 2 and No. 24 Vanderbilt (28-7) on Saturday. The Gamecocks have outscored their opponents 52-7 over the last six quarters.

USC has impressed Top 25 voters at times this season, finishing just outside the polls a week ago. They also created some national buzz with near-misses against LSU (3-point loss) and Alabama (2-point loss).

“The people that do the rankings don’t think we’re worth a crap and that’s fine,” coach Shane Beamer said after Saturday’s win. “Keep crapping on us. That’s the way we like it as well. Don’t rank us this week. We’re good where we are. We like to lay low, work really hard and come out and half fun on Saturdays.”

The next College Football Playoff Top 25 comes out Tuesday night.

The Gamecocks will go for their fourth straight victory on Saturday in their final SEC game of the season. Kickoff against Missouri is set for 4:15 p.m. at Williams-Brice Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.