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, came two years to the day after their previous win, against Ball State on September 2, 1998. 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 a heavily favored Georgia team that ended the Gamecocks' SEC losing streak. South Carolina fans tore down the goalposts at Williams-Brice Stadium on both occasions in celebration. On New Year's Day 2001, the Gamecocks defeated Ohio State in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida. South Carolina finished the season ranked #19 in the AP Poll and #21 in the Coaches Poll.