South Carolina finished the regular season on a crazy run that made them 9-3 and even a contender to be selected for the College Football Playoff. Ultimately, the Gamecocks did not get chosen for the playoff, but instead went on to play and sadly eventually lost to Illinois in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

Now heading into 2025, it seems like South Carolina would be high up on some preseason conference rankings, maybe even in the Top 25 rankings, but if you thought that, you would be wrong. In ESPN’s latest preseason SEC power rankings, South Carolina is ranked No. 10 in the conference, which seems a little ridiculous. Here are the teams ahead of them: