The South Carolina Gamecocks had a ton of optimism surrounding the program after the 2-0 start with blowout wins over Kent State and Towson. That optimism continued early in the Gamecocks' Week 3 game at home against Mississppi State, getting out to a 16-0 lead.
But South Carolina imploded in the game's last three quarters, at one point giving up 27 unanswered points. The 41-34 final score makes the game feel closer than it actually was.
Before Saturday's game against the Bulldogs, South Carolina had shot up the ESPN FPI rankings. After the Gamecocks' Week 1 win, South Carolina checked in at No. 15 overall. It was such a big jump that we predicted that South Carolina would be ranked in the Top 25 polls.
But after the loss to the Bulldogs, South Carolina plummeted in the most recent FPI rankings. The Gamecocks are now ranked 27th nationally.
Of course, that spot isn't horrible, as it's right outside the Top 25. But what's more concerning is FPI's win-loss projections for the Gamecocks. The rankings project South Carolina will finish with a 5.9-6.1 win-loss record. If the Gamecocks finish with less than six wins, missing out on a bowl game is almost guaranteed.
On a more slightly positive note, the rankings give South Carolina a 58.1% chance to reach six wins, which would allow for a bowl game. At the start of the season, Shane Beamer's job was considered safe if the Gamecocks at least made a bowl game. But even that might not be enough to justify keeping him, depending on how the season goes.
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South Carolina's loss to Mississippi State crushes College Football Playoff hopes
Last week, South Carolina's CFP chances per ESPN's Playoff Predictor, which relies on the FPI ratings, gave the Gamecocks a 14% chance to make the postseason. The model also slated the games against Alabama, Texas A&M and Georgia being the toughest.
Now that the Gamecocks have dropped to 1-2? FPI gives South Carolina a 3.4% change to make the postseason. Of course, anything can happen, and one loss doesn't mean anyone's season is necessarily over.
But the Gamecocks dropping their first SEC game at home, long before it has some of the toughest games in front of them doesn't exactly bode confidence that this is a playoff team.
We'll see how the Gamecocks can respond this week, taking on No. 8 Alabama on the road. Gamecock head coach Beamer is scheduled to meet with the media on Tuesday afternoon, and will be eager to put the loss behind this team.
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