South Carolina and Shane Beamer Fall Short of College Football Playoff, Finish No. 15 in Final Rankings

Photos by Myekwon Lewis
Written by Myekwon Lewis

South Carolina football fell short of making the College Football Playoff, finishing No. 15 in the final rankings and just outside the 12-team CFP bracket revealed on Sunday.

The Gamecocks were ranked No. 14 in the penultimate CFP rankings released last Tuesday. Despite finishing the regular season with a six-game win streak, South Carolina (9-3, 5-3 SEC) could not climb into playoff contention. They were ranked No. 12 in the US LBM Coaches Poll after their 17-14 victory over Clemson on November 30 but dropped to No. 14 as Clemson secured a CFP berth with an ACC Championship win over SMU on Saturday night.

Head coach Shane Beamer capped off his best season in four years at South Carolina, setting a program record for the most wins in a coach’s first four seasons. However, the team’s three losses—two of which came against SEC rivals Alabama and Ole Miss, both in CFP contention—proved costly. Alabama, like South Carolina, missed the playoff, finishing as the first team out.

 

College Football Playoff bracket

  1. Oregon (13-0)
  2. Georgia (11-2)
  3. Boise State (12-1)
  4. Arizona State (11-2)
  5. Texas (11-2)
  6. Penn State (11-2)
  7. Notre Dame (11-1)
  8. Ohio State (10-2)
  9. Tennessee (10-2)
  10. Indiana (11-1)
  11. SMU (11-2)
  12. Clemson (10-3)