“Others Receiving Votes”

South Carolina and Clemson’s football programs aren’t ranked in the Top 25, but they both performed well enough in their season-opening games to remain in a nebulous zone known as “others receiving votes.”

College football’s version of purgatory, “others receiving votes” basically means that your team is almost good enough to be ranked … but  not quite.

In the Associated Press poll (compiled by sportswriters), Clemson received 40 votes, while the Gamecocks received 3 votes.  In the USA Today/ Coaches’ poll (compiled by, um, coaches), Clemson got 24 votes to the Gamecocks’ 23.

Clemson is six spots removed from the AP Top 25, eight spots removed from the USA Today Top 25.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Savannah River, the Gamecocks and Tigers’ Week 2 opponents are both enjoying the rarefied air of the national rankings for at least another week.

Georgia – which lost its season opener on the road to No. 5 Oklahoma State – slipped but didn’t fall completely out of the Top 25, dropping eight spots to wind up at No. 21 in both polls.  The Bulldogs are currently favored to beat South Carolina by a touchdown when the two teams face off this Saturday in Athens, Ga.

Georgia Tech – which opened its season with a 37-17 win over Jacksonville State – is ranked No. 13 in the USA Today poll, No. 15 in the AP rankings.  The Yellow Jackets are 5.5 point favorites to beat Clemson in Atlanta this Thursday night.

Why does being in the Top 25 matter?

Easy … your team’s game highlights are broadcast on Sportscenter, which helps with national exposure and recruiting.

Speaking of that exposure, Clemson’s Thursday night game will be televised nationally on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. (EDT).  The Georgia-South Carolina game on Saturday will be televised nationally on ESPN2 beginning at 7:00 p.m (EDT).

Pic: Travis Bell, Sideline Carolina