ESPN's FPI drops South Carolina football significantly in rankings

On Saturday (and into the early hours on Sunday, South Carolina football moved to 2-0 on the 2025 season with a 38-10 victory over the in-state SC State Bulldogs. Despite the lopsided score, the Gamecocks didn’t have their cleanest game over the weekend.

Because of everything that transpired across college football, ESPN’s updated FPI (Football Power Index) dropped Shane Beamer’s team significantly in its rankings. Last week, the analytics model considered Carolina to be the No. 10 team in the country. In this week’s FPI update, the Gamecocks have dropped down to No. 21. The team’s power rating moved from 15.9 to 13.1.

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There are several reasons for South Carolina’s rankings dip.

First, USC took a hit in its strength of schedule and strength of record metrics. The Gamecocks faced off against FCS foe South Carolina State. Virginia Tech, the team’s week one opponent, lost to Vanderbilt, lessening the perceived quality of the team’s win last week. After two weeks, the Gamecocks’ strength of record sits at No. 18 nationally.

Second, South Carolina didn’t play particularly well. That damaged the team’s efficiency numbers. Heading into week two, the Gamecocks ranked 38th, 33rd, and 30th in offense, defense, and special teams, respectively. The offense plummeted to No. 101 nationally, more than offsetting the defensive jump to No. 29 and the special teams improvement to No. 2.

According to the FPI efficiency metrics, South Carolina has had the worst offense in the SEC through two games. Defensively, the Gamecocks slot in at No. 8. Joe DeCamillis’ special teams units combine as the No. 1 group in the Southeastern Conference.

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The road won’t get easier for South Carolina moving forward. Based on the FPI, the Gamecocks have already faced two of the three weakest teams on the 2025 schedule.

This week, South Carolina will match up with the FPI’s No. 28 overall team. The Vanderbilt Commodores rank as the country’s No. 4 most efficient offense so far this fall. The ‘Dores also rank 42nd in defensive efficiency and are 109th on special teams.

South Carolina and Vanderbilt will kick off at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday inside of Williams-Brice Stadium. SEC Network will broadcast the showdown, and the ESPN app will make it available via streaming. The game will be the SEC opener for both teams.

The AP top 25 rankings and the coaches poll didn’t ding the Gamecocks as much as the FPI. South Carolina now sits in 11th in the AP rankings and 10th in the coaches poll. Vanderbilt is on the low end of the “also receiving votes” section of both polls.

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