Why the South Carolina Gamecocks could be the next Indiana Hoosiers.
There were some big surprises during the college football playoffs last season, but perhaps the biggest surprise was Indiana making it out of the big 10 with a top 12 ranking. The Hoosiers playoff run did not last very long as Notre Dame beat them in the first round, but they were there when not many people expected them to.
So who could be the next Indiana? Who could be the team in 2025 that nobody includes in their preseason playoff bracket predictions but ultimately makes it and catches everyone off guard? Well, ESPN provided a list of candidates and the South Carolina Gamecocks were one of them.
“Like the Illinois team it faced in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, South Carolina isn’t far away from the CFP mix,” Adam Rittenberg wrote. “Some thought the Gamecocks should have gained more at-large consideration after beating Clemson in their regular season finale and losing only to Ole Miss, Alabama and LSU. Coach Shane Beamer has elevated the team’s personnel efforts. South Carolina returns one of the nation’s top young quarterbacks in LaNorris Sellers, as well as wide receivers Nyck Harbor and Mazeo Bennett Jr., and defensive standouts such as sophomore end Dylan Stewart. The team added some key transfers this winter, especially for a largely new-look defensive front seven.”
South Carolina doesn’t exactly have the element of surprise that Indiana did last year, some even wanted them in the playoffs last season. However, when you run down a list of potential teams to represent the SEC in the playoffs, South Carolina typically doesn’t make the top three or four.
“The Gamecocks won’t sneak up on anyone in the SEC this fall, but they’ve clearly closed the talent gap with several of the league’s annual contenders,” Rittenberg continued. “South Carolina will need Sellers to stay healthy. His absence in the second half against LSU stung, and he missed a game before returning and struggling in the Ole Miss loss. The Gamecocks will also need the defense to remain on a strong trajectory despite losing Kyle Kennard and several other standouts to the NFL.”
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