South Carolina Football’s No. 3 Greatest Season of All-Time:
2011 (11-2)
Arguably the most talented roster of the three-straight 11-win seasons, the 2011 Gamecocks had 19 players on the roster taken in the NFL Draft, including three first-rounders. A mid-year quarterback transition from Stephen Garcia to Connor Shaw limited the offense at times, but Carolina still finished 11-2 after a Palmetto Bowl beatdown of Clemson and a Capital One Bowl (Citrus Bowl) thumping of Nebraska.
An early-season loss to a bad Auburn team ultimately excluded the Gamecocks from the SEC Championship Game against eventual national championship runner-up LSU, a game that would have featured two of the only teams in the nation that could have beaten Alabama that season.
The South Carolina defensive line had three eventual All-Americans (Melvin Ingram, Jadeveon Clowney, and Kelcy Quarles), and the secondary had two All-Americans (Stephon Gilmore and Antonio Allen) as well. The Gamecock defense displayed historic dominance at times, including during three SEC East victories in which they allowed just 3 points in each game.