South Carolina upsets No. 10 Texas A&M to further tighten the race for the SEC title

Everyone in the SEC has at least one conference loss.

A week after No. 10 Texas A&M took sole possession of the top spot in the SEC, it suffered its first SEC loss of the season with a 44-20 loss at South Carolina. The Gamecocks took an early 14-0 lead and then scored 10 straight goals in the third quarter to keep the Aggies at bay.

Texas A&M briefly took a 20-17 lead in the second quarter after two straight touchdowns. But the Gamecocks tied the game with a field goal at halftime and then took the lead in the third quarter on a 52-yard run by Rocket Sanders.

South Carolina (5-3, 3-3 SEC) never trailed after that.

The Aggies (7-2, 5-1 SEC) entered the game as just 2.5-point favorites and started Marcel Reed at QB. Reed took over for Conner Weigman in A&M's Week 9 win over LSU, and the Aggies scored touchdowns on Reed's first four possessions.

Although A&M coach Mike Elko didn't officially name a starter before the game, that spark made it pretty clear that Reed would be the man against South Carolina. However, the offense wasn't nearly as good Saturday night with Reed on the field as it was against LSU, and they suffered a big loss when running back Le'Veon Moss left the game in the first half with a knee injury.

Moss, the team's leading runner, was injured as he raced down the sideline after a reception and was hit in the leg. He was immediately taken to the injury tent and then carted to the locker room.

Meanwhile, the A&M defense couldn't stop South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers. He constantly evaded pressure from Aggies defenders and was able to turn almost certain losses into positive plays.

Three of South Carolina's four touchdowns were over 20 yards. Sellers opened the scoring with a 23-yard TD and the game was sealed by a 57-yard pass to Joshua Simon that gave the Gamecocks three points.

South Carolina finished the game with 530 total yards and ran 43 times for 286 yards. Sanders had 20 carries for 144 yards, while Sellers had 15 carries for 106 yards and also threw for 244 yards.

A cluster at the top of the SEC

A&M's loss means there are now five one-loss teams in the SEC: Texas A&M (5-1), Georgia (5-1), Texas (3-1), Tennessee (4-1) and LSU ( 3:1). .

The Aggies and Bulldogs have the early advantage of reaching the SEC title game simply because they have fewer games to play, but that's not counting Tennessee and LSU. And Ole Miss and Alabama could even still be in the game at 3-2.

The morass at the top prepares for a fascinating route run. Georgia visits Ole Miss next week while LSU hosts Alabama. A week later, Tennessee visits Georgia and Texas and Texas A&M play each other in the final week of the season.

At most three teams will end the season with a conference loss, and it's very possible that a team with two losses will sneak into the title game. However, it is unclear who these teams will be.