Gamecocks doubted in Coaches Poll; What the poll thinks of South Carolina football and its 2024 opponents

Earlier this summer, South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer predicted at SEC Media Days that his Gamecocks team was going to be projected near the bottom of the conference this preseason. He was right as the SEC media in attendance voted Carolina as the 13th-best team in the league.

There has been some variance in win expectations for the garnet and black this offseason with projections ranging between 4-8 and 8-4. However, there have been more that have leaned toward the losing side of those possibilities.

That theme repeated itself on Monday as the US LBM Coaches Poll (formerly known as the USA Today Coaches Poll) was released for its annual preseason top-25.

If comparing the "also receiving votes" points, the Gamecocks are ranked 39th overall in the USA Today poll. That puts Carolina 13th in the SEC. 8 of the 12 teams on the South Carolina football schedule are ranked ahead of USC as 7 are ranked inside the top-20, and the Kentucky Wildcats are higher on the list of teams who were "also receiving votes."

The entire US LBM Coaches Poll can be seen below:

1. Georgia Bulldogs (46 1st-place votes)
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (7)
3. Oregon Ducks
4. Texas Longhorns (1)
5. Alabama Crimson Tide
6. Ole Miss Rebels
7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
8. Michigan Wolverines (1)
9. Penn State Nittany Lions
10. Florida State Seminoles
11. Missouri Tigers
12. LSU Tigers
13. Utah Utes
14. Clemson Tigers
15. Tennessee Volunteers
16. Oklahoma Sooners
17. Kansas State Wildcats
18. Oklahoma State Cowboys
19. Miami Hurricanes
20. Texas A&M Aggies
21. Arizona Wildcats
22. NC State Wolfpack
23. Southern Cal Trojans
24. Kansas Jayhawks
25. Iowa Hawkeyes

Also Receving Votes

Washington Huskies (123 voter points), Louisville Cardinals (95), Virginia Tech Hokies (64), SMU Mustangs (47), Memphis Tigers (44), Boise State Broncos (30), Auburn Tigers (25), West Virginia Mountaineers (22), Wisconsin Badgers (17), Liberty Flames (15), Iowa State Cyclones (15), Kentucky Wildcats (12), Florida Gators (11), South Carolina Gamecocks (10), North Carolina Tar Heels (6), UNLV Runnin' Rebels (5), Maryland Terrapins (5), UCF Golden Knights (4), Texas Tech Red Raiders (4), UT-San Antonio Roadrunners (3), Tulane Green Wave (2), Texas State Bobcats (2), Nebraska Cornhuskers (2), Colorado Buffaloes (2), Appalachian State Mountaineers (2), Troy Trojans (1), Syracuse Orange (1), Miami (OH) RedHawks (1), James Madison Dukes (1), Air Force Falcons (1)