Oct. 7, 2012

Following a convincing 35-7 rout of No. 5 Georgia on Saturday night and coupled with losses to Florida State and LSU, the University of South Carolina football squad climbed three notches to No. 3 in both the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches’ polls released today.

The No. 3 ranking is the highest for Carolina since they were 9-0 and ranked second in the nation during the 1984 season.

SEC rival Alabama (5-0) continues to lead both polls, followed by Oregon (6-0). The Gamecocks are third, just ahead of Florida, West Virginia and Kansas State in the AP poll. The coaches have West Virginia ahead of Kansas State and Florida. Georgia dropped to 14th in this week’s AP poll following its loss to Carolina.

The Gamecocks (6-0, 4-0 SEC) have extended their winning streak to a school record 10-consecutive games, the longest current streak among FBS teams, one more than Alabama, Oregon and West Virginia.

The Gamecocks have been ranked among the nation’s Top-10 teams according to the Associated Press in nine-straight polls dating back to last season. That extends their school record. The previous mark was seven, set during the 1984 campaign.

The Gamecocks will put their lofty ranking on the line Saturday night when they travel to Baton Rouge to face the LSU Tigers (5-1, 1-1 SEC). The Tigers fell to No. 9 in this week’s AP poll and are No. 8 in the coaches’ poll following their 14-6 loss at Florida on Saturday. Game time is set for 8 p.m. ET from the Bayou. The contest will be televised nationally on ESPN.