Where ESPN's SP+ analytics model ranks South Carolina

South Carolina played, arguably, its best game of the season this past Saturday. The Gamecocks defeated the Kentucky Wildcats, 35-13. Because of the lopsided victory, sentiments surrounding Shane Beamer’s team are a little more optimistic than they were previously.

SP+, ESPN’s analytics model created by Bill Connelly, saw South Carolina move up 16 spots from last week. Jumping from No. 51 nationally to No. 35, the Gamecocks are also No. 13 in the Southeastern Conference.

SP+ is a projection, not merely a ranking of what a team has already accomplished. Connelly explains, “What is SP+? In a single sentence, it’s a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency that I originally created at Football Outsiders in 2008. SP+ is intended to be predictive and forward-facing. It is not a résumé ranking.”

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This means that Connelly’s SP+ believes South Carolina is the 35th-best team in college football moving forward. The Gamecocks were one of the five biggest risers in this week’s edition of the SP+ rankings.

That ranking improvement stems from the Gamecocks bolstering their efficiency numbers.

After being rated as the No. 73 offense in the sport last week, USC now sits at No. 62 nationally. A season-high rushing total and a solid, efficient passing day propped up the model’s opinion of the Gamecock offense.

Defensively, Carolina jumped majorly. From No. 30 last week to No. 19 this week, Clayton White’s unit showed itself to be much better than sub-optimal performances against Vanderbilt and Missouri indicated.

Special teams is 32nd nationally, a number that actually dropped four spots from last week. The Gamecocks have three special teams touchdowns this year courtesy of Vicari Swain, but the model’s projection is more about what is to come than what has already happened.

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South Carolina is on its first open week of the season, so the Gamecocks will not play this Saturday. However, when the team returns to action, it will begin one of the nation’s toughest five-game stretches.

Road contests against LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M and home matchups against Oklahoma and Alabama await.

According to the updated SP+, the Gamecocks will face off against five top 20 units in their next five games.

Following the bye, South Carolina travels to Baton Rouge for a date with No. 17 LSU. Then, back-to-back home contests against No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 10 Alabama are next. The Gamecocks will hit the road for trips to No. 8 Ole Miss and No. 20 Texas A&M to complete the stretch. After a quick reprieve against Coastal Carolina, USC will face the rival Clemson Tigers to finish the regular season; the Palmetto Bowl opponent currently sits at No. 66 in the SP+ rankings but is likely a better team than that.

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