I agree with several of your points. Superior talent will obviously give a team an advantage, but it is far from the only factor that determines the outcome of the game.
I am glad that you pointed out that the talent difference between the two programs has been consistently over-exaggerated. Recruiting rankings, whether they come from Rivals, ESPN, 24/7, or Scout, are certainly a very inexact science, but these are the easiest way to at least compare the
perceived talent gap between two programs.
Recruiting did take a step back over Spurrier's last couple years, but on paper the decline was much smaller than what the peception is. There clearly have not been the same number of top tier recruits like Gilmore, Lattimore, Clowney, etc., but the overall class ratings and rankings only declined by a small amount.
The problem has been that many of the top players over the past few years haven't managed to reach what seemed to be their potential. This could be due to inaccurate evaluations or a reduction in the level of coaching, but regardless, there have been several players that were expected to be cornerstones for the program that have never been ore than minor role-players.
This factor along with the number of recruits that never actually enrolled because they were unable to qualify or have left the program due to other types of attrition have hindered the program to a large degree over the past few years.
For a more quantitative analysis, 24/7 has a team talent ranking that uses their composite rankings from all four major HS scouting services. Comparing the rosters from 2016 shows Clemson to be ranked 10th nationally with 80 nationally ranked recruits (four 5 stars, thirty-seven 4 stars) on their roster with an average rating of 89.00. The Gamecocks were ranked 23rd with 76 nationally ranked recruits (zero 5 stars, twenty-four 4 stars) with an average rating of 86.61.
Based on these metrics, Clemson is unsurprisingly the more talented team, but the Cocks #23 ranking isn't as low as many perceive it to be. If not for the high level of attrition, this gap would be much smaller.
Just compare the initial classes of each program for the last few recruiting cycles. For 2013 Clemson's class was ranked 15th compared to 20th for South Carolina. During the subsequent 2014 cycle Clemson's incoming class was ranked 17th compared to USC's 19th ranked class (USC was actually #16 to Clemson's #24 using 24/7's own rankings rather than the composite of all four services).
The Gamecocks began to fall farther behind the Tigers during the 2015 cycle that resulted in a #9 ranking for Clemson and #19 for USC, but the class was actually very similar to those in previous years under Steve Spurrier.
Following Spurrier's mid-season resignation in 2015, Muschamp was somehow able to keep the Gamecocks 2016 class at #25 with a completely revamped coaching staff, save Shawn Elliott. While the talent gap did increase with Clemson bringing in the #11 class, the fact that Boom was able to bring in 27 recruits with a top 25 national class ranking following the 3-9 debacle with all new coaches in that short amount of time should not go unnoticed. I would argue that this would be more impressive than if he were to bring in a class just outside the top 10 next year.
Getting back to the topic at hand, given South Carolina's hasn't been as far behind Clemson as most believe for the past couple years. However, the downside is that the talent gap has been increasing significantly. As of next year, the Tigers roster will have a large advantage with their 2nd and 3rd year players coupled with a smaller advantage in their freshman and senior classes. As a result of the bump from the recent national championship, their 2018 class, although predicted to be as small as 12-14 players, will likely consist almost entirely of blue chip recruits. Their likely larger 2019 class will still be feeling the boost from the win over Bama.
As bad as that may seem on the surface, things are not as bad as they appear at first glance. Muschamp and his staff have proven their abilities as recruiters at their respective stops over the years, and it is quite probable that the Gamecocks will improve their national talent ranking to at least a few spots higher than last year's #23 ranking. So while Clemson will likely be moving up from their 10th ranking, at least the Gamecocks will be improving from a national perspective relative to the rest of the competition.
And as I stated at the beginning of this diatribe, talent alone does not guarantee victories. Just look at some of the down years in recent memory experienced by Southern California and Auburn despite routinely finishing well inside the top 10 in recruiting.
Georgia was 6th in talent last year but still lost 5 games. Notre Dame was perhaps the nation's biggest disappointment, stumbling to a 4-8 mark with the 9th ranked team talent. Ole Miss also had a dismal year finishing 5-7 despite having the 14th most talented team. UCLA was even worse (4-8) with even more talent (#13). Texas continued to underachieve with their 5-7 record despite having the 11th most talented roster. Oregon and Michigan State both had losing record with top 25 talent.
Less talented team on paper win games against teams made up of higher rated players all the time. A quick glance at the team talent rankings reveals that Clemson beat four teams ranked ahead of them in talent this year alone on their way to the national title (Bama, tOSU, FSU, Auburn).The same is true for the Gamecocks, especially during the three year run of 33-6. Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee (even during their down years) have always been more talented than South Carolina on paper, but that didn't prevent several victories over the years.
To wrap up this insanely long essay, it's time for fans to use the excuse of inferior talent for losses and to stop blaming Spurrier for leaving the roster devoid of capable players. There's absolutely no excuse for quitting on a group of 18-21 year olds when the going gets tough, but the notion that he left the cupboard completely bare is simply false.
*****END RANT*****
http://247sports.com/Season/2016-Football/CollegeTeamTalentComposite