The South Carolina Gamecocks are 2-0, following wins over Kent State and Towson to kick off the 2026 season undefeated. South Carolina did not start the season ranked, as the Gamecocks were coming off of a 4-8 season in Columbia.
But following South Carolina's 57-0 blowout win over Kent State, some voters started to have faith in the Gamecocks. Although South Carolina didn't crack the top-25 in either the AP or Coaches' Polls, the Gamecocks did earn some votes.
Last week, South Carolina earned 36 votes in the Coaches' Poll, as well as 19 in the AP. In looking at both polls following South Carolina's 45-9 performance against Towson, the Gamecocks have lost a bit of confidence.
South Carolina received just 15 votes in the AP Poll, behind the likes of Washington (172), Florida (83), Boise State (57), Oklahoma State 36, Western Michigan (35), Tulsa (18). The one SEC team that received one more vote than South Carolina? That would be South Carolina's Week 3 opponent, Mississippi State (17). Here's a look at the most recent AP Poll:
Week 2 AP Poll
- Texas Longhorns
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Miami Hurricanes
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- LSU Tigers
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- BYU Cougars
- USC Trojans
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- Tennessee Volunteers
- SMU Mustangs
- Utah Utes
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Michigan Wolverines
- Missouri Tigers
- Oregon Ducks
- Houston Cougars
- Louisville Cardinals
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Virginia Cavaliers
As you can see, the biggest change in this week's poll is Texas, who took the top spot after coming-from-behind and beating Ohio State. Oregon dropped 15 spots down to No. 21, after losing on the road to Oklahoma State. Alabama went up two spots to No. 10 after beating Kentucky on the road.
The Bulldogs are also 2-0, coming off wins against UL Monroe and a huge 38-13 road win over Minnesota last week. MSU quarterback Kamario Taylor has been playing lights out, throwing for 570 yards with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions across his two games. He also added another 145 yards rushing with a score, and has completed 67.9% of his passes.
What's interesting is that in the Coaches' Poll, the voters have slightly more faith in the Gamecocks than the Bulldogs. South Carolina received 23 votes, compared to Mississippi State's 20. Both teams are behind the Gamecocks are behind Florida (183), Louisville (160), Boise State (44) and Kansas State (24).
In both polls, Virginia checked in the last spot, at No. 25. The Cavaliers are 2-0, coming off of dominant wins over NC State and Norfolk State.
Last week, the Gamecocks received 36 votes in the Coaches Poll, and 19 in the AP. As you can see, this week the Gamecocks received 13 less in the Coaches' poll and four less in the AP after a shakier performance against Towson.
South Carolina is listed as a slight 3.5-point favorite against MSU, so it is expected to be a close one in Williams-Brice.
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