SEC RACE HOTTER THAN EVER

It is still early and a lot can happen, but the SEC race looks like it has slimmed down to 4 teams.

The SEC’s divisional races are ratings gold. In the latest edition of the South’s edition of "Must See TV", the SEC West race between Alabama and LSU is barreling down the tracks to November 5th in Tuscaloosa. This game will be out of hand, and no doubt be one of the best games of the year. Both have had their downs, but South Carolina and Georgia are both improving and appear to be on the upswing.


Over in the West...
LSU has been sensational. This team is playing with so much confidence, even their punter is talking trash. Les Miles has to be one of the most entertaining coaches in the history of the game. His players love him, and it is easy to see why. Tyrann Mathieu is making a claim for the Heisman and he's a cornerback, so that gives you a good indication of the talent in Baton Rouge. The QB situation has largely been a non-issue, and LSU's ground game has been solid behind Spencer Ware and Michael Floyd. Both LSU and Bama are body slamming opponents with clinical grade nasty-jaw dropping defense. Looking ahead, LSU heads to Rocky Top, then to Auburn, then has a bye week, and then Tuscaloosa.

Bama has been trotting out, quite possibly, Nick Saban’s best defense ever. They have pitched 2 shutouts they have a legit shot a pitching a couple more. Gameballs to Hightower and the entire defensive secondary at this point. The offense is clicking behind AJ McCarron, Trent Richardson, and Marquis Maze. Trent Richardson is another Heisman hopeful. He's been having a solid year. There are still some games left to play, but The Crimson Tide have to head to Oxford, then to Rocky Top, off week, then host LSU. The Crimson Tide could have a legitimate shot at another undefeated season.

Back in the East...
With South Carolina losing to Auburn back in Week 5, the door is still cracked open for Georgia to hang around. The Gamecocks, behind Conner Shaw (for the moment), look to continue the momentum they harnessed in this past weekend’s game against one the SEC’s most futile teams, Kentucky. They have to hit the road, head over to Starkville and face a damaged Mississippi State team, then an off week, then the Gamecocks go to Rocky Top, to Arkansas, and then host Florida. This could be a rocky 34 days for Carolina fans. With the offense appearing to be on the rebound this Carolina team could be tough to stop. The defense has been stellar this year. Melvin Ingram, Jadaveon Clowney and Marcus Lattimore get the Carolina mid-season game balls.

As for Georgia, they have seen the ship righted on the defensive side of the ball. A few Dawgs get some mid-season game balls: Jarvis Jones, Brandon Boykin, Bacarri Rambo on the Defensive side and Isaiah Crowell and Malcolm Mitchell on the offensive side. Showing tremendous upside, Todd Grantham’s defense is getting that foamy-at-the-mouth look that Georgia fans have been praying for in Athens. The offense for Georgia is showing signs of running smoothly, just not for long. As Georgia came of the second half gates and put up 14 points, they quickly popped the clutch in the second half and kept Tennessee in the game. Let’s give Tennessee credit. Injured, they have one of the best passing attacks around that is on the verge of full tilt. Isaiah Crowell and the return to a legitimate running threat at Georgia, have been the other driving forces in Georgia’s leveling off of the program. Malcolm Mitchell has stepped up in the wake of AJ Green.

Georgia heads to Vandy, then have an off week (which comes in at a big time with Crowell and Mitchell both needing to heal up), then head to The Cocktail Party, host New Mexico State, host Auburn, host Kentucky, and finish the season in Atlanata against GA Tech. The regular season finale has nothing to do with the SEC race, but watching GA Tech's ground game, against Georgia's increasingly stingy defense will be a fun one indeed.

Odds are muddy on Coach Richt bringing home the "W" from Jacksonville and running the table AND The Gamecocks dropping another SEC game, maybe Arkansas on the road. Who knows?

Both SEC matchups are equally interesting to keep an eye one. One matchup, The West, is a race between 2 thoroughbreds. The Dysfunctional SEC East is going to really show us what the 2 teams trying to find their way really have in them. Who wants it?

Look for Garcia to get thrown back into the fire before this one is done and on a big stage.

This is surely going to be fun watch pan out.

SOUTH CAROLINA: CAN GARCIA STAY ON TARGET THIS FALL

Congratulations to the South Carolina baseball team as they bring home a second straight College World Series trophy in historic fashion!

South Carolina is fresh off back to back championships, and they are the only team that will ever be able to say they won the last championship at Rosenblatt and the first championship in TD Ameritrade Park.



As fall rapidly approaches, the talk and the expectations will soon center solely on the football team. The hopes for a return trip and a better outing in Atlanta and a possible run at the National Championship rest on one man's shoulders, a 23 year old named Stephen Garcia.



Like a lot of college kids, Stephen Garcia, has had his share of trouble. Earlier this year he ran into another incident involving alcohol, and Coach Spurrier and the Athletic Director laid down the law. Basically one more incident and Garcia is gone.



Conner Shaw is not ready for Atlanta. If Carolina is going to make a run and find themselves playing big boy football on the first Saturday in December, then it is going to be with Garcia at the helm. Garcia could do a big service to his team and school by sitting down with the baseball team and picking up some of the eye of the tiger tips to focus in on the season ahead.

(Photo courtesy http://gamecocksonline.cstv.com/)

With big potential out there for this year's Gamecock football team, it is no wonder some are a bit worried and concerned. Carolina is the unquestionable frontrunner in the SEC East. If Garcia plays his cards right they might be ordering rings later this year, and possibly erecting a statue. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, but you get the picture. If he finds himself in another bonehead situation, the wheels could come off very quickly in Columbia.

A lot is riding on this year for USC, and with a stacked offensive team including Alshon Jeffrey (SEC's #1 receiver and the nation's #4 receiver), Marcus Lattimore (SEC's #3 rusher and the nation's 28th ranked rusher), a solid offensive line and strong defense boosted by the addition of Jadaveon Clowney.



Garcia does not hold the top QB stats you would like to see. As far as QB Ratings go, Garcia is #5 in the SEC and #22 Nationally. He finished last season with 3059 passing yards, 20 TDs and 14 interceptions. The interceptions have to come down this year if USC wants to make a run at it. Lattimore will have to hold up for the long haul and have a repeat stellar performance. That is not small order as the number of returning freshman usually do not have incredible numbers on the ground in their sophomore season.



Garcia will need to put down the bottle and determine what is most important: drinking or grabbing the chance of a lifetime. He is currently in the SEC staring down his last year with a loaded team and an SEC East division that is still trying to find itself with Florida still cleaning house and switching gears post-Urban Meyer, UGA trying to determine if Mark Richt is the answer, and Kentucky and Vanderbilt still being years away but showing signs of improvement.



So which Stephen Garcia will we see this fall?



Will Carolina fans get, the Garcai who played the game of his life at home against Alabama back on October 9th where he went 17 for 20 with 201 yards, 3 TDs and 1 pick (which was not really his fault in my opinion)?



Or will we get the Stephen Garcia that lost 20-41 on the road against Arkansas back on November 6th where he went 14 for 29 with 161 yards, 1 TD and 2 picks?



We have about two months to see. Carolina opens up at home against East Carolina (September 3rd). Garcia then leads the Gamecocks back into hostile territory as they travel to Athens to play Georgia (September 10th).
 

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HERE COME THE GOOD BOWLS: Part II

Alright this is another great day of games. The New Year's Eve slate of college football games is on point. We have 4 really good looking match ups on the board. Now mind you, these are not all traditional match ups, but pretty good looking match ups none the less.

Friday December 31st:

#1 South Florida vs Clemson in the Car Care Bowl
(12/31) Noon ESPN
Clemson has had a tough year. Seems like ever since Kyle Parker took a shot in the back against Auburn earlier in the year, that something has not been right. Clemson is sitting on 6-6 and Dabo does not want to finish with a loosing record. Both teams roll into Charlotte having lost their last game. South Florida had a big time win over Miami in the Overtime thriller back on Thanksgiving weekend. Look for some turnovers and some otherwise sloppy play, but a thrilling game as there on athletes for both teams on both sides of the ball. Look for Clemson's Defensive front to be the difference.


#2 Notre Dame vs Miami in the Sun Bowl
(12/31) 2:00 PM CBS
Catholics vs Convicts renewed. The 2010 edition of this rivalry will propel Notre Dame into the national spotlight and keep them there for the next decade. Look for Brian Kelly to seize this golden opportunity. With Miami burning in the background the Golden Domers will step back up on stage. Since she took office, I've been very critical of the University President, Donna Shalala, and exactly who was behind the "Let's resign, then fire Coach Randy Shannon" decision is beyond me. Talk about a costly decision. But from the looks of the U from the outside, things to do not look they are being handled properly. Harris throws too many picks. Irish win.


#3 Georgia vs Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl
(12/31) 3:30 PM ESPN
What a difference selling a bowl jersey makes. Georgia really has to look in the mirror after this year and dig deep. The recruiting needs to step up. The defense needs to step up. The offense needs to learn to not fumble in the red zone. And the toughness (strength and conditioning) needs to return and reach new heights. Just a few things and this team is playing their bowl game on New Year's Day again. Mark Richt has "The Year" coming up next year with a kick off classic looming against Boise State, and Florida game with a new coach. Yeah Coach Richt is going to really want to go into the off season on a high note. A resounding win over Central Florida accomplishes that. There are still some really good recruits out there for the Dawgs to land, and this game is a big component of decisions to come. Plain and simple this is a trap game. Georgia has a ton to loose, and very little on the National Stage to gain outside of rebuilding respect. But Richt will have things in order. Look for Liberty Bowl records to be broken by Murray and Green. Dawgs win this one. Because Lord knows if they lose it, The Guns of Navarone will be pointing towards Athens.


#4 South Carolina vs Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Bowl
(12/31) 7:30 PM ESPN
This is the main event of the day. What a great match up. Which Garcia will show up? Will Spurrier find ways to get the ball to Lattimore throughout the game? Remember last year's bowl game where UCONN blew the doors of USC? Ouch! Yeah I love this match up. Jimbo Fisher has some really good mojo going on in Tallahassee, and Spurrier has the Gamecocks believing. Hope is something that has not been in Columbia's football discussion for an entire football season in some time. But its back now and the the SEC Championship game aside, these Gamecocks are really good. I know they wish they could have that 2nd Quarter back in Atlanta. They finally got Auburn to punt, and they did nothing with it. They finally got Cam to fumble and did nothing with it. If they convert those in 14, then maybe that game rolled out differently. Nah probably not, but it needs to be said. Look for the Gamecocks in this win. Spurrier loves beating the Seminoles and this year's no different.

Come back tomorrow, where we will have Part III in HERE COME THE GOOD BOWLS.

Please be safe out there and Happy New Years!!!!!

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GAMECOCKS SEND THE TIDE PACKING WITH A 35-21 THRILLER IN COLUMBIA

Friends,

I want to start off by saying how blessed I was to be at this game. It was a historic win for the Gamecocks. Quite simply, it was the biggest win in the program's history. College Football always delivers, and yesterday with the ESPN GameDay and CBS Sports in town, Coach Spurrier's Gamecocks delivered by taking down the undefeated, defending National Champs.

It was clear leaving Charleston at 7 AM that something was in the air. A heavy fog covered I-26 for the majority of the drive to Columbia. While attending ESPN College GameDay, I noticed the pulse of Gamecock Nation was off the charts. Optimism and hope was abound, as a focused fan base knew what was at stake.

The game kicked off, and it was clear from the first drive that Bama was going to have their hands full, as the Gamecocks were prepared and well versed on what The Tide were trying to do. South Carolina held Alabama to an early field goal. Carolina got the ball and marched straight down the field and capped it off with a Lattimore score. Carolina never looked back from there, as they controlled the lead the rest of the afternoon. Carolina got the ball back and put up another 7 with a nasty play by Alshon Jeffery as he reeled in a 26 yard pass for a TD.

(Photo courtesy Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

At the end of the first quarter it was USC 14 - Bama 3, and we were on our way. Out of the gate it was apparent Carolina had a little more pep in their step.

The second quarter started off with another Alshon Jeffrey touchdown, and it was quickly 21-3. Both teams battled for the remainder of the quarter, but it was not until the closing seconds until Bama officially got on the board with a TD. McElroy hit Julio Jones on a beauty. However Bama missed the PAT confirming that things were not clicking for the Tide, and there we were 21-9 at the half.

Carolina kicked first, so they got the ball to start of the second half. The opening kick was bobbled. The crowd started to get that "here we go again" feeling. Things got worse for Carolina as the opening snap resulted in Garcia chucking the ball out of the end zone to "avoid" the Tide, but it was a preemptive move that resulted in a safety. Carolina kicked off to Bama who was setup with great field position. The Gamecock D held the Tide to a field goal, and Coach Spurrier saw another opportunity missed. The Gamecocks basically spotted Alabama 5 points out of the gate, but they still had the lead. Midway through the 3rd it was 21-14.

Carolina put together another nice drive, which was capped off by another Marcus Lattimore TD. This was a close range TD that showcased an option right, that for all account and purposes looks unstoppable. My take away from this option play was anytime Carolina needs to get some yardage, then they need to look no further than an option play to Lattimore. If it is Lattimore versus any cornerback in the country 1 on 1, my money is on Lattimore. So there we had it at the close of the 3rd Quarter, with Carolina up 28-14.

The 4th started off with a quick Alabama score as McElroy hooked up with Darius Hanks for 51 yard TD strike. But that was it for Bama as they teetered on the comeback, but could not break through Carolina's stout play. The Gamecocks put up another Lattimore TD to bring the final to 35-21, just as the sunset on Columbia. It was a picturesque close to an amazing day in Columbia.

Carolina broke out of the post game prayer, and the entire team made a bee-line to the student section which was producing enough energy to power a nuclear reactor. The pandemonium continued into the street, as Gamecock Nation poured into the streets hooting and hollering and high-fiving everyone. It was all the police could do to keep joyful mayhem from ensuing. To describe the scene as anything less than memorable would be an understatement.

It was said earlier in the week on Bill King's Rivals Radio that Bama would have to play their worst game, and Carolina would have to play their best. Carolina certainly played their best, and they officially did not make anything easy for the Crimson Tide who ultimately never found their groove all day in Columbia.

A lot of credit has to go to Coach Spurrier. He called a great game. He withheld no punches and came out gunning for touchdowns from the outset. He knew field goals would not cut it and he called one heck of a gutsy game.

(Photo courtesy Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Garcia/Lattimore/Jeffrey also get game balls. They came out and put together one heck of an offensive showcase. The O line came together and gave Garcia time to do his job. Garcia finished 17-20 (18-20 in my book as the interception hit is receiver right in the hands, but he could not haul in the catch which resulted in an INT) with 3 TDs. Lattimore was stud. He racked up 93 hard fought yards and 2 TDs. Alshon Jeffery was unreal. He hauled in 7 catches for 127 yards and 2 TDs. All on a stout but young Alabama defense.

In addition, you have to give a ton of credit to the Carolina Defense. They had McElroy running for his life most of the day, as they got key sacks throughout the game. They also held the Ingram/Richardson duo to just 64 yards and 0 TDs. Alabama finished with a sub par 5-13 on 3rd Down conversions.

The College Football season is like a hurricane, and yesterday Columbia, SC was the eye of that hurricane.


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