Where Clemson and South Carolina football rank in the AP Top 25 poll

For a second straight week, the South Carolina football team gathered plenty of buzz in a preseason poll — but not enough to break into the Top 25.

USC wasn’t ranked in the first edition of The Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday. The Gamecocks were second among teams receiving votes outside of the Top 25, though, unofficially positioning them as the No. 27 team in the country.

Rival Clemson came in at No. 9.

In last week’s preseason USA Today Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, the results were identical. Clemson ranked No. 9 and South Carolina was second among teams receiving votes (essentially No. 27).

South Carolina finished 2022 ranked No. 23 in the final AP poll after going 8-4 with big wins over top 10 Tennessee and Clemson teams in coach Shane Beamer’s second season.

The Gamecocks were seeking their first preseason AP Top 25 ranking since the 2014 season, when they came in at No. 9 ahead of coach Steve Spurrier’s second-to-last season.

South Carolina made its first AP Top 25 appearance in four years last season and ranked as high as No. 20 in the poll after beating Tennessee and Clemson. The Gamecocks ended up appearing in four of 16 polls last year after appearing in one of 64 polls from 2018-21.

Earlier this summer at SEC Media Days, USC was picked to finish third in the SEC Eastern Division behind reigning back-to-back national champion Georgia and Tennessee

Clemson made a 12th straight appearance in the preseason AP Top 25, but the Tigers — who’ve won seven of the last eight ACC championships but missed consecutive College Football Playoffs — did break a streak of seven straight years ranked in the preseason AP Top 5.

Conference rival Florida State ranked No. 8 in the preseason AP poll.

The Seminoles also beat out the Tigers in the preseason coaches poll, ranking No. 8 to Clemson’s No. 9. ACC media picked Clemson to win the ACC over Florida State last month, though.

South Carolina opens the season on Saturday Sept. 2 against North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte (7:30 p.m., ABC).

Clemson opens at Duke on Monday Sept. 4 (8 p.m., ESPN), marking the second straight season the Tigers have kicked off their season on Labor Day.

2023 AP preseason top 25 poll

First-place votes in parentheses

• No. 1: Georgia (60)
• No. 2: Michigan (2)
• No. 3: Ohio State (1)
• No. 4: Alabama
• No. 5: LSU
• No. 6: Southern Cal
• No. 7: Penn State
• No. 8: Florida State
• No. 9: Clemson
• No. 10: Washington
• No. 11: Texas
• No. 12: Tennessee
• No. 13: Notre Dame
• No. 14: Utah
• No. 15: Oregon
• No. 16: Kansas State
• No. 17: TCU
• No. 18: Oregon State
• No. 19: Wisconsin
• No. 20: Oklahoma
• No. 21: UNC
• No. 22: Ole Miss
• No. 23: Texas A&M
• No. 24: Tulane
• No. 25: Iowa

Other receiving votes: Texas Tech (101), South Carolina (73), UCLA (66), UTSA (64), Arkansas (22), Boise St. (17), Pittsburgh (16), Kentucky (14), Louisville (10), Troy (10), Kansas (10), Auburn (7), Minnesota (6), Toledo (4), Duke (4), Mississippi St. (4), Florida (4), Illinois (3), Baylor (3), Coastal Carolina (3), South Alabama (1), NC State (1), James Madison (1), Liberty (1)

This story was originally published August 14, 2023 at 12:01 PM with the headline "Where Clemson and South Carolina football rank in the AP Top 25 poll."

Chapel Fowler

The State

Chapel Fowler, the NSMA’s 2024 South Carolina Sportswriter of the Year, has covered Clemson football and other topics for The State since summer 2022. His work’s also been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the South Carolina Press Association and the North Carolina Press Association. He’s a Denver, N.C., native, a UNC-Chapel Hill alum and a pickup basketball enthusiast. Support my work with a digital subscription