CBS named the best team in Gamecocks history. Did they get it right?
July 06, 2018
South Carolina football has produced more than a few great teams in its history. But which one would be considered the best?
According to CBS Sports writer Barrett Sallee, it's one of a recent vintage.
In an exercise of picking the best team ever from each SEC school, he picked the 2012 Gamecocks as USC's top squad. That was the middle team in the run of 11-2 seasons, one that finished No. 8 in the country behind Jadeveon Clowney's top college season.
"Two years after winning the SEC East title for the first time ever, South Carolina nearly did it again in 2012 in a division that was demonstrably better than it was two years prior," Sallee wrote. "The Gamecocks started the season ranked No. 9 behind star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, quarterback Connor Shaw, running back Marcus Lattimore and defensive back D.J. Swearinger. They moved up to No. 3 after throttling eventual SEC East champion No. 5 Georgia 35-7 in Columbia. But a heart-breaking 23-21 loss at LSU followed by a 44-11 shellacking at No. 3 Florida the following week prevented the Gamecocks from winning the East. Despite that, they ran the table, won the Outback Bowl over Michigan."
That loss to Florida came against current coach Will Muschamp. USC held the Gators to 183 yards but were undone by a slew of turnovers.
Clowney was a consensus All-American. Shaw and backup Dylan Thompson each threw for more than 1,000 yards.
That squad face seven teams with eight or more wins, five with nine or more and four with between 10 and 12.
The other candidates for best USC teams ever:
▪ The 2011 and 2013 teams that each won 11 games, which finished No. 9 and No. 4 respectively.
▪ The 1984 team that rose to No. 2 in the polls after a 9-0 start and finished 10-2.
▪ The 2010 team that claimed the only SEC East title in program history and upset No. 1 Alabama.
▪ The 1969 team that won the ACC, the program's only conference title.
▪ The 1987 team that lost four games, all to top-13 opponents, and knocked off 10-1 Clemson.
July 06, 2018
South Carolina football has produced more than a few great teams in its history. But which one would be considered the best?
According to CBS Sports writer Barrett Sallee, it's one of a recent vintage.
In an exercise of picking the best team ever from each SEC school, he picked the 2012 Gamecocks as USC's top squad. That was the middle team in the run of 11-2 seasons, one that finished No. 8 in the country behind Jadeveon Clowney's top college season.
"Two years after winning the SEC East title for the first time ever, South Carolina nearly did it again in 2012 in a division that was demonstrably better than it was two years prior," Sallee wrote. "The Gamecocks started the season ranked No. 9 behind star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, quarterback Connor Shaw, running back Marcus Lattimore and defensive back D.J. Swearinger. They moved up to No. 3 after throttling eventual SEC East champion No. 5 Georgia 35-7 in Columbia. But a heart-breaking 23-21 loss at LSU followed by a 44-11 shellacking at No. 3 Florida the following week prevented the Gamecocks from winning the East. Despite that, they ran the table, won the Outback Bowl over Michigan."
That loss to Florida came against current coach Will Muschamp. USC held the Gators to 183 yards but were undone by a slew of turnovers.
Clowney was a consensus All-American. Shaw and backup Dylan Thompson each threw for more than 1,000 yards.
That squad face seven teams with eight or more wins, five with nine or more and four with between 10 and 12.
The other candidates for best USC teams ever:
▪ The 2011 and 2013 teams that each won 11 games, which finished No. 9 and No. 4 respectively.
▪ The 1984 team that rose to No. 2 in the polls after a 9-0 start and finished 10-2.
▪ The 2010 team that claimed the only SEC East title in program history and upset No. 1 Alabama.
▪ The 1969 team that won the ACC, the program's only conference title.
▪ The 1987 team that lost four games, all to top-13 opponents, and knocked off 10-1 Clemson.