As the 2025 college football season approaches, buzz around South Carolina continues to build. Coming off a strong finish to their 2024 campaign, the Gamecocks have become a trendy pick to shake up the SEC and possibly contend for a spot in the newly expanded College Football Playoff. Fueled by momentum, a top-tier recruiting class, and a pair of returning stars in quarterback LaNorris Sellers and edge rusher Dylan Stewart, South Carolina appears to have all the ingredients for a breakthrough season under head coach Shane Beamer.
However, not everyone is on board with the Gamecock hype train.
Veteran college football analyst Phil Steele—widely respected for his in-depth preseason previews and meticulous statistical research—offered a much more tempered projection in his 2025 season outlook. According to Steele, South Carolina is predicted to finish in a tie for 10th place in the SEC, a ranking that sharply contrasts with the optimism expressed by other national outlets.
Steele’s complete SEC predictions placed the Gamecocks alongside Auburn in that 10th-place tie, behind traditional powerhouses like Georgia, Alabama, and LSU, as well as newer contenders such as Texas and Oklahoma, who are entering their second year in the conference. Even Florida, Tennessee, and Ole Miss received more favorable placements in Steele’s preseason pecking order.
Here’s how Steele forecasts the full SEC standings for the 2025 season:
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Texas Longhorns
- Alabama Crimson Tide
T-4. Oklahoma Sooners
T-4. Texas A&M Aggies
T-4. LSU Tigers
T-7. Florida Gators
T-7. Tennessee Volunteers
T-7. Ole Miss Rebels
T-10. South Carolina Gamecocks
T-10. Auburn Tigers
T-12. Arkansas Razorbacks
T-12. Missouri Tigers - Vanderbilt Commodores
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Mississippi State Bulldogs
The placement is especially surprising given how South Carolina ended its 2024 season—rattling off six consecutive regular-season wins, finishing with serious momentum, and earning national attention as a program on the rise. With another top-20 recruiting class secured and key returners at critical positions, many fans and analysts expected the Gamecocks to open the 2025 season as one of the dark horse favorites in the SEC.
Phil Steele’s lower-than-expected ranking may reflect concerns about depth, schedule strength, or a wait-and-see approach with some of South Carolina’s young talent. While Sellers and Stewart have received plenty of preseason attention—both are viewed as potential All-Americans—the rest of the roster may still have something to prove on the national stage, especially in a deep and reloaded SEC.
Despite the skepticism, Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks have made a habit of outperforming expectations in recent years. Steele’s projection could very well serve as bulletin board material for a team looking to break through the SEC glass ceiling.
With a challenging but opportunity-laden schedule ahead, South Carolina will have every chance to prove doubters wrong—and perhaps turn Phil Steele’s cautious forecast into a footnote by season’s end.