South Carolina 1 of 12 teams ranked near top of college football in offense and defense, according to analytics metric

There’s an old adage that goes something like this: A team doesn’t have to be elite on both sides of the football to be great, but they do have to be good on both sides of the football to be great. According to analytics guru Kelley Ford, that could be the boat South Carolina football finds itself in this season.

According to the KFord Ratings preseason power metrics, the Gamecocks are one of just 12 teams nationally that rank inside the top 26 in both offensive and defensive rating.

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Ford’s metrics rank South Carolina No. 26 overall offensively with an 81.3 rating (100 is max, 50 is FBS average). In the SEC, that puts the Gamecocks eighth.

The KFord defensive rankings position the Gamecocks No. 16 overall with a 91.2 rating. USC is seventh in-conference, according to Ford.

South Carolina also ranks 51st nationally in special teams with a 64.5 rating. That is good for 12th in the conference.

Earlier this preseason, Ford revealed that South Carolina is his No. 17 team in the country. His metrics have Shane Beamer’s team as 14.8 points per game above FBS average. The Gamecocks own a 7.1-4.9 projected record in the KFord Ratings. In all, he gives the team an 87% chance of reaching bowl eligibility and a 40% chance of winning at least eight games.

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According to the analytics model, South Carolina is a heavy favorite in five games this season. In Ford’s current projections, the Gamecocks have a 72% chance to beat Virginia Tech, a 99% chance to beat South Carolina State, an 80% chance to win against Vanderbilt, an 80% chance to triumph over Kentucky, and a 96% chance to defeat Coastal Carolina.

USC is also a moderate favorite twice by Ford’s standards. He gives Carolina a 53% chance to beat Missouri and a 57% chance to beat Oklahoma.

In five “underdog” contests, South Carolina has a 46% chance to beat Clemson, a 37% chance to knock off Ole Miss, a 34% chance to topple Alabama, a 32% chance to handle Texas A&M, and a 28% chance to defeat LSU.

Ford gives the Gamecocks the best opportunity to unseat Clemson of any team on the Tigers’ schedule. He also gives South Carolina the second-best chance of anyone to defeat Alabama.

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