When it comes to College Football Playoff predictions, you expect to see names like Georgia, Michigan, and Alabama showing up year after year. But in a recent FanSided article projecting potentials for the 2025-26 College Football Playoff field, one name stood out more than the rest — and not for the reasons you'd think.
Yep, Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks are getting some major respect in these early playoff projections — pegged as the fourth SEC team expected to make the cut. That’s a bold take in a loaded league, but if you followed South Carolina’s 2024 campaign, it may not be that outlandish.
The Gamecocks went 9-3 in the regular season last year, right on the cusp of a playoff berth in the inaugural 12-team format. A couple of close calls kept them just outside the bracket, but the program showed serious signs of growth. Beamer’s squad played with edge, and even without a star-studded roster like some of their SEC counterparts, they proved they could hang with anyone.
What makes this 2025 prediction so interesting is that FanSided's John Buhler is banking on South Carolina not just maintaining last season’s momentum — but building on it in a big way. And they might not be wrong. With the expanded playoff giving a wider path to teams who may not win their conference but still prove worthy of a shot, South Carolina’s blend of toughness and returning talent — headlined by LaNorris Sellers and Dylan Stewart — gives them a real opportunity.
The SEC isn’t going anywhere, and the FanSided projection includes Georgia, Alabama, and Ole Miss — all familiar faces in the contender conversation. But it’s South Carolina's name that really pops. Not just because it’s unexpected, but because it could signal a changing landscape. The 12-team playoff makes room for more than just blue bloods.
What’s more, the article also throws a curveball from the Big Ten side. Illinois is projected to be close to getting in — not quite playoff bound, but definitely in the discussion. That alone should raise some eyebrows. The Illini have hovered around relevance the last few seasons, but haven’t been able to fully break through. Still, Bret Bielema has instilled a clear identity, and if they can put together the right run, an appearance in the 11–13 range of rankings isn’t out of the question.
If that does happen, of course, it'd also be interesting just based on the fact that the two teams played one another in the Citrus Bowl last December. So, going from being a Citrus Bowl participant to making the College Football Playoff would be quite the leap for either program.
FanSided’s prediction may not play out exactly as written — these things rarely do. But it’s a reminder that we're now operating in a world where dark horse playoff teams aren't just possible — they’re going to be part of the new normal.