South Carolina football surges into top 10 of updated AP poll

South Carolina won its opening week game for the fourth time in five tries under head coach Shane Beamer. The 24-11 victory over Virginia Tech was a solid effort during a weekend in which several top 25 teams got upset. AP voters rewarded the Gamecocks with a top 10 ranking.

Because the Gamecocks played on Sunday (and because Notre Dame-Miami was on Sunday and North Carolina-TCU was on Monday) the post-week one edition of the AP top 25 poll did not come out until Tuesday afternoon.

When the updated AP poll dropped, South Carolina slotted in at No. 10 nationally. That marked a three-spot improvement from the preseason poll. The Gamecocks jumped Illinois, Arizona State, and Alabama in the overall rankings.

This marks the first time South Carolina has cracked the AP top 10 since the 2014 preseason poll.

That No. 10 designation puts the Gamecocks fourth in the SEC. It also marks a positive change of one spot in-conference since the preseason poll.

Based on the current rankings, South Carolina would be inside College Football Playoff range. If the rankings reflected the final Playoff poll, the Gamecocks would be the final at-large team in the field.

Get GamecockCentral for $1 your first week. As a bonus, your membership includes a complimentary year of The Athletic.

The entire updated AP top 25 is below (first-place overall votes in parentheses):

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (55)
2. Penn State Nittany Lions (7)
3. LSU Tigers (3)
4. Georgia Bulldogs
5. Miami Hurricanes
6. Oregon Ducks (1)
7. Texas Longhorns
8. Clemson Tigers
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
10. South Carolina Gamecocks
11. Illinois Fighting Illini
12. Arizona State Sun Devils
13. Florida Gators
14. Florida State Seminoles
15. Michigan Wolverines
16. Iowa State Cyclones
17. SMU Mustangs
18. Oklahoma Sooners
19. Texas A&M Aggies
20. Ole Miss Rebels
21. Alabama Crimson Tide
22. Tennessee Volunteers
23. Indiana Hoosiers
24. Texas Tech Red Raiders
25. Utah Utes

Also receiving votes: BYU Cougars, Auburn Tigers, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Southern Cal Trojans, Louisville Cardinals, TCU Horned Frogs, Missouri Tigers, South Florida Bulls, Tulane Green Wave, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Kansas State Wildcats, James Madison Dukes, Liberty Flames, UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, Duke Blue Devils, Navy Midshipmen, Pittsburgh Panthers, Baylor Bears, Virginia Cavaliers, Memphis Tigers

Get USC Gamecocks app notifications

Earlier in the day, the USA Today Coaches poll included South Carolina as the No. 11 team in the country. That was a two-spot jump for the Gamecocks, as Shane Beamer’s team jumped Illinois and Alabama to move into what would also be the final at-large bid in the College Football Playoff if the same rankings reflected the end-of-year CFP rankings.

ESPN’s FPI (Football Power Index) ranks South Carolina as the No. 10 overall team in college football. That is fourth in the SEC.

South Carolina will play next weekend against an in-state opponent, as the South Carolina State Bulldogs travel from Orangeburg to Columbia for a 7:00 kickoff in Williams-Brice Stadium. The game will not be on national television but will stream on ESPN+.

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!