SEC Football: Best and Worst-Case Scenario for Every Team in 2015
Oct 25, 2014; Auburn, AL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier walks off the field for halftime against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
South Carolina’s best-case scenario is certainly a stretch, but it’s hard to bet against the Head Ball Coach and his track record of success. However, the 2014 season may have been the beginning of the end for Spurrier in Columbia – and a worst-case 2015 could be the end of the HBC’s Hall of Fame career.
Related: Game-by-Game Predictions for Every SEC Football Team
The Gamecocks needed a last minute punt block against Florida to keep their bowl hopes alive last season. The defense was so dreadful that a record-setting offense could manage only six regular season wins. With quarterback Dylan Thompson graduating, running back Mike Davis leaving early for the NFL, and the graduation or departure of four of the team’s top five receivers from last season, the team returns just 31.4 percent of its offensive yardage production.
Plus, the Gamecocks lost their best offensive lineman: 51-game starter and All-SEC guard A.J. Cann.
Looking ahead to 2015, South Carolina has a tough season opening matchup with North Carolina, followed by a Kentucky team that beat the Gamecocks last season. Carolina must play SEC East favorite Georgia in Athens before hosting a dangerous UCF squad, then traveling to play back-to-back East champs Missouri on the road before returning home to faec LSU and Vanderbilt before a mid-season bye week. While the Gamecocks may be expected to win at least four of those first seven games, none are gimmes – and the schedule gets even tougher in the second half of the season.
If South Carolina struggles again, and there’s no dramatic blocked punt to save a postseason bid, expect Spurrier to turn his attention to golf in 2016.
South Carolina’s Worst-Case Scenario: The golden era of South Carolina football – and Steve Spurrier’s career – comes to a close
Next: Best-Case Scenario: Florida