Shane Beamer declares South Carolina will be in College Football Playoff hunt in 2026

Amid what is shaping out to be his worst season in Columbia, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer is already calling his shot for 2026. During a press conference Tuesday, the fifth-year head coach boldly proclaimed his Gamecocks will be in the thick of next season’s College Football Playoff hunt.

“We’re not there right now, but I do know next year at this time, we’re going to be sitting here on this Tuesday night watching the playoff rankings to see where we are in ranking show,” Beamer said Tuesday, according to video from ABC25‘s Noah Chast. “And we’re going to be firmly in the mix for a College Football Playoff berth next year at this time. We’re all sick about this feeling, but we’re not going to go through this thing again, and we’re going to finish this season out the right way. … And then the minute that thing hits zero on the clock after the Thanksgiving Weekend game (vs. Clemson), we’re full speed ahead on 2026.”

Beamer’s proclamation comes as South Carolina is currently riding a five-game losing streak to fall to 3-7 overall and a dismal 1-7 in SEC play following last Saturday’s disappointing 31-30 loss to No. 3 Texas A&M. And with just two games remaining in the regular season, South Carolina will fail to qualify for a bowl game for the second time in the last three seasons.

In fact, even if the Gamecocks win out against Coastal Carolina and rival Clemson, the best Beamer can do this season is match South Carolina’s five-win 2023 campaign, which currently stands as his worst season during his five-year tenure in Columbia.

Of course, tucked snuggly between those two down years was Beamer’s best season on record when the Gamecocks won their final six regular season games of 2024 to finish 9-3 — 9-4 after a Citrus Bowl loss to Illinois. That late-season surge had South Carolina on the verge of making the College Football Playoff‘s initial 12-team field, only to finish on the outside looking in as the 14th-ranked team in the CFP’s final regular season rankings of 2024.

Paul Finebaum blasts Shane Beamer for blown lead vs. Texas A&M: ‘He looks like a loser’

This past Saturday, South Carolina surrendered a 30-3 halftime lead before ultimately falling to the third-ranked Aggies, 31-30. During his weekly appearance on The Matt Barrie Show podcast, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum tore into Beamer for the Gamecocks’ second-half collapse.

“There’s nothing like blowing a lead like that, especially (against) the No. 3 team, especially at their house,” Finebaum said. “Of the 19 mistakes you make in the second half, you only make 18, you still win the game. But, leave it to Shane Beamer and his team to make every one of them.

“By the way, go back about four weeks ago. We saw — not quite, it wasn’t nearly as bad — but it was as gruesome, when they blew that lead at the end of the game to Alabama.”

Texas A&M’s victory was the largest comeback win in program history. In fact, until yesterday, SEC teams were 0-264 in conference play since 2004 when trailing by 27 points or more. Beamer’s Gamecocks — which mounted just 76 yards of total offense in the second half — helped A&M snap that streak Saturday.

— On3’s Grant Grubbs contributed to this report.