Week 13 brought a whirlwind of change in the College Football Playoff scenario as far as the SEC is concerned. Three playoff hopefuls suffered losses including Ole Miss and Alabama, opening the door for ACC teams. Both Lane Kiffin and Kalen DeBoer’s teams now have three losses to their name. Amidst their struggles, a surprise name has also emerged as a contender in the SEC.

Another three-loss SEC program that now has an outside chance of making the playoffs is South Carolina. Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks have won five games in a row and hold a 5-3 record. Things might look up for them given the rankings released by the College Football Playoff committee. South Carolina is ranked No.15, which means they have moved three spots from their last ranking.

Yes, they are still behind Ole Miss and Alabama, who are ranked No. 14 and No. 13 respectively. However, CBS analyst Dave Portnoy is rooting for Beamer’s program. On the Barstool College Football Show, the analyst said, “The major issue is how you play down the stretch should weigh in more like when you have these teams in the middle, give me the team that hasn’t lost in six weeks, that’s my South Carolina.”

South Carolina plays rivals Clemson, who are ranked No. 12, at the weekend and if they win, this would be their fourth victory over a ranked opponent in seven such games. That’s what was enough to woo Portnoy, as the analyst stated, “They would be finishing up with Clemson but they beaten good teams. A&M they beat by 24. They’ve beaten a hot Vanderbilt team playing well, they have beaten Missouri.” Now let’s focus on the other programs that are in the same position as Beamer.

The three games that South Carolina lost were against ranked teams. But what about the programs that are ahead of them? For instance, Ole Miss and Alabama lost to unranked teams. Thus, in a nutshell, the Gamecocks’ losses look better than the others in question. Portnoy’s comments about South Carolina are in stark contrast to what Barstool Sports analyst Brandon Walker had to say about the program, leading to a war of words.

A war of words over Shane Beamer’s South Carolina’s future

The hoopla started with Barstool Sports analyst Brandon Walker dishing out a brutal comment on Beamer and his boys. Carolina unlocking their fourth SEC win, crushing Missouri after they fell to the last rank, to No.16  after allowing 13 sacks for minus 103 yards is what made them get back in the limelight.

So just when the Gamecocks started to climb the ladder, analyst Walker pitched in to give his brutal take on the program, “The biggest lie that the national media guys have tried to sell you lately is that South Carolina is good.”

He sprinkled some salt on Beamer’s wounds by claiming, “They are a thoroughly average team.” That’s when Josh Pate stepped in. He straightway re-shared Beamer’s tweet and threw an open challenge, “I screenshat this just in case.” Yes, even before Portnoy, Pate believed in the Gamecocks’ talent to flip the script in their favor.

But Brandon Walker being the tough nut he is, replied to Josh Pate claiming, “It’s still true.” But now, Shane Beamer’s program is possibly a win away from answering to Walker and qualifying for the playoffs.