The staff from TRC will be gathering at Goat Island (across from the Isle of Palms) this weekend for our semi-annual convention. You’re not invited, it’s a very exclusive convention. We will keep you updated on our exploits via Twitter, however.
It’s only been two weeks, but it feels like an entire offseason since we played last, and even longer since I submitted a blog post. Well, sometimes life just happens to catch up with you and sometimes that happens during a bye week when there’s not much to write about anyway, so what are you going to do.
But anyway…
We get back into the swing of things on Saturday against our pale orange non-friends from Tennessee. On paper this is a mismatch – a 6-1, top 15 team going up against a winless SEC East foe (not named Vanderbilt or Kentucky, mind you) so desperate that they’re starting a true freshman quarterback whom they had planned to redshirt.
Unfortunately games aren’t played on paper. They’re played inside thin rectangular boxes that no matter how hard you throw a beer bottle through them you still can’t reach in to choke any of the coaches, players, or referees. And then you have to spend $1500 to buy another rectangular box to have football games played in. But I digress…
I fully expect this to be like every other South Carolina game this year save Kentucky – a painful, nerve-wracking, sloppy slopfest of a game that we pull out by some unimpressive score like 16-12.
But a win would be a win, right? On to a few tusings:
The Melancholy Season. The Gamecocks have won 6 of 7, including a win over Georgia, and are ranked just outside the top 10. Many of our goals are still well within reach with what appears to be a manageable schedule left. So why aren’t we happier as a fan base? We certainly haven’t played great in our six wins, and have some injury concerns, but I think more that that is the surprisingly good play of our neighbors to the north.
The Clemson Tiger University Tigers are good. There’s no more denying it, and painful as it is and as much as we still may want to look for reasons otherwise (you can give me schedule, but since they beat Auburn and we didn’t, it’s a hard argument for a Gamecock to make). CTU has the best freshman in the country complimented by a stable of very good wide receivers. They have a competent, if injury prone, running back. Tajh Boyd has been sickeningly good since the third game of the season. And their offensive line and defense have done enough to not lose games.
Are they as good as Alabama or LSU? HELL NO, why would you ask such a stupid question. However, I do not think it is beyond the realm of possibility that they run the table, and with a few breaks wind up playing in the…gulp…ugh…BCS National Championship Game. I just threw up. Outside my mouth. A lot.
I hate CTU so much.
The good news. CTU still has to jump past a few teams to get to that point. Odds are high that either LSU or Alabama will finish undefeated. Oklahoma State would have to lose. Boise would probably have to lose. I don’t know the math, but I would imagine Stanford and/or Kansas State might have a chance to jump CTU if they remain undefeated.
The bad news. We were pretty sure Wisconsin and Oklahoma would remain undefeated too.
Oklahoma. Fools gold. Every year. Don’t trust them, ever.
South Caromageddon. Can you imagine what the state of South Carolina would be like in the week leading up to a game where South Carolina is 10-1 or 9-2 hosting an 11-0 Clemson team? The entire state might spontaneously combust at kickoff.
South Carolina @ Tennessee. I really wish I had more thoughts on this, but I’m stumped. Besides Justin Worley getting the start for UT, what are the storylines? Wilds replacing Lattimore? Dooley’s orange pants? Spurrier v. Morris? I’m stumped. I sure hope we have a lot of good stuff to talk about once it’s over.
Speaking of, be on the lookout for a special edition TRC Unleashed. I say be on the lookout, because I don’t know what our internet connection situation will be on Goat Island. We’ll keep you posted via the blog and/or Twitter.
Go Cocks. Go Gators. Go Yellow Jackets.
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