The South Carolina Gamecocks have had one of the most turbulent starts to the season in all of college football.
In Week 1, ranked 9th in the country, they were embarrassed by Texas A&M. While Texas A&M is a solid team, and were ranked 22nd at the time, the fact that South Carolina allowed Kenny Hill to throw for over 500 yards shows just how bad they played.
In Week 2, dropped to 21st in the rankings, South Carolina beat East Carolina by 10. Not a dominant showing, but a much more respectable performance and one that earned coach Steve Spurrier his 200th career win in the SEC. Despite the victory, South Carolina fell to number 24 in the country.
Then there is the Week 3 showdown with SEC foe Georgia, ranked 6th in the country. South Carolina rolled on offense, and their defense played just well enough to secure a 38-35 victory. This was arguably South Carolina’s biggest game of the season, as the only other game on their schedule of this magnitude is an October meeting with Auburn, and Auburn is not in their division. Beating Georgia means not only a conference victory, but a leg up in the East division of the SEC.
With the First Pick
So what to make of South Carolina? What team will show up the rest of the season, the one that handled Georgia or the one that was crushed by Texas A&M?
I tend to think the latter team will show up most weeks. Maybe not to the extent of getting beat by 24 points at home, but something close to it. The win against Georgia was impressive, but included some questionable penalties against the Bulldogs and a missed field goal late in the 4th quarter that would have tied the game. South Carolina can certainly put points on the board, but their defense has not been good. Giving up nearly 37 points a game and only forcing two turnovers in three games will not cut it in the loaded SEC.
South Carolina has a relatively easy schedule the next four weeks, so they could stay near the top of the East division for a little while. But come November, they’re going to struggle. A top four finish in the conference will probably be out of reach.