Fans look at the ceiling of a college football team, the heights it might be able to reach. Folks closer often look at the floor, how one can measure progress by building consistency.
South Carolina’s 37-35 win against Missouri didn’t do much for the team’s ceiling. It did a whole lot for the floor.
If South Carolina lost the rollercoaster of a game, it was staring at the real possibility of going from nine wins to missing the postseason. USC has three games left it should win: Tennessee, FCS Chattanooga and whichever mid-major takes a check to come to Williams-Brice in December.