Think of the rankings as a “right here, right now” thing. Instead of a snapshot of the whole season, the rankings instead reflect how each team is playing right now; thus, in some cases teams are ranked ahead of teams that beat them earlier in the season.
14. South Carolina (3-9)
Last week: L, 37-32 to Clemson. Next: Season over.
The buzz: The Gamecocks showed some fight against their archrival. This is the Gamecocks’ worst season since they went 0-11 in 1999, Lou Holtz’s first year at the school.