Coming off the program’s third consecutive 11-win season, SEC East favorite South Carolina is ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25, the SEC’s third-highest ranked program behind Alabama (No. 2) and Auburn (6).

The Gamecocks finished the 2013 season ranked fourth in the final AP Poll, their highest mark in school history, but take the field Aug. 28 against Texas A&M without several familiar faces including the school’s all-time winningest quarterback Connor Shaw, No. 1 draft pick Jadeveon Clowney and the team’s leading receiver, Bruce Ellington.

Eight teams from the SEC are ranked in this year’s preseason poll.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PRESEASON TOP 25 POLL

1 FLORIDA STATE 14-0 57 NR –
2 ALABAMA 11-2 1 NR –
3 OKLAHOMA 11-2 1 NR –
4 OREGON 11-2 1 NR –
5 OHIO STATE
 12-2 0 NR –
6 AUBURN 12-2 0 NR –
7 UCLA 10-3 0 NR –
8 MICHIGAN STATE 13-1 0 NR –
9 SOUTH CAROLINA 11-2 0 NR –
10 BAYLOR 11-2 0 NR –
11 STANFORD 11-3 0 NR –
12 GEORGIA 8-5 0 NR –
13 LSU 10-3 0 NR –
14 WISCONSIN 9-4 0 NR –
15 USC 10-4 0 NR –
16 CLEMSON 11-2 0 NR –
17 NOTRE DAME 9-4 0 NR –
18 OLE MISS 8-5 0 NR –
19 ARIZONA STATE 10-4 0 NR –
20 KANSAS STATE 8-5 0 NR –
21 TEXAS A&M 9-4 0 NR –
22 NEBRASKA 9-4 0 NR –
23 NORTH CAROLINA 7-6 0 NR –
24 MIZZOU 12-2 0 NR –
25 WASHINGTON 9-4 0 NR –