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South Carolina finishes ranked No. 4 in Coaches, AP Poll

The 2013 Gamecocks achieved the highest final poll ranking in program history.

Scott Halleran

Thanks to an impressive 34-24 bowl win over Wisconsin and several losses by teams ranked ahead of South Carolina heading into bowl season, the Gamecocks finished the season ranked No. 4 in both of the major polls. The ranking represents the best season-ending position in program history.

After dipping to No. 20 following a disheartening loss to Tennessee, South Carolina rattled off six straight wins to close out the year and finish in the top five. Losses by Ohio State, Baylor, Stanford, and Alabama allowed the Gamecocks to move up into the top four.

The Gamecocks finish the year 5-0 against top 25 opponents, including a 3-0 mark against the top ten.

Steve Spurrier released the following statement on the Gamecocks' best-ever finish:

"Being ranked No. 4 in both major polls is an honor for the University of South Carolina and for our football program. Thanks to the players for achieving another 11-2 record. Thanks also to the coaches, the support staff and our fans for their contributions. Also thanks to the voters for thinking so highly of us. We are very appreciative and thankful for being the highest-ranked team in school history and hope to do better next year."

The AP Poll

Ranking School Last Week
1 Florida State 1
2 Auburn 2
3 Michigan State 4
4 South Carolina 8
5 Missouri 9
6 Oklahoma 11
7 Alabama 3
8 Clemson 12
9 Oregon 10
10 UCF 15
11 Stanford 5
12 Ohio State 7
13 Baylor 6
14 LSU 14
15 Louisville 18
16 UCLA 17
17 Oklahoma State 13
18 Texas A&M 20
19 USC 26
20 Notre Dame 25
21 Arizona State 16
22 Wisconsin 19
23 Duke 22
24 Vanderbilt 29
25 Washington 33

The ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

RANK TEAM RECORD POINTS FIRST PLACE VOTES PREVIOUS RANK CHANGE HI/LOW*
1 Florida State
Seminoles
14-0 1475 59 1 1/10
2 Auburn
Tigers
12-2 1388 0 2 2/NR
3 Michigan State
Spartans
13-1 1375 0 4 1 3/NR
4 South Carolina
Gamecocks
11-2 1219 0 8 4 4/20
5 Missouri
Tigers
12-2 1200 0 9 4 5/NR
6 Oklahoma
Sooners
11-2 1189 0 10 4 6/18
7 Clemson
Tigers
11-2 1091 0 11 4 4/11
8 Alabama
Crimson Tide
11-2 1086 0 3 5 1/8
9 Oregon
Ducks
11-2 975 0 12 3 2/12
10 Stanford
Cardinal
11-3 872 0 7 3 4/13
10 Ohio State
Buckeyes
12-2 872 0 6 4 2/10
12 Central Florida
Knights
12-1 865 0 15 3 12/NR
13 Baylor
Bears
11-2 796 0 5 8 4/NR
14 LSU
Tigers
10-3 719 0 14 6/19
15 Louisville
Cardinals
12-1 703 0 16 1 6/17
16 UCLA
Bruins
10-3 597 0 18 2 10/22
17 Oklahoma State
Cowboys
10-3 587 0 13 4 6/20
18 Texas A&M
Aggies
9-4 443 0 21 3 6/25
19 USC
Trojans
10-4 313 0 NR 19/NR
20 Arizona State
Sun Devils
10-4 302 0 17 3 13/NR
21 Wisconsin
Badgers
9-4 266 0 19 2 14/NR
22 Duke
Blue Devils
10-4 202 0 21 1 20/NR
23 Vanderbilt
Commodores
9-4 180 0 NR 23/NR
24 Notre Dame
Fighting Irish
9-4 125 0 NR 13/NR
25 Nebraska
Cornhuskers
9-4 123 0 NR 15/NR

Others Receiving VotesWashington 67; Fresno State 54; Northern Illinois 21; Marshall 17; Texas Tech 13; Kansas State 11; Mississippi 7; Texas 4; Miami (Fla.) 4; East Carolina 3; Cincinnati 3; Arizona 2; North Texas 2; Utah State 2; Navy 1; Louisiana-Lafayette 1.

Do you think South Carolina is deserving of its No. 4 ranking? Are the Gamecocks really the fourth-best team in the country?

If you had been told at the beginning of the season that the Gamecocks would miss out on Atlanta but would finish in the top four and ranked second-highest among SEC teams, would you have been satisfied with that?