Was watching an old ESPN show(their programming was far better 20-25 years ago) titled "Who's #1: Greatest College Football Upsets" got me thinking what's our best upset win ever(I think I know what people will vote for). Maybe it's one of the 4 not listed.
The Candidates:
On September 9, 2000 South Carolina who had just snapped a two year 21 game losing streak(but entered the game with an 18 game SEC losing streak going back two and a half years) beat a Georgia team picked by many to win the SEC East and led by a Heisman candidate at QB in Quincy Carter. Georgia drove right down the field for an opening drive TD, but after that it was all Gamecocks. Five interceptions later Carter's Heisman dreams were dead.
This one really needs no introduction, but on October 9, 2010 the Gamecocks hosted #1 defending national champion Alabama at 3:30 on CBS(Gamecocks had a losing streak on CBS going back to the 1995 Carquest Bowl and had some losses that happened in the most USC way possible). Alabama had already beaten Arkansas on the road in a comeback, and destroyed Florida at home the previous two weeks, and Saban looked like he had things rolling. Alshon Jeffery and Marcus Lattimore played big roles and Stephen Garcia played by far his best game here and down goes #1 Bama!
On October 12, 2019 a Gamecock team that would end up 4-8 went into Athens, Georgia and stunned a #3 ranked Georgia team that had played for the national title two years before and was on the short list of serious title contenders that year before this upset.
On November 19, 2022 the Gamecocks hosted #5 Tennessee, a team that had the top rated offense in the country in both yards and scoring and was expected to overwhelm USC. In Hendon Hooker the Vols had a QB who was going into that game one of the Heisman favorites if not the favorite. It ended up being a blowout all right, Gamecocks rolled 63-38 as Gamecock QB Spencer Rattler looked like the Heisman favorite and Hooker was lost to a career ending injury during the game.
The Candidates:
On September 9, 2000 South Carolina who had just snapped a two year 21 game losing streak(but entered the game with an 18 game SEC losing streak going back two and a half years) beat a Georgia team picked by many to win the SEC East and led by a Heisman candidate at QB in Quincy Carter. Georgia drove right down the field for an opening drive TD, but after that it was all Gamecocks. Five interceptions later Carter's Heisman dreams were dead.
This one really needs no introduction, but on October 9, 2010 the Gamecocks hosted #1 defending national champion Alabama at 3:30 on CBS(Gamecocks had a losing streak on CBS going back to the 1995 Carquest Bowl and had some losses that happened in the most USC way possible). Alabama had already beaten Arkansas on the road in a comeback, and destroyed Florida at home the previous two weeks, and Saban looked like he had things rolling. Alshon Jeffery and Marcus Lattimore played big roles and Stephen Garcia played by far his best game here and down goes #1 Bama!
On October 12, 2019 a Gamecock team that would end up 4-8 went into Athens, Georgia and stunned a #3 ranked Georgia team that had played for the national title two years before and was on the short list of serious title contenders that year before this upset.
On November 19, 2022 the Gamecocks hosted #5 Tennessee, a team that had the top rated offense in the country in both yards and scoring and was expected to overwhelm USC. In Hendon Hooker the Vols had a QB who was going into that game one of the Heisman favorites if not the favorite. It ended up being a blowout all right, Gamecocks rolled 63-38 as Gamecock QB Spencer Rattler looked like the Heisman favorite and Hooker was lost to a career ending injury during the game.
