The talent disparity is always glaring, we've still beaten them before. The 4 year running average for recruiting rankings shows South Carolina at 19th, App State at 100th. Good thing nobody told app state about the talent disparity huh? Tennessee slots in at 17th, Ga State at 106th - I guess they didn't get the memo either. Penn State shows up at number 11, while Minnesota is 42nd. GT comes in at 52, Citadel is probably in the 200-300s.
Talent can be a factor, but it isn't even close to the only factor.