SEC Media predictions in: Where the Gamecocks' will finish in SEC East for 2023
July 21, 2023
The Gamecocks are poised to go out near the top in the SEC’s last college football season with divisions. The Gamecocks were picked to finish third in the Eastern division behind Georgia and Tennessee in the annual preseason poll by league reporters at SEC Media Days this week in Nashville. The Gamecocks also received three first-place votes and one to win the conference outright. The media’s vote was released Friday. “Really like this 2023 team that we have returning,” Shane Beamer said at Thursday's main podium. “It’s a hungry group. They have shown they are not satisfied with just eight wins. They know that we have a higher ceiling here at Carolina and everything they have done since January embodies that.” South Carolina was voted to finish fifth in the SEC East last season. But the Gamecocks performed better than expected, posting a .500 conference record en route to finishing third behind eventual national champion Georgia and Tennessee.
The Gamecocks have improved over each of Beamer’s years at the helm. He inherited a program coming off a two-win season and took the team to seven victories in 2021 and eight in 2022, including a thrashing of No. 5 Tennessee and a rivalry win at No. 7 Clemson. “It’s a big thing with us and a big message is no complacency,” Beamer said. “We can’t assume that because things went well for us last season, because we won eight games and accomplished a lot of firsts, that it’s just automatically going to go that way again because we have got returning players.” PRESEASON ALL-SEC NODS Punter Kai Kroger earned a preseason All-SEC first-team nod. Wide receiver Antwane Wells was named to the second team. Trey Knox (TE), Tonka Hemingway (DL), Mitch Jeter (KS), and Dakereon Joyner (AP) received third-team spots.
THE 2023 PRESEASON SEC MEDIA POLL
First-place votes in (). Points are a cumulative reflection of where teams were ranked in each ballot; each place has a designated point value per vote. More points mean a higher cumulative slot in the voting.
EASTERN DIVISION
Georgia (265), 2,011 points
Tennessee (14), 1,682 points
South Carolina (3), 1,254 points
Kentucky (1), 1,204 points
Florida, 911 points
Missouri, 658 points
Vanderbilt (8), 428 points
WESTERN DIVISION
Alabama (165), 1,899 points
LSU (117), 1,838 points
Texas A&M (1), 1,144 points
Ole Miss, 1,128 points
Arkansas (3), 958 points
Auburn (4), 685 points
Mississippi State (1), 496 points
SEC CHAMPION
Georgia (181)
Alabama (62)
LSU (31)
Tennessee (5)
Vanderbilt (5)
Arkansas (2)
Auburn (2)
Texas A&M (1)
Mississippi State (1)
South Carolina (1)
July 21, 2023
The Gamecocks are poised to go out near the top in the SEC’s last college football season with divisions. The Gamecocks were picked to finish third in the Eastern division behind Georgia and Tennessee in the annual preseason poll by league reporters at SEC Media Days this week in Nashville. The Gamecocks also received three first-place votes and one to win the conference outright. The media’s vote was released Friday. “Really like this 2023 team that we have returning,” Shane Beamer said at Thursday's main podium. “It’s a hungry group. They have shown they are not satisfied with just eight wins. They know that we have a higher ceiling here at Carolina and everything they have done since January embodies that.” South Carolina was voted to finish fifth in the SEC East last season. But the Gamecocks performed better than expected, posting a .500 conference record en route to finishing third behind eventual national champion Georgia and Tennessee.
The Gamecocks have improved over each of Beamer’s years at the helm. He inherited a program coming off a two-win season and took the team to seven victories in 2021 and eight in 2022, including a thrashing of No. 5 Tennessee and a rivalry win at No. 7 Clemson. “It’s a big thing with us and a big message is no complacency,” Beamer said. “We can’t assume that because things went well for us last season, because we won eight games and accomplished a lot of firsts, that it’s just automatically going to go that way again because we have got returning players.” PRESEASON ALL-SEC NODS Punter Kai Kroger earned a preseason All-SEC first-team nod. Wide receiver Antwane Wells was named to the second team. Trey Knox (TE), Tonka Hemingway (DL), Mitch Jeter (KS), and Dakereon Joyner (AP) received third-team spots.
THE 2023 PRESEASON SEC MEDIA POLL
First-place votes in (). Points are a cumulative reflection of where teams were ranked in each ballot; each place has a designated point value per vote. More points mean a higher cumulative slot in the voting.
EASTERN DIVISION
Georgia (265), 2,011 points
Tennessee (14), 1,682 points
South Carolina (3), 1,254 points
Kentucky (1), 1,204 points
Florida, 911 points
Missouri, 658 points
Vanderbilt (8), 428 points
WESTERN DIVISION
Alabama (165), 1,899 points
LSU (117), 1,838 points
Texas A&M (1), 1,144 points
Ole Miss, 1,128 points
Arkansas (3), 958 points
Auburn (4), 685 points
Mississippi State (1), 496 points
SEC CHAMPION
Georgia (181)
Alabama (62)
LSU (31)
Tennessee (5)
Vanderbilt (5)
Arkansas (2)
Auburn (2)
Texas A&M (1)
Mississippi State (1)
South Carolina (1)
