South Carolina Gamecocks

The South Carolina Gamecocks bring one of the SEC's loudest home-field atmospheres to Williams-Brice Stadium, where 2001 Gamecocks pack the stands and the pregame entrance beneath a giant inflatable helmet has become one of college football's signature traditions. Garnet and black through and through, South Carolina has spent its history chasing the championship breakthrough its passionate fan base craves, with flashes of real success under coaches like Steve Spurrier. The program's fight-song energy and never-quit fan culture make it one of the most entertaining home environments in the sport, championship banners or not.

South Carolina fielded its first football team in 1892 and has bounced between conference homes over the decades -- independent, the Southern Conference, the ACC, independence again, and finally the SEC in 1992. The program's only outright conference title came in the ACC in 1969, and its lone Heisman winner is running back George Rogers in 1980. Under Steve Spurrier in the 2000s and 2010s, the Gamecocks reached new heights, including the program's first SEC East Division title in 2010 and a landmark win over top-ranked, defending national champion Alabama.