On Thursday, ESPN released its pre-camp edition of its Football Power Index (FPI). South Carolina popped up in the FPI top 25, a higher position than after a disappointing 2025.

As one of 12 Southeastern Conference teams included, South Carolina is the FPI’s No. 23 overall team.

The entire FPI top 25 can be seen below:

Ohio State Buckeyes

Texas Longhorns

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Oregon Ducks

Georgia Bulldogs

Indiana Hoosiers

Miami Hurricanes

Alabama Crimson Tide

LSU Tigers

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Texas A&M Aggies

Oklahoma Sooners

Southern Cal Trojans

Ole Miss Rebels

Michigan Wolverines

Tennessee Volunteers

Penn State Nittany Lions

Florida Gators

Clemson Tigers

BYU Cougars

Missouri Tigers

Auburn Tigers

South Carolina Gamecocks

SMU Mustangs

Iowa Hawkeyes

What does this mean for the Gamecocks? Kevin Miller and fellow subscribers are discussing it now on The Insiders Forum.

The ESPN FPI ranks South Carolina’s strength of schedule as the 10th-most difficult in the country. The schedule contains seven teams within the FPI top 25, all inside the top 19. With that slate ahead of them, the analytics model gives the Gamecocks a 66.6% chance of reaching the six wins necessary to earn bowl eligibility.

The other odds-based predictions in the Thursday reveal were a little lower for Carolina.

ESPN says that the Gamecocks have just a 1.3% chance of winning the SEC. Shane Beamer’s team has a higher probability of making its way to the College Football Playoff, however. The FPI lists USC as having a 10.7% chance of making the 12-team field for the first time.

Within that 10.7%, ESPN has South Carolina as having a 1.0% chance of advancing to the CFP National Championship title game. That also came with a 0.4% chance of winning it all.