Shane Beamer Advocates for South Carolina’s Spot in College Football Playoff
Back in January, as the aftermath of a 5-7 season still hung over South Carolina, Shane Beamer addressed his team for the first time ahead of the 2024 season. He mentioned the goal of reaching a bowl game, aiming to return to the postseason after missing it the previous year. Immediately following the meeting, five-star freshman edge rusher Dylan Stewart, who had only been on campus for about two days, approached Beamer with a bold statement.
“Enough of this bowl talk,” Beamer recalled Stewart saying. “We have higher expectations than that.”
Fast forward to Saturday afternoon, after South Carolina’s 17-14 victory over No. 12 Clemson, Beamer stood at the podium making his case for the Gamecocks to be included in the College Football Playoff.
“I believe we deserve a spot in the 12-team playoff,” Beamer stated. “I understand the committee’s job is tough. They have to pick the 12 best teams. We have three losses, but when you look at our strength of schedule (No. 15 in FBS), and our road wins (4-1) in tough environments, we’ve played in hostile settings every week. Our only road loss was a two-point defeat at Alabama.”
Heading into the Clemson game, the No. 15 Gamecocks (9-3) were on the fringes of the playoff picture, with just a 58% chance of making the 12-team field. But their win over the Tigers, which extended their winning streak to six games, bolstered their playoff hopes.
“If the committee’s job is to pick the 12 best teams,” Beamer argued, “you tell me, on selection Sunday, who would be excited to face this team the way we’re playing? That’s what I base my argument on.”
Beamer made a strong case. While many teams in college football have been inconsistent, South Carolina has been on a tear. Just days before the Clemson game, Georgia required eight overtimes to beat a 7-5 Georgia Tech team, and Michigan (7-5) knocked off No. 2 Ohio State. This came after a week when six teams in the Top 16 lost.
The Gamecocks have been on a six-game winning streak since October 12. While they have losses to LSU, Ole Miss, and Alabama, none of them are particularly damaging.
“I don’t know if anyone is playing better football than we are right now,” Beamer said. “Six straight wins, four of them over ranked teams, and two of those on the road. Outside of the Alabama loss, this was the first close road game we had all season.”
He added, “We are hot. You want to be peaking at the end of the season, and we certainly are.”
The next College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, with the final selections and playoff bracket revealed next Sunday, Dec. 8.
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