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Veteran sportswriter leaves South Carolina out of preseason top 25 ranking

Screenshotby: Kevin Miller08/04/25kevinmillerGC
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Nov 23, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer takes the field with his team before a game against the Wofford Terriers at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

South Carolina football has been a near-universal inclusion in this summer’s various preseason rankings. Some pundits have even put the Gamecocks inside their projected College Football Playoff fields. However, one veteran sportswriter is not as high on Shane Beamer’s team.

On3’s Brett McMurphy released his preseason top 25 (the same ranking he turned in as his official Associated Press ballot), and he left South Carolina completely out of the ranking.

It is worth noting that McMurphy added an addendum at the end of his ranking that said the Gamecocks would have made a hypothetical top 40 list.

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You can see McMurphy’s entire top 25 below.

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

Auburn, Baylor, Boise State, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, TCU, Tulane, Washington, and Wisconsin rounded out his top 40 (in alphabetical order, not ranking order), along with South Carolina. McMurphy is in the minority with his exclusion of the Gamecocks.

South Carolina’s 2025 schedule includes six teams from McMurphy’s preseason ranking. Clemson (4), Alabama (5), LSU (10), Texas A&M (12), Oklahoma (18), and Ole Miss (21) make up half of USC’s schedule. There are also nine SEC teams in the top 25, meaning McMurphy would rank the Gamecocks (at best) 10th in the conference.

The full Associated Press preseason ranking will release next Monday, August 11th.

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