Eight Things I Want To See in 2008
posted by Scott Hood on Monday, December 31, 2007
However, if you’re a South Carolina fan, 2007 was hardly a year to remember. The football team lost its final five games and failed to make a bowl game. Both basketball teams fell short of earning a berth to their respective NCAA Tournaments. The baseball team lost in the Super Regional round to border rival North Carolina.
So, rather than looking back, I’m going to look forward. Since the upcoming journey around the sun marks the eighth year of this decade, I present the eight things I want to see from the USC athletic program in 2008:
1. A Date To The Big Dance: This should be the goal of every Division I men’s and women’s basketball team when the season starts in November. Dave Odom and Susan Walvius haven’t led USC to the NCAA Tournament enough times for my liking. Their jobs could be on the line if the Gamecocks don’t reach the Tournament this season. The men’s team is 7-5 with two winnable non-conference games remaining against Radford and UNC-Asheville before SEC play begins on Jan. 9. The first five conference games will set the tone. USC must get off to a good start in the conference or the negative vibes surrounding the program will only escalate.
2. A Trip To The College World Series: USC hasn’t been to Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha since 2004. Since then, the Gamecocks have lost in the Regionals (Atlanta in 2005) and fallen in the third and deciding game of the Super Regional round twice (Georgia in 2006 and North Carolina in 2007). It’s time for USC to get over the hump and get back to the CWS. They have one of the best infields in all of college baseball this season with Justin Smoak (1B), Andrew Crisp (2B), Reese Havens (SS) and James Darnell (3B). The question marks are the outfield and pitching staff. Talent-wise, USC is certainly one of the top eight teams in the country.
3. Justin Smoak Named National Player Of The Year: This will likely be Smoak’s final season with the Gamecocks. He posted impressive numbers last season and will be USC’s all-time home run leader by a wide margin when this upcoming seasons concludes, hopefully in late June. Smoak enters the new campaign as one of the favorites to earn National Player of the Year honors along with Vanderbilt 3B Pedro Alvarez and a host of other players. He’s also in the running to become the top selection in next June’s MLB Draft. Scouts love his size, strength, hitting ability, defensive skills and baseball acumen.
4. Construction Of The New Baseball Stadium Is Completed On Time: After a long and tedious process required by the S.C. Procurement Code, construction of USC’s new baseball stadium is finally underway. We’re told it should be completed by late August. By this point, there have been so many false starts and stops, I’m through predicting when the stadium will be finished. Hopefully, the deadline will be met. The general contractor (Contract Construction) has a strong relationship with the university built over many years. So the signs are positive. USC head coach Ray Tanner wants his club to practice in the new stadium next fall in order to become acclimated to the surroundings by the start of the 2009 season. Hopefully, he’ll have that opportunity.
5. Football Team Beats Clemson: Based on the posts I’ve seen and the amount of e-mail I’ve received, USC fans have grown weary of losing to the Tigers. This year’s 23-21 loss to Clemson marked the fifth setback in the last six years to the Tigers. USC hasn’t beaten Clemson in consecutive years since 1969-70. Generally, Clemson has had more talent than USC over the last 15 to 20 years, so the lopsided nature of the rivalry isn’t surprising. There have been few upsets. Clemson should have another good team in 2008 with Cullen Harper and C.J. Spiller, and possibly James Davis, coming back. USC will have to go to Memorial Stadium and win again like they did in 2006. Will they be up to the challenge?
6. Eight Or More Wins: USC was well on its way to a highly successful season in 2007 when they stood at 6-1 and No. 6 in the BCS in mid October. However, the collapse down the stretch against stiff competition dropped the Gamecocks to .500 (6-6) and kept them out of a bowl game. Next year’s schedule sets up in similar fashion. USC should be 6-1 or better when LSU comes to Columbia in late October to start a daunting final five-game stretch. After the Bayou Bengals, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida and Clemson await. The Gamecocks flunked the test in 2007. Will they do better next season? They must in order to get past the perception that even Steve Spurrier won’t be able to pull USC out of its long history of mediocrity. Victories in all five games is probably unrealistic, but two of five is not unreasonable.
7. Stephen Garcia Named SEC Freshman Of The Year: With spring practice ahead and then his second fall camp, Garcia should be prepared to lead the USC offense when the Thursday night season opener against N.C. State rolls around. He’ll likely split snaps with Chris Smelley, but there’s no question he’ll get every opportunity to make an impact. Steve Spurrier is already talking about the opportunity to coach up Garcia. We’re living in the era of the mobile quarterback. Garcia will unquestionably be one of the most-watched freshmen in the country, let alone the SEC, next season. With the first two games on national TV, Garcia can make a quick impression. If he performs well out of the gate, the buzz will start.
8. New Williams-Brice Stadium Seating Plan Unveiled: This is something many in Gamecock Nation have been dreading for a long time. But it’s coming, possibly by the summer. There’s no question USC fans will have to open their wallets and pay a seat license fee starting in 2009 if they want to retain their tickets. Will Roundhouse and Century Club members be moved out of the West Lower sections? That’s the key question. Most SEC schools have already reformed their football stadium seating. Clemson has a “seat equity” plan in place for 2008. It will be USC’s turn in 2009. When it happens, I’m sure we’ll hear howls of protest from some long-suffering Gamecock fans. But seat premiums are here to stay in big-time college athletics. USC has a $200 million capital campaign to pay for, including a planned $60 million expansion of Williams-Brice Stadium that will add 6,000 to 8,000 seats to a facility that already squeezes in nearly 82,000 patrons.
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This is the day when people reflect back on the year just completed and try to figure out the best moments of the previous 365 days.
However, if you’re a South Carolina fan, 2007 was hardly a year to remember. The football team lost its final five games and failed to make a bowl game. Both basketball teams fell short of earning a berth to their respective NCAA Tournaments. The baseball team lost in the Super Regional round to border rival North Carolina.
So, rather than looking back, I’m going to look forward. Since the upcoming journey around the sun marks the eighth year of this decade, I present the eight things I want to see from the USC athletic program in 2008:
1. A Date To The Big Dance: This should be the goal of every Division I men’s and women’s basketball team when the season starts in November. Dave Odom and Susan Walvius haven’t led USC to the NCAA Tournament enough times for my liking. Their jobs could be on the line if the Gamecocks don’t reach the Tournament this season. The men’s team is 7-5 with two winnable non-conference games remaining against Radford and UNC-Asheville before SEC play begins on Jan. 9. The first five conference games will set the tone. USC must get off to a good start in the conference or the negative vibes surrounding the program will only escalate.
2. A Trip To The College World Series: USC hasn’t been to Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha since 2004. Since then, the Gamecocks have lost in the Regionals (Atlanta in 2005) and fallen in the third and deciding game of the Super Regional round twice (Georgia in 2006 and North Carolina in 2007). It’s time for USC to get over the hump and get back to the CWS. They have one of the best infields in all of college baseball this season with Justin Smoak (1B), Andrew Crisp (2B), Reese Havens (SS) and James Darnell (3B). The question marks are the outfield and pitching staff. Talent-wise, USC is certainly one of the top eight teams in the country.
3. Justin Smoak Named National Player Of The Year: This will likely be Smoak’s final season with the Gamecocks. He posted impressive numbers last season and will be USC’s all-time home run leader by a wide margin when this upcoming seasons concludes, hopefully in late June. Smoak enters the new campaign as one of the favorites to earn National Player of the Year honors along with Vanderbilt 3B Pedro Alvarez and a host of other players. He’s also in the running to become the top selection in next June’s MLB Draft. Scouts love his size, strength, hitting ability, defensive skills and baseball acumen.
4. Construction Of The New Baseball Stadium Is Completed On Time: After a long and tedious process required by the S.C. Procurement Code, construction of USC’s new baseball stadium is finally underway. We’re told it should be completed by late August. By this point, there have been so many false starts and stops, I’m through predicting when the stadium will be finished. Hopefully, the deadline will be met. The general contractor (Contract Construction) has a strong relationship with the university built over many years. So the signs are positive. USC head coach Ray Tanner wants his club to practice in the new stadium next fall in order to become acclimated to the surroundings by the start of the 2009 season. Hopefully, he’ll have that opportunity.
5. Football Team Beats Clemson: Based on the posts I’ve seen and the amount of e-mail I’ve received, USC fans have grown weary of losing to the Tigers. This year’s 23-21 loss to Clemson marked the fifth setback in the last six years to the Tigers. USC hasn’t beaten Clemson in consecutive years since 1969-70. Generally, Clemson has had more talent than USC over the last 15 to 20 years, so the lopsided nature of the rivalry isn’t surprising. There have been few upsets. Clemson should have another good team in 2008 with Cullen Harper and C.J. Spiller, and possibly James Davis, coming back. USC will have to go to Memorial Stadium and win again like they did in 2006. Will they be up to the challenge?
6. Eight Or More Wins: USC was well on its way to a highly successful season in 2007 when they stood at 6-1 and No. 6 in the BCS in mid October. However, the collapse down the stretch against stiff competition dropped the Gamecocks to .500 (6-6) and kept them out of a bowl game. Next year’s schedule sets up in similar fashion. USC should be 6-1 or better when LSU comes to Columbia in late October to start a daunting final five-game stretch. After the Bayou Bengals, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida and Clemson await. The Gamecocks flunked the test in 2007. Will they do better next season? They must in order to get past the perception that even Steve Spurrier won’t be able to pull USC out of its long history of mediocrity. Victories in all five games is probably unrealistic, but two of five is not unreasonable.
7. Stephen Garcia Named SEC Freshman Of The Year: With spring practice ahead and then his second fall camp, Garcia should be prepared to lead the USC offense when the Thursday night season opener against N.C. State rolls around. He’ll likely split snaps with Chris Smelley, but there’s no question he’ll get every opportunity to make an impact. Steve Spurrier is already talking about the opportunity to coach up Garcia. We’re living in the era of the mobile quarterback. Garcia will unquestionably be one of the most-watched freshmen in the country, let alone the SEC, next season. With the first two games on national TV, Garcia can make a quick impression. If he performs well out of the gate, the buzz will start.
8. New Williams-Brice Stadium Seating Plan Unveiled: This is something many in Gamecock Nation have been dreading for a long time. But it’s coming, possibly by the summer. There’s no question USC fans will have to open their wallets and pay a seat license fee starting in 2009 if they want to retain their tickets. Will Roundhouse and Century Club members be moved out of the West Lower sections? That’s the key question. Most SEC schools have already reformed their football stadium seating. Clemson has a “seat equity” plan in place for 2008. It will be USC’s turn in 2009. When it happens, I’m sure we’ll hear howls of protest from some long-suffering Gamecock fans. But seat premiums are here to stay in big-time college athletics. USC has a $200 million capital campaign to pay for, including a planned $60 million expansion of Williams-Brice Stadium that will add 6,000 to 8,000 seats to a facility that already squeezes in nearly 82,000 patrons.
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.