2000 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

2000 South Carolina Gamecocks football
Outback Bowl champion
Outback Bowl, W 24–7 vs. Ohio State
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEastern Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 21
APNo. 19
Record8–4 (5–3 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorSkip Holtz (2nd season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorCharlie Strong (2nd season)
Home stadiumWilliams-Brice Stadium
Seasons
← 1999
2001 →
2000 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Eastern Division
No. 10 Florida x$   7 1     10 3  
No. 19 South Carolina   5 3     8 4  
No. 20 Georgia   5 3     8 4  
Tennessee   5 3     8 4  
Vanderbilt   1 7     3 8  
Kentucky   0 8     2 9  
Western Division
No. 18 Auburn x   6 2     9 4  
No. 22 LSU   5 3     8 4  
Ole Miss   4 4     7 5  
No. 24 Mississippi State   4 4     8 4  
Arkansas   3 5     6 6  
Alabama   3 5     3 8  
Championship: Florida 28, Auburn 6
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2000 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Gamecocks were led by Lou Holtz in his second season as head coach and played their home games at Williams–Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.

South Carolina made one of the biggest turnarounds in college football history, going from a winless season in 1999 to an eight-win campaign in 2000. Their first win of the season, against New Mexico State, snapped a 21-game losing streak which dated back to 1998.[1] South Carolina's turnaround in conference play was also one of the biggest in SEC history, going from 0–8 in 1999 to 5–3 in 2000, including a victory against heavily favored No. 10 Georgia that ended the Gamecocks' SEC losing streak.[2] South Carolina fans tore down the goalposts at Williams–Brice Stadium on both occasions in celebration.[1][2] Before the program's last-ever "Orange Crush" ending the regular season,[3] the Gamecocks were ranked No. 17, their highest ranking since 1988.[4] On the first day of the 21st century, the Gamecocks defeated No. 19 Ohio State in the Outback Bowl, their first bowl appearance since 1994 and only the second bowl victory in school history.[5] South Carolina finished the season ranked No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 21 in the Coaches Poll, which was only the fourth final ranking in program history.[4]

  1. ^ a b "Gamecocks End Loss Streak at 21". Washington Post. January 11, 2024. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Georgia Georgia/South Carolina S. Carolina College Football recap on ESPN". www.espn.com. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  3. ^ Kendall, Josh (October 29, 2014). "Orange Crush not what it used to be". The State. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "South Carolina Gamecocks Poll History". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  5. ^ "South Carolina Gamecocks Bowls". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2024.