Yes, it's that time again. I'm bringing back the site even though I ran out of steam last year with a new plan and a new focus. This time I'll be doing season preview for all of the SEC teams leading up to the season, and then during the week I'll pick one major game to review the film and give you my impressions. Also, as usual I'll be giving you my SEC picks against the spread for fun. Last year I had issues with my top picks. Maybe this year I'll do a little better? Who knows, it's gambling.
Anyway I'll start with the bottom of the Eastern division in South Carolina, who finished with an awful 3-9 record last year and their head coach quit mid-season. So Steve Spurrier has retired, and in his place is the head coach that nobody wanted, Will Muschamp. You may remember Muschamp from that time he completely screwed up the Florida football program and got fired. There is literally no way in my mind that Will Muschamp was the top candidate for this job at South Carolina, but the search kept going on and on until eventually they just picked him. Can Muschamp coach? I think Florida proved that he can coach a defense. The other side of the ball is up for serious debate.
Get used to one thing in these previews, and that's the phrase "Quarterback controversy" because it's going to appear a lot in the SEC this year. At a time when great college QBs are getting rarer across the land (seriously, just look at who got drafted in the top spots last year), the SEC is probably one of the worst leagues when it comes to QB play. If you pulled up the top passing teams in college football last year by yardage, only 2 SEC teams appeared in the top 25. Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Oh and guess what? Mississippi State's QB graduated to the NFL. So that leaves Mr. Chad Kelly as the only guy with a big passing arm in the SEC that's coming back.
What does that mean for South Carolina? Last year they barely had a QB as they switched constantly between Perry Orth, Lorenzo Nunez, and Connor Mitch. It would be a stretch to call any of them good QBs. And it kept getting worse as the year went on since Orth got the majority of the snaps, but couldn't stop the turnovers. What does that mean for this year? Perry Orth is a senior and still in the battle for the top job, which should excite exactly nobody. The other guys is a freshman, Brandon McIlwain, who has been a top performer in the spring according to several sources.
Personally, if I'm making the decision I'm not starting Orth again. I've seen a season of Orth, and he finished with sub-2000 yards, 12 TDs, 9 picks, and he was throwing to one of the best receivers that South Carolina has ever had in Pharoh Cooper who is now in the NFL. Even that wasn't enough to work out that passing game. Also, South Carolina should have ZERO illusions about this season. They are working out a new coach, likely a new QB, almost all new receivers, and an entirely revamped defense scheme. This isn't a season to win the SEC. They should send out a new QB who can grow with this coach and these players, taking his lumps in a season South Carolina will likely not compete.
What will work in South Carolina's favor is their returning RB David Williams, who likely will get more carries than last season where he averaged 3.5 a carry behind a sub-par offensive line. He only got about 10 carries a game because Brandon Wilds took most of the action on his way to the NFL. Now Williams is set to be the prime guy, but there will be some pressure from young upstart freshman AJ Turner as well. South Carolina doesn't really run just one RB, like most teams in the SEC, so I expect some split carries but with Williams getting the lion's share if he can perform.
In the WR department, you're looking at the loss of Pharoh Cooper hitting the team very hard, as he had 973 yards and 66 catches last year with 8 TDs. The next closest guy was Jerell Adams with 28 catches and 421 yards with 3 TDs. Oh but wait, Adams went to the NFL too. Bad luck there. So who's left? Yeah that would be Deebo Samuel and Bryan Edwards (Edwards is a freshman). In fact there are four freshman receivers who may get time behind Samuel, who was out with a hamstring injury in 2015, which left him with severely reduced numbers. Still, Samuel is a sophomore, so the WR core is EXTREMELY young, which would be a huge problem for even a veteran QB.
On the offensive line, South Carolina returns their center Alan Knott, which is probably the biggest deal on the whole team. Why? Because centers control the blocking scheme, and help younger offensive lineman get in the right areas. Since South Carolina only returns two starters on the line, the name of the game is going to be learn quick, or get run over. I don't expect South Carolina to have a top line this year, which will make it even harder on the RB and QB situation for the Gamecocks.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Gamecocks were the worst in the SEC last year in almost every metric. They gave up the most points, they gave up the most yards, but they were 5th in the league in turnovers gained. So the team was obviously ball-hawking, making up the for the fact they couldn't stop a kitten with a cold. That being said, one of their best players last year was Skai Moore, an incredibly talented LB who is now out for the whole season with a disc injury to his neck. And there really isn't a ton of proposed upside for this defense. The only thing they have going for them is that Will Muschamp is the coach, and he rarely puts a terrible defensive product on the field. The Gamecock team this year may even test Muschamps defensive limits.
As for the predictions, I think South Carolina will be lucky to get 6 wins this year. They have two guaranteed wins in UMASS and Western Carolina (you would think) but beyond that? Even Vandy might give this team a run for their money. And let's not forget that South Carolina lost to The Citadel last year. So, anything is possible if the wheels really come off the wagon, and with Muschamp they just might.
SOUTH CAROLINA PREDICTION: 5-7
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