South Carolina football: Gamecocks finish last in preseason power rankings

South Carolina football being slept on in 2021.

All the talk this week around college football has revolved around Texas and Oklahoma’s potential move to the Southeastern Conference. The two founding members of the Big XII have opted to part ways with the league in search of greener pastures. “Green” being the key word, as this is a move that will benefit both programs financially in the coming years.

With the move being essentially a done deal, many news outlets have thrown out projections of potential matchups, predicted outcomes, and scheduling changes. The move would turn the league into a 16-team super conference, but how would that affect the Gamecocks?

Collin Wilson of The Action Network recently unveiled his hypothetical power rankings for a 2021 season that included Texas and Oklahoma in the SEC.

The Sooners come in at No. 2 on the list, while the Longhorns got the nod in the No. 5 slot. While there aren’t many issues with the teams on top, there are some questionable rankings in the bottom half of the conference.

First comes LSU’s falling behind both Arkansas and Ole Miss. The Tigers are a season removed from a national title, while the Rebels and Razorbacks are still climbing up the SEC ladder. LSU defeated both last season despite having a disappointing year.

The most egregious error in the rankings, though, is placing Vanderbilt over South Carolina. While we know the Gamecocks haven’t been deserving of too much preseason press, they have beaten the Commodores in 12 consecutive meetings, including last year’s 34-point blowout. In the overall series, the Gamecocks hold a dominant 26-4 advantage.

So why would the Commodores be considered above the Gamecocks in 2021?

Wilson notes the returning production for both teams. Vanderbilt brings back more than 70% of its roster on both sides of the ball, while South Carolina is under 50%.

Still, it seems like Wilson is reaching, here, with his numbers. Bringing back the majority of a roster that’s won just one SEC game over the last two seasons shouldn’t call for a leapfrog over a program that hasn’t lost in the series in more than a decade.

The Gamecocks were bad in Will Muschamp’s final two seasons, but still managed to outscore the Commodores 65-14 in their two matchups. We’ll have to revisit this in the Fall to see whether Wilson’s predictions come to fruition.

South Carolina kicks off its 2021 season on September 4th against Eastern Illinois. Stay tuned to Garnet and Cocky for all of your South Carolina Gamecock news.