After South Carolina's 17-14 victory over in-state rival and CFP 12th-ranked Clemson, head coach Shane Beamer made his case for the Gamecocks to earn a spot in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, highlighting a resume that looks increasingly impressive as the regular season concludes with the Gamecocks on a 6-game win streak.

The win marked South Carolina's fourth victory over a ranked opponent this season, with the 15th-ranked Gamecocks (9-3) adding Clemson to a list that already included Texas A&M, Missouri, and Vanderbilt. Despite carrying three losses, South Carolina's strength of schedule ranks 12th nationally, featuring one of the toughest road slates in college football.

"I do believe we deserve a spot in the 12-team playoff," Beamer stated after the victory. "I get it, the committee has a really tough job. They have to choose the 12 best teams. I get it, we've got three losses. I understand that. But it's hard for me to sit here and say that we're not one of the 12 best teams in the country."

The Gamecocks' road record particularly stands out, improving to 4-1 away from Williams-Brice Stadium with the win in Death Valley. Their lone road defeat came by just two points at Alabama, showcasing their ability to perform in hostile environments. "We're not going in front of 20,000 people to play on the road like some teams do in this country," Beamer noted. "We go to hostile environments every single week."

While the three losses will impede South Carolina's chances, Beamer challenged the selection committee to consider the full body of work when determining the 12 best teams in the country. "If the committee's job is to pick the 12 best teams...you tell me," Beamer said. "You tell me on selection Sunday, everyone across the country if South Carolina pops up on that bracket, I don't know that any team would be excited about playing this team the way they're playing."

The Gamecocks will now await their playoff fate, with their impressive late-season run and challenging schedule making them an intriguing candidate for one of the final spots in the expanded playoff field. The selection committee's decision will not only impact South Carolina but could set an important precedent for how three-loss teams with strong schedules are evaluated in the new playoff format.

Miami fell to Syracuse this afternoon, opening the door for another SEC team to get in the mix (as long as SMU beats Clemson next week). That would require South Carolina to jump both Ole Miss and Alabama, who both won their games this week, albeit against less impressive opponents. Still, they both hold the head-to-head on the Gamecocks and even though I think there's a valid argument to be made for South Carolina playing better than either at this point in the season, I would be surprised if the committee put the Gamecocks over both.

Could they put them in over one of the two though? Maybe. That would require the SEC to get 5 teams into the mix. To me, that would require Indiana to lose to Purdue tonight (unlikely, but it's a snowy rivalry game). Otherwise, you need to just hope the committee finds the Gamecocks end of season record, and the prospect of putting LaNorris Sellers in front of a captive audience ahead of Alabama and Ole Miss too good to pass up.

Another thing to watch out for tonight: you probably want Texas to take care of A&M (maybe in a close game to make your A&M win look nice) to keep another SEC team with 3 losses from jumping into the mix. I'd listen to an argument for A&M to win and then lose to UGA so that maybe you make a strength-of-schedule argument against Texas, but they'll still only have 2 losses, and they have the same brand name problem you're up against with Alabama.