The South Carolina Gamecocks will look to keep their win streak going in college football's Week 9. After upsetting both Florida and Tennessee in back-to-back games with a bye week in between, several people thought that the Gamecocks would vault into either the AP or Coaches Polls.
But when both polls were released, South Carolina was still outside the rankings. The Gamecocks did, however, receive some votes in both polls, which shows that voters are noticing what South Carolina is doing. The Gamecocks received the most votes in the Coaches Poll (12), and got eight in the AP Poll.
As for the rest of the poll, one of the biggest risers was Utah, which jumped four spots to No. 6 after defeating Houston 21-13 on Saturday night. Texas jumped eight spots to No. 11 after defeating Ole Miss, as the Rebels fell five spots with the loss to the Longhorns on the road.
Week 8 AP Poll
1. Miami Hurricanes (7-0)
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1)
3. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1)
4. Indiana Hoosiers (7-1)
5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1)
6. Utah Utes (7-0)
7. UCLA Bruins (7-0)
8. BYU Cougars (6-1)
9. Kentucky Wildcats (7-1)
10. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-2)
11. Texas Longhorns (5-2)
12. Ole Miss Rebels (6-2)
13. Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-1)
14. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-1)
15. LSU Tigers (6-2)
16. Tennessee Volunteers (6-2)
17. Florida Gators (5-2)
18. Houston Cougars (6-2)
19. SMU Mustangs (6-1)
T-20 Boise State Broncos (6-1)
T-20 Northwestern Wildcats (6-1)
22. Arizona Wildcats (6-1)
23. Missouri Tigers (5-2)
24. Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-2)
5. Wisconsin Badgers (5-2)
South Carolina flips 4-star DL Nate Kamba from Auburn after huge upset over Tennessee
Week 8 Coaches Poll
- Miami Hurricanes
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Utah Utes
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- UCLA Bruins
- Kentucky WIldcats
- BYU Cougars
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Texas Longhorns
- Ole Miss Rebels
- LSU Tigers
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons
- SMU Mustangs
- Tennessee Vols
- Northwestern Wildcats
- Houston Cougars
- Florida Gators
- Arizona Wildcats
- Boise State Broncos
- Missouri Tigers
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- USC Trojans
As you can see, Tennessee dropped significantly in the polls after losing on the road to South Carolina. Josh Heupel's Vols dropped five spots in the AP Poll and dropped six spots in the coaches' poll.
The big question is where will the Gamecocks sit in the upcoming initial College Football Playoff rankings? We are just about a week to go until the first initial rankings, as the first CFP rankings will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 3. If South Carolina has a big win over the Oklahoma Sooners next week, there's a chance the committee could rank the Gamecocks in the initial Top-25.
The Gamecocks' highest-ever ranking in the CFP rankings in 2024 was 14th in the country.
ALSO READ: South Carolina-Oklahoma opening spread shows no one's respecting the Gamecocks
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