Turning millions of social media conversations into actionable sports intelligence.
About The Sports Social Pulse

Transforming Sports Conversation into Actionable Intelligence
Understanding the hidden forces shaping fan engagement, media attention, and the business of sports.
Sports Social Pulse™ transforms millions of social media conversations into actionable intelligence that helps media organizations, athletic departments, conferences, sponsors, and brands better understand the ever-changing sports landscape. Developed within the University of South Carolina’s College of Information and Communications, Sports Social Pulse™ combines social media analytics, data science, sports business expertise, and strategic communications to uncover the stories, trends, and fan behaviors driving the digital conversation around sports. • Data Science — Advanced analytics that transform millions of social media interactions into meaningful insights. • Sports Business Intelligence — Expertise in media, sponsorship, fan engagement, and the evolving economics of sports. • Strategic Storytelling — Turning complex data into clear, actionable narratives that help organizations make smarter decisions.

The Social Media Insights Lab
A New Kind of Scoreboard — Powered by Fans, Backed by PhDs
Sports Social Pulse™ is where the roar of the crowd meets the rigor of research. Every week, our team at the University of South Carolina’s Social Media Insights Lab analyzes millions of posts, likes, shares, and comments to reveal who’s truly winning the sports conversation.
The Social Media Insights Lab – housed in the College of Information and Communications - blends innovation, data science, and storytelling to track the pulse of online conversations. From academic research to industry partnerships, our mission is simple: turn complex social media data into insights that fans, media, and brands can use — in real time.
College Football Rankings
2026 Preseason Rankings
Players
1
2
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5
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10
Arch Manning — Texas
Jeremiah Smith — Ohio State
Cam Coleman — Texas
Dante Moore — Oregon
Malachi Toney — Miami
Kewan Lacey — Ole Miss
John Mateer — Oklahoma
Julian Sayin — Ohio State
Bryum Brown — Auburn
Darian Mensah — Miami
Teams
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3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Michigan
Texas
Ohio State
Indiana
Georgia
Alabama
Oklahoma
Notre Dame
Oregon
Tennessee
Coaches
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Curt Cignetti — Indiana
Lane Kiffin — LSU
Brent Venables — Oklahoma
Pat Fitzgerald — Michigan State
Matt Rhule — Nebraska
Dan Lanning — Oregon
Matt Campbell — Penn State
Will Stein — Kentucky
John Sumrall — Florida
Josh Heupel — Tennessee



