USC Rises Two Spots

The University of South Carolina football team inched up two spots in the national rankings despite an uninspired 14-10 win over hapless Vanderbilt – rising from No. 23 to No. 21 in both the Associated Press and USA Today-Coaches’ polls.

Head coach Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks (6-2, 3-2 SEC) also climbed two spots in the Bowl Championship Series rankings, moving from No. 24 to No. 22.

Now … just how long can Carolina remain among the nation’s elite programs?

We’ll find out soon enough, as South Carolina goes trick-or-treating on “Rocky Top” Saturday night against one of the best unranked teams in America, the Tennessee Volunteers.  Led by first-year head coach Lane Kiffin, Tennessee (3-4, 1-3 SEC) played second-ranked Alabama right down to the wire Saturday in Tuscaloosa, with the Crimson Tide needing a blocked field goal on the final play of the game to escape with a 12-10 victory.

Two weeks earlier, the Volunteers thrashed Georgia 45-19.

One of the interesting subplots in Saturday night’s game in Knoxville will involve Kiffin and USC’s star freshman wideout, Alshon Jeffery.

Kiffin unsuccessfully attempted to recruit Jeffery to Tennessee, at one point famously telling him that if he committed to the Gamecocks that he would end up “pumping gas for the rest of his life,” ostensibly like all the other blue chip recruits who went to South Carolina.

Yeah … tell that to Sidney Rice.

Anyway, after seeing limited action early in the season Jeffery has caught fire of late, catching five touchdowns in Carolina’s past four games. He even called his own number on the play that produced USC’s game-winning touchdown over Vanderbilt, which capped an eight reception, 161-yard night – both career highs.

Anyway, here’s all three of this week’s national rankings …

ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 (Oct 25)

1. Florida (30) 7-0
2. Alabama (23) 8-0
3. Texas (7) 7-0
4. USC 6-1
5. Cincinnati 7-0
6. Boise State 7-0
7. Iowa 8-0
8. TCU 7-0
9. LSU 6-1
10. Oregon 6-1
11. Georgia Tech 7-1
12. Penn State 7-1
13. Oklahoma State 6-1
14. Virginia Tech 5-2
15. Houston 6-1
16. Pittsburgh 7-1
17. Ohio State 6-2
18. Miami (FL) 5-2
19. Utah 6-1
20. West Virginia 6-1
21. South Carolina 6-2
22. Oklahoma 4-3
23. Arizona 5-2
24. Mississippi 5-2
25. Notre Dame 5-2

Dropped from rankings: Brigham Young 16, Texas Tech 21, Kansas 24

Others receiving votes: Brigham Young 80, Central Michigan 76, California 24, Texas Tech 18, Wisconsin 16, Navy 13, Kansas 12, Clemson 11, Rutgers 1

USA TODAY-COACHES TOP 25 (Oct 25)

1. Florida (46) 7-0
2. Alabama (9) 8-0
3. Texas (4) 7-0
4. USC 6-1
5. Boise State 7-0
6. TCU 7-0
7. Cincinnati 7-0
8. Iowa 8-0
9. LSU 6-1
10. Penn State 7-1
11. Georgia Tech 7-1
12. Oregon 6-1
13. Oklahoma State 6-1
14. Virginia Tech 5-2
15. Ohio State 6-2
16. Houston 6-1
17. Pittsburgh 7-1
18. Miami (FL) 5-2
19. Utah 6-1
20. West Virginia 6-1
21. South Carolina 6-2
22. Mississippi 5-2
23. Oklahoma 4-3
24. Arizona 5-2
25. Notre Dame 5-2

Dropped from rankings: Brigham Young 16, Kansas 21, Texas Tech 24

Others receiving votes: Central Michigan 61, Brigham Young 59, Wisconsin 49, California 32, Texas Tech 14, Kansas 11, Georgia 5, Navy 4, Auburn 2, Clemson 2

BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES RANKINGS (Oct 25)

1. Florida 7-0
2. Alabama 8-0
3. Texas 7-0
4. Iowa 8-0
5. USC 6-1
6. TCU 7-0
7. Boise State 7-0
8. Cincinnati 7-0
9. LSU 6-1
10. Oregon 6-1
11. Georgia Tech 7-1
12. Penn State 7-1
13. Virginia Tech 5-2
14. Oklahoma State 6-1
15. Pittsburgh 7-1
16. Utah 6-1
17. Ohio State 6-2
18. Houston 6-1
19. Miami (FL) 5-2
20. Arizona 5-2
21. West Virginia 6-1
22. South Carolina 6-2
23. Notre Dame 5-2
24. California 5-2
25. Mississippi 5-2

Pics: Travis Bell, Sideline Carolina

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