Every August coaches and prognosticators stick their necks out with predictions.

Every football season, injuries and sideline stupidity prove them wrong.

That’s why I never predict who’s going to win anything. In fact, you would be smart not to predict anything if you don’t have 75% control of the results.

USA Today talked college football coaches into ranking the top teams.

2 of them play in South Carolina and none of them are the USC Gamecocks. (Hint: Coastal Carolina ranked #24.)

Fall from grace

How the Gamecocks have swooned since the days of Jim Carlen, Joe Morrison and Steve Spurrier is incredible. These 3 coaches ended with winning records.

Even Lou Holtz left with only a 33-37 record, helped by his team losing all 11 games in his 1st season. The coaches picked Clem

The coaches picked Clemson as #2 this season behind Alabama. 5 other SEC teams were ranked in the top 25 - Georgia, Florida, LSU, Texas A&M and Ole Miss. Only 2 other ACC teams were ranked – North Carolina and Miami.

In 2019 and 2020, Clemson ranked #1 to start the season. This year, every voter ranked Clemson #2.

This the 6th year in a row that the Tigers have ranked in the top 5 in the preseason poll and 11th straight year ranked in the top 25.

The rankings

1. Alabama

2. Clemson 3. Oklahoma

3. Oklahoma

4. Ohio State

5. Georgia

6. Texas A&M

7. Notre Dame

8. Iowa State

9. North Carolina

10. Cincinnati

11. Florida

12. Oregon

13. Louisiana State

14. Southern California

15. Wisconsin

16. Miami

17. Indiana

18. Iowa

19. Texas

20. Penn State

21. Washington

22. Oklahoma State

23. UL Lafayette

24. Coastal Carolina

25. Mississippi

Others receiving votes: Utah (145); Northwestern (120); Arizona State (90); Auburn (84); Liberty (68); Brigham Young (53); Texas Christian (48); Michigan (30); Central Florida (29); NC State (27); Boise State (27); Kentucky (20); San Jose State (18); Army (13); Virginia Tech (9);

No Gamecocks’ grace

How Clemson and Coastal Carolina can enjoy this kind of success in a tiny state like ours is incredible.

Why South Carolina can’t even get a single vote shows how dismal college coaches consider it to be. 9 of the 12 teams on the Gamecocks’ schedule must be licking their chops.

Unless new coach Shane Beamer has some magic, they could go 0-12.

Write me at ChronicleSports@yahoo.com .