It has been 4 years and a few weeks. The last time South Carolina was in the AP Top 25 was in the 2nd week of the 2018 season, and it was ranked 24th. This time around, it is 25th.

Back then, the Gamecocks were ranked 24th in the 2nd week of the season, and they then lost to 3rd-ranked Georgia, 41-17. They went on to lose to then-17th-ranked Kentucky, 24-10; 22nd-ranked Texas A&M, 26-23; 19th-ranked Florida, 35-31; and 2nd-ranked Clemson, 56-35. Their season ended with a loss to Virginia, 28-0, in the Belk Bowl.

That team couldn’t find consistency, and it ended with a 7-6 record. Coincidentally, that was the same mark as in Shane Beamer’s 1st year last season.

And at the start of this season, it was all about finding consistency. Looking at a possible link with fate, USC closed out last season winning 4 of its final 8 games. It was all about taking the next step.

By most accounts, the Gamecocks have. Their latest win over Texas A&M on Saturday — their 1st over the Aggies in 9 tries to asterisk what could be part of a momentous finish — set a new state of delirium for the USC faithful. Brice-Williams Stadium was rocking in a sea of white.

The Gamecocks have a 4-game winning streak, and at 5-2, they have suddenly become one of the wunderkind teams of college football. It is the climb-the-ladder story that can grow some more legs.

They are now in the driver’s seat and can navigate their course down the stretch.

Yet heightened success brings and breeds heightened expectations. The Gamecocks can’t lose sight of that picture.

Getting here was fun, as you could see in Beamer’s face and hear in his voice after the victory Saturday night. He and loyalists across the state and beyond all breathed a sigh of relief.

The A&M game easily could have been the one in which the Gamecocks lost to fall back into mediocrity. Beamer readily admitted there is plenty to fix after watching a 17-0 lead in the first 5 minutes gradually erode away.

The once euphoric, delirious crowd went into a nervous and anxiety-filled state down to the final seconds. A&M recovered an onside kick and had 2 Hail Mary attempts to snare victory away and quickly create a catatonic climate in Columbia.

But the football gods allowed South Carolina to have yet another moment. They now will send the Gamecocks on an apostolic mission to spread their Good News toward a contender level and a Bowl Game prize.

It will begin with Missouri at Williams-Brice Stadium Saturday afternoon, as the Tigers will look to break the streak after they edged Vanderbilt, 17-14, last week. Like South Carolina previously, Missouri needs a win to thrust itself into bowl contention.

The Gamecocks will then have 1 home game left, facing No. 3 Tennessee on Nov. 19. That certainly will be a tall task.

Before and after that, USC has a date at Vanderbilt (Nov. 5), at Florida (Nov. 12) and the finale at No. 5 Clemson (Nov. 26). The Vanderbilt and Florida games could go in the “W” column.

It comes down to whether the Gamecocks truly believe in themselves, and can they put teams away to avoid any 4th-quarter nail-biters. The days of playing the Georgia States, Charlottes and South Carolina States are in the rearview mirror. To their credit, though, the Gamecocks did take care of business when they had to do it.

If the Gamecocks are to live up to their 25th-best-team billing, they have to keep control of games. They will need a fast start against Mizzou on Saturday, then keep it in cruise control the rest of the way.

The steadiness and less erratic play of quarterback Spencer Rattler mixed with the steady surge of running back MarShawn Lloyd can be the perfect scheme. Rattler has developed an array of passing targets to complement his game.

Rattler has completed more than 63 percent of his passes, connecting on 124 of 195 attempts for 1,466 yards with 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, while Lloyd has rushed for 526 yards on 93 carries for a 5.2-yard average with 9 touchdowns. He also has caught 17 passes for 173 yards with 2 touchdowns.

The once-majority of doubts that surrounded Rattler are gone, yet a few still linger about his overall consistency. Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield will need to get Lloyd more involved in the 1st half this week than he was last week.

Defensively, the Gamecocks’ secondary appears to be fully intact after injuries that kept them from having their projected lineup together. However, it did work in their favor to help develop depth among the younger players. Their linebacking corps also has endured some blows, and it bounced back with more than a fighter’s chance.

Expectations and prognostications will continue to fill the air. The bowl chatter has begun, and thoughts of an 8-win season appear to be marked down in pencil.

A win over Missouri — more so, a convincing one — should silence the critics. It also will provide the Gamecocks with their new sense of reality.