With the 2025 SEC Media Days underway in Columbia, Shane Beamer made headlines on Day 1, this time for his candid reflection on how the 2024 season ended for South Carolina. During an interview with That SEC Podcast at SEC Media Days, Beamer explained what upset him the most about last season: the College Football Playoff committee's response to South Carolina's win over in-state rival Clemson.
“The part that was the most upsetting to me was when the rankings came out the following week after we beat Clemson, we were still where we were,” Beamer said. “And then the chairman of the committee said, ‘It doesn't matter what happens on Championship weekend. If a team isn't playing, their ranking is not going to improve.’”
His comment about the lack of movement in the rankings sparked frustration not only in Columbia, but across the SEC landscape. South Carolina had defeated the eventual ACC Champions, on the road no less, closing out the regular season with six straight wins. Yet the College Football Playoff committee refused to reward that late-season surge. Beamer didn't mince words about it, calling the process an "irresponsible protocol."
“To say a team can’t move up just because they’re not playing—when we had just taken down a conference champion on their turf? That’s not how this sport should be judged,” Beamer added.
Despite the frustration of the exclusion, Beamer and the Gamecocks have used the snub as fuel for this season. The Gamecocks are entering the 2025 season with unfinished business and a clear goal: become the first squad in program history to reach the College Football Playoff.
The 2025 campaign kicks off on August 31 in Atlanta at the Merecedes-Benz Stadium as South Carolina takes on Virginia Tech. If the Gamecocks can pick up where they left off last season, they will have a chance to silence any doubt.