SOUTH CAROLINA JOINS CLEMSON AMONG NATION’S UNRANKED FOOTBALL PROGRAMS
By FITSNews || How the mighty have fallen …
After finishing the 2013 season ranked No. 4 in the nation – and starting the 2014 campaign ranked No. 9 – head coach Steve Spurrier’s University of South Carolina Gamecocks find themselves out of the Top 25 for the first time in more than four years.
The Gamecocks plunged from No. 13 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 15 in the Amway Coaches’ poll to the “others receiving votes” section of both rankings.
It’s the first time since Week 2 of the 2010 season that South Carolina hasn’t been nationally ranked – snapping a school record streak of 69 consecutive polls. Last week Clemson saw its streak of 50 consecutive polls snapped. The Tigers (3-2, 1-1 ACC) remained unranked for a second consecutive week despite a 50-35 win over North Carolina.
For Gamecock fans, the plunge out of the polls was especially bittersweet given the way their team lost.
Leading Missouri 20-7 with less than seven-and-a-half minutes remaining, Spurrier’s Gamecocks (3-2, 2-2 SEC) simply couldn’t hang on – surrendering a pair of touchdowns in the waning moments of the game while sputtering offensively en route to a season low 338 total yards.
The end result? A 21-20 loss to the Tigers (4-1, 1-0 SEC) – who climbed back into the AP Top 25 after a one week absence.
It was also bittersweet given the expectations raised by Spurrier during the offseason.
Defending national champion Florida State remained No. 1 in the AP poll, although three other teams – Oregon, Alabama and Oklahoma received first place votes. Alabama leapfrogged Florida State to assume the No. 1 ranking in the Amway Coaches’ poll, even though the Seminoles received more first-place votes than head coach Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide.
Here are the complete rankings …
AP TOP 25 (September 28)
1. Florida State (27) 4-0, 1416
2. Oregon (13) 4-0, 1405
3. Alabama (13) 4-0, 1387
4. Oklahoma (7) 4-0, 1357
5. Auburn 4-0, 1272
6. Texas A&M 5-0, 1206
7. Baylor 4-0, 1149
8. UCLA 4-0, 975
9. Notre Dame 4-0, 972
10. Michigan State 3-1, 944
11. Ole Miss 4-0, 906
12. Mississippi State 4-0, 848
13. Georgia 3-1, 788
14. Stanford 3-1, 643
15. LSU 4-1, 636
16. USC 3-1, 560
17. Wisconsin 3-1, 502
18. BYU 4-0, 450
19. Nebraska 5-0, 445
20. Ohio State 3-1, 298
21. Oklahoma State 3-1, 246
22. East Carolina 3-1, 237
23. Kansas State 3-1, 216
24. Missouri 4-1, 145
25. TCU 3-0, 109
Dropped from rankings: South Carolina 13, Arizona State 15.
Others receiving votes: Arizona State 97, South Carolina 61, Clemson 52, Arizona 43, Marshall 40, Georgia Tech 37, West Virginia 24, Arkansas 18, Maryland 5, Louisville 4, North Dakota State 3, Washington 2, North Carolina State 1, Virginia 1.
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AMWAY COACHES POLL (September 28)
1. Alabama (15) 4-0, 1477
2. Florida State (26) 4-0, 1468
3. Oklahoma (14) 4-0, 1442
4. Oregon (7) 4-0, 1407
5. Auburn 4-0, 1312
6. Baylor 4-0, 1191
7. Texas A&M 5-0, 1172
8. Notre Dame 4-0, 1072
9. UCLA 4-0, 1007
10. Michigan State 3-1, 975
11. Ole Miss 4-0, 907
12. Georgia 3-1, 824
13. Stanford 3-1, 735
14. Mississippi State 4-0, 708
15. LSU 4-1, 587
16. Wisconsin 3-1, 571
17. Nebraska 5-0, 559
18. Ohio State 3-1, 474
19. BYU 4-0, 473
20. USC 3-1, 392
21. East Carolina 3-1, 255
22. Kansas State 3-1, 253
23. Oklahoma State 3-1, 216
24. Arizona State 3-1, 148
25. TCU 3-0, 86
Dropped from rankings: South Carolina 15, Duke 23.
Others receiving votes: Missouri 83, South Carolina 82, Clemson 81, Arizona 59, Marshall 49, Georgia Tech 39, Washington 10, Louisville 8, Duke 7, North Carolina 7, Arkansas 5, Iowa 3, Minnesota 3, Texas 1, West Virginia 1, Cincinnati 1.
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44 comments
The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Gamecock Eleven that day;
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game;
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair;
The rest clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast …….
( sigh)
Isn’t the name “Gamecocks” disrespectful to cocks?
The mystique of the cocks must be preserved, so that women don’t begin to see them as “ho hum.”
Our virility hangs in the balance.. literally!
“ho hum” — is that anything like a” ho’ hummer?”
That’s on the other end of the spectrum. I remember when women used to sing to it out of respect!
Bye-the-bye, do ya’ know what’s better than a “nooner”..?
I’m sure I do… but it’s good of you to make a special point of letting me know a particularly funny alternative.
A “Sooner”..!!
Lol!!!!! Spurrier is gonna go nuts on an assistant or a player and that will be sad. Oh wait, he does that every week.
What’s a Gamecock?
And deservedly so!
The only problem that i have with the Gamecocks is that the preseason hype and discussions always make it sound like they will be the SEC Champions and probably a BCS Champion. I listen to all that and get real excited when the games start and then loses to A&M and Missouri come out of left field. Huh!! I was expecting the Gamecocks to win out this season as was explained to me during the preseason. Let’s be honest during preseason so that we can enjoy the games without high expectations. Last night I almost had a heart attack watching the game as expectations were high on a win (ie. preseason talk)! If they are not going to win all the games, don’t lay this information on us during preseason. Let’s look at it realistically at preseason: that they have chances to win during these games and no chances to win during these games. Then maybe we can all enjoy watching the games without having to call ambulatory services.
LOL That damn preseason hype, if not for that they might have won.
SC finished No. 4 in the nation last season. Who knew Lo’ Ward had not re-stocked the D w/ SEC level talent? We were told Lo’ was a defensive genius. That was the hype. Can’t blame us for not knowing better until we saw if for ourselves.
Don’t you know Spurrier is pissed?
Coaches hate it when they have the game in hand and then lose. It makes them look bad for the whole game not just the last seven minutes. Like, they didn’t go for two or they went for a fourth and one on their own their forty early in the game.
Pissed, puts it mildly.
the game in hand
—–
hehhheheheh
the game in hand
—–
hehahahahhehe
nail that man’s foot to the deck!
I ran into a lot of people, today, who are pissed at Spurrier.
“SOUTH CAROLINA JOINS CLEMSON AMONG NATION’S UNRANKED FOOTBALL PROGRAMS”
I still say they’ll both end up in the top 20 by the end of the season.
Duh!!!
SCPSD is covering the Mizou Defensive Collapse the best, considering what the Reason for it is. Others are just dancing around. FITS is just like all the other media who have an issue w/ Steve Superior’s superiority over them.
Spurrier complimented the defense. For most of the game, it played well. “Offensively, we didn’t quite play normal like we do.”
If you go read SCPSD, you’ll gt a better understand as to why Spurrier was calm and resolute, Saturday night. I think the Mizzou game answered his questions, and solidified what now must be done. I’m trying to explain that FITS, and so much lock-step, trite media read things into coverage, to suit their own personal feelings, failings and hopes. That discredits them,because they HATE Spurrier. He defies their authority. I love the Gamecocks, so you’ll see what the true fan needs to know from reading a more credible source of sentiment, after that game…And usually the proof is in the puddin’ from both accounts.
Who really gives a shit?
You must: (: …Dumb@$$….(:
Please stop. Your blog is a joke, and we all feel kind of sorry for you. It’s getting awkward.
This. Begging for someone..ANYONE to come read the ramblings of someone who wants to curse but just can’t quite do it. That’s journalistic integrity right there.
Mauk trucked him, literally and in the polls.
Still,they have beaten the nos.12 and 21 teams.
In a libertarian universe, the Gamecocks would simply buy the championship.
In the liberal universe, their would be no winners or losers.
Liberals were the inventors of the “Participant” ribbon.
Can’t hide class….
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ByllzVSCMAESnPC.jpg:large
Clemson fans do this too, of course, but I doubt we’ll see a “Stay Classy, Gamecock Fans” post on this cock loving blog.
Wow, the fan of the team with a frat death cover up, or all frat activity just recently suspended due to sexual misconduct is talking?
Your arms must be very long..thats a pretty far reach.
19 year old’s death vs Cayce-ites consistently showing their class by flipping off the camera.
Yeah, I get that analogy.
I’ve seen just as many Taters do it too, so you might want to be careful before you step in your own BS
You’ve seen “taters” compare a 19 year old’s death to someone flipping the bird to the camera?
When was this? And What did that make you think about the person doing it?
suuuure you have…
stay classy, eat it.
what kind of jackass uses the death of a kid as flamebait?
Class? Like YOU know what that means…
Sakerlina has a good shot of being defeated by 4 Land-grant Universities…3 with Tigers as mascots…
USC football is done for 2014. Dylan can not find the open receiver. If his primary target (play signaled in from sideline) is not open the play is busted. If there is any pressure the play is busted. If the primary target is open, Dylan has shown a less than 60% chance of hitting him. He is not capable of reading coverage for any other receiver if the primary target is covered and then, maybe, a 40% chance of making a completion to a secondary or tertiary target. Seems the HBC is going to keep him in for the season. I disagree with his decision. Connor Mitch can’t possibly be as feeble as Thompson. I blame Mangus. Wilds and Davis are expected to play next season, but who knows. They could leave for a paycheck. Who can blame them. Thompson gets behind early and the HBC abandons the running game to catch up. Stoops over at KY is our next loss.
BTW, that sandstorm music and the ditties from the band (daaaa da da da duhhh) when the defense is on the field should be scrapped. As for 2015, Ward gets canned and Mitch is QB? Keeping Mangus will be a mistake too. Keeping Mangus will be a mistake too. Get rid of Mangus before he pollutes Connor Mitch as well. Mangus fouled up Garcia and Thompson. Shaw had guts not good coaching from Mangus.
Without a bowl game this year, how many recruits will we lose? It is that critical. The loss at home to Missouri was simply pathetic. Truly pathetic. I am blaming Ward, Mangus, and the Spurriers for 2014’s losses. P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C
Misery loves company I suppose.
They need to stop letting Nikki into the locker room.