COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of Tennessee rose to the top of the College Sports Social PulseTM rankings in Week Four thanks to ESPN’s College GameDay, Manning madness and a thriller of a football game.
The Pulse, created by the Social Media Insights Lab at the University of South Carolina, ranks which college football teams, players and coaches are creating the most buzz on social media.
“Knoxville hit the social media trifecta last weekend,” said Clay Owen, professor of practice at the University of South Carolina. “ESPN’s College Game Day – and its publicity machine – came to town. Tennessee legend Peyton Manning returned to Knoxville to watch his nephew play for the Texas Longhorns. And then the game went right down to the wire.”
The University of Michigan came in at No. 2 after the Wolverines fell to Iowa in Ann Arbor in the final seconds of the game — just three weeks after Michigan escaped Western Michigan on a Hail Mary pass at the end of its opening game.
| Rank | Team | Sports Social Pulse Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee | 93.6 |
| 2 | Michigan | 83.8 |
| 3 | Oregon | 76.7 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 69 |
| 5 | Texas | 68.6 |
| 6 | Ole Miss | 66 |
| 7 | Alabama | 62.5 |
| 8 | Florida | 59.8 |
| 9 | UGA | 58.5 |
| 10 | Southern Cal | 56.7 |
Controversy drove the player and coach rankings this week.
Oregon standout quarterback Dante Moore and Southern Cal linebacker Desman Stephens took the top two spots. Stephens hit a defenseless Moore as the Ducks quarterback was sliding at the end of a play.
Stephens, a linebacker, celebrated while Moore was still on the ground.
More than 92% of the sentiment surrounding Stephens was negative.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, who was No. 1 in the Pulse coach rankings, said “It was a disgusting play.”
Southern Cal Coach Lincoln Riley came in No. 5 in the coach rankings. Social media conversation was sharply critical of Riley, with many posts questioning whether he acted quickly enough and whether USC had been sufficiently decisive about accountability.
When asked why Stephens was still on the team’s sideline after being ejected, Riley responded, “Because he’s on our football team.”
Player Rankings
| Rank | Player | Team | Sports Social Pulse Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dante Moore | Oregon | 99.8 |
| 2 | Desman Stephens | Southern Cal | 79 |
| 3 | Kamario Taylor | Mississippi State | 73.7 |
| 4 | Jeremiah Smith | Ohio State | 68.2 |
| 5 | Darian Mensah | Miami | 63 |
| 6 | Jadan Baugh | Florida | 58 |
| 7 | John Mateer | Oklahoma | 57.3 |
| 8 | Trinidad Chambliss | Ole Miss | 56.9 |
| 9 | Arch Manning | Texas | 56.4 |
| 10 | Julian Sayin | Ohio State | 54.9 |
Coach Rankings
| Rank | Coach | Team | Sports Social Pulse Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Lanning | Oregon | 88.6 |
| 2 | Josh Heupel | Tennessee | 83.1 |
| 3 | Lane Kiffin | LSU | 77.9 |
| 4 | P.J. Fleck | Minnesota | 77.7 |
| 5 | Lincoln Riley | Southern Cal | 75.3 |
| 6 | Jon Sumrall | Florida | 66.7 |
| 7 | Kirk Ferentz | Iowa | 62.5 |
| 8 | Luke Fickell | Wisconsin | 59 |
| 9 | Eric Morris | Oklahoma State | 58.5 |
| 10 | Pete Golding | Ole Miss | 56.9 |
The Week Four rankings are based on social media activity from Sept. 22 – Sept. 28.
About the College Sports Social Pulse™
Developed by the University of South Carolina’s Social Media Insights Lab, the College Sports Social Pulse™ transforms social-media conversation into insight about the teams, athletes and coaches shaping the culture and business of college sports.
The Pulse tracks the national conversation across major social platforms and uses advanced analytics to identify who is generating attention, engagement and emotional response — regardless of what happens on the scoreboard.