South Carolina followed up one of the biggest turnarounds in college football history in 2000 with another successful season in 2001. South Carolina's game on September 20 against Mississippi State was the first NCAA Division I-A game played following the September 11 attacks.[1] On January 1, 2002, the Gamecocks defeated Ohio State in the 2002 Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida, and finished the season ranked #13 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.
Schedule[]
The November 10 game played host to ESPN's College Gameday, a first for the program. A game against Bowling Green was scheduled for September 15, but was canceled in the wake of the September 11 attacks.[2] The game was never played. South Carolina added Wofford to the schedule to replace the open date originally scheduled for November 3.[3]