Well, South Carolina just shoved its chips to the center of the table. How? By betting big on Shane Beamer with an $8.15 million-a-year deal through 2030 that puts him shoulder to shoulder with Brent Venables. Now, despite a 9-3 season, the Gamecocks’ championship aspirations didn’t make opponents flinch at the logo. Cousin Shane enters, declaring that respect isn’t given, it’s earned. But will Beamer’s strength propel South Carolina into the SEC’s major ranks, a league where powerhouses thrive and the weak perish?

Now, let’s get straight to the point. Shane Beamer led South Carolina came close to a playoff spot last season, but the Gamecocks ultimately fell short of making the 12-team cut. An SEC insider, Cousin Shane, believes this indicates they haven’t truly established themselves as contenders in the conference. He challenges Beamer to focus on winning games, transforming the team culture, and making opponents fear the logo. Right now, teams see South Carolina and chalk up a win. Beamer must flip that script—no more almost, just pure dominance.

“South Carolina should be higher on this list, but the reason that they’re not is because they don’t respect him like they should, Mike. it’s that simple South Carolina it’s almost like they have to win extra games to get the respect they deserve the fact that they were on The Fringe of the college football playoffs wasn’t good enough.” It’s South Carolina that is not among the elite teams of the SEC, and despite taking the program from 5-7 to 9-3 this season, the team still lacks the recognition it deserves.

Moreover, South Carolina is still not at the level it aspires to be, with their victories reflecting this. Looking at the 2024 schedule, victories over teams like Old Dominion, Akron, and Wofford do not make a significant impact. As Cousin Shane put it, those are “teams that nobody likes to watch anyway.” On the other hand, losses to Alabama and Ole Miss highlight the root of the issue. To gain genuine respect, South Carolina must secure victories that make opponents wary of facing them, rather than just accumulating wins against weaker teams.

Let’s not forget the impressive victories of Shane Beamer’s team against Clemson, Vanderbilt (who defeated Bama), and Kentucky. These wins hold substance, not just superficial success. Even Cousin Shane envisions a promising future, especially with a similar upcoming schedule that includes facing Clemson and Vanderbilt again. As he puts it, “I feel like South Carolina can move up this list; they’ve got a Heisman quarterback, and they’ve got one of the best defenses in the country.” That’s true; the team does have Heisman-worthy players like LaNorris Sellers, and even their defense was ranked 3rd in the SEC last season.

However, the real challenge lies in securing 11 wins in the competitive SEC landscape while managing the constant threat of transfers depleting the roster. And let’s be real, South Carolina hasn’t consistently achieved 11-win seasons, making this goal both ambitious and risky. With the new CFP proposal, the stakes are now even higher.

Uncertainties lie on Shane Beamer’s future hopes

So, the SEC and Big Ten just flipped the script on the CFP. Despite the 12-team playoff being relatively new, they are already advocating for a larger format of either 14 or 16 teams. Notably, the major beneficiaries of this adjustment are the SEC and Big Ten. The new proposal secures four automatic bids for each of them, while the ACC and Big 12 only receive two. Although the Group of Five teams still have a chance, it is evident that the SEC and Big Ten are solidifying their positions as the dominant forces in the sport, leaving the rest to compete for fewer opportunities.

Meanwhile, Shane Beamer has arrived in New Orleans for the SEC meetings, with an eye on the future. He recently tweeted about Rattler’s NFL journey, emphasizing the bigger implications of these meetings saying, “What’s up ⁦ @SpencerRattler?? Just landed in New Orleans w @JDonati_SC ⁩ for SEC Meetings… Excited to see what you’re going to continue to do in that Dome down there going forward!!”

It’s evident that they have the potential to reshape the playoff landscape, but South Carolina must stay competitive. And Shane Beamer understands that if the SEC secures more playoff spots, it improves South Carolina’s chances of making a breakthrough. As then a 9-3 record will perfectly work for them.

Now the catch is that implementing this plan could significantly transform college football’s structure. This plan, if implemented, might make conference championship games less important, cause non-conference matches to be overlooked, and weaken the power of the playoff selection committee. The decisions of the SEC and Big Ten will hold the most weight in determining how things will unfold. While they will seek input from other conferences, the SEC and Big Ten clearly make the primary decisions. The main question now is whether other conferences can adapt to these changes or if the gap between the SEC, Big Ten, and the rest of college football will widen.