Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Top 25 Preview: 11. South Carolina Gamecocks



     To build excitement for the upcoming season, I will be releasing an individual team preview for each of my top 25 teams every day from now until the season starts on Thursday night. The preview continues with #11 South Carolina.

2013 Review
     South Carolina had another great season in 2013, although it wasn't what the team wanted. After an opening win over North Carolina, they suffered their first defeat against Georgia in week two. They would then win four straight games, including being the only team to beat Central Florida the entire season. They would then lose in shocking defeat to Tennessee 23-21. They would bounce back from that loss with an iconic overtime victory over Missouri, the game that will define Connor Shaw's career. They would go on to win out after that and finish 10-2 for another season, before beating Wisconsin in the Capitol One Bowl.

Season Outlook
     The Gamecocks lost some of their top players from last year, including the NFL's first overall draft pick in defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Steve Spurrier has put together another excellent class and will have South Carolina back and better than ever. They should handle their opener tomorrow night against Texas A&M, along with their week two match-up with East Carolina, but their first tough test will be against Georgia, a game they could easily lose. After the 2-1 start, the schedule gets easier, with games against Kentucky, Missouri, Vanderbilt, and Furman, all winnable games. After a road trip to Auburn, The Gamecocks end the year with homes games against Tennessee and South Alabama, and road games against Florida and Clemson. South Carolina has had two loss seasons for years, and this year will be no different.

Season Prediction
10-2 (6-2) 2nd in SEC East

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