| Year: | 2001 |
| Team: | South Carolina Gamecocks |
| Conference: | Southeastern Conference |
| Division: | Eastern Division |
| Short Conf: | SEC |
| Coachrank: | 13 |
| Aprank: | 13 |
| Record: | 9–3 |
| Conf Record: | 5–3 |
| Hc Year: | 3rd |
| Oc Year: | 3rd |
| Dc Year: | 3rd |
| Stadium: | Williams-Brice Stadium (c. 80,250, grass) |
| Champion: | Outback Bowl champion |
| Bowl Result: | W 31–28 vs. Ohio State |
The 2001 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Gamecocks were led by Lou Holtz in his third season as head coach, and played their home games in Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.
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] Just over a week later, South Carolina defeated Alabama for the first time in program history, resulting in fans rushing the field.[2] [3] By early October, the Gamecocks were 5–0 and ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll, their highest ranking since 1987.[4] On January 1, 2002, the Gamecocks defeated Ohio State in the 2002 Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida, finishing the season with a record of 9–3 and ranked No. 13 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll. The final win total and final ranking were both the second highest in school history until then.[5] [6]
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.[7] The game was never played. South Carolina added Wofford to the schedule to replace the open date originally scheduled for November 3.[8]