Meyer's Leave Opens Door A Little More For USC
posted by Scott Hood, Tuesday, December 29, 2009
But I do know this - the door has been opened a little bit more for USC to make a long-awaited run towards the SEC East title in 2010.
All three of its main rivals in the SEC East will have flaws next season. The Gators won’t have quarterback Tim Tebow anymore along with an army of offensive and defensive players who will either exhaust their eligibility following the Sugar Bowl matchup with Cincinnati or depart early for the NFL.
Sorry, but UF interim head coach Steve Addazio doesn’t strike fear in the hearts of Florida’s opponents the same way Meyer does. Neither will current backup quarterback John Brantley – the presumptive 2010 starter - until he proves himself on the field.
Meanwhile, Georgia will be breaking in their third different quarterback in as many seasons along with a new defensive coordinator and his staff. Frankly, next season’s early-season meeting with the Bulldogs at Williams-Brice Stadium is a game USC should win.
And must win if the Gamecocks harbor any hopes of capturing their first SEC Eastern Division title. Granted, Georgia has been a strong finisher under Mark Richt (see 2007), so a September loss to the Gamecocks wouldn’t be fatal to their title hopes.
Tennessee? They appear to have new energy under Lane Kiffin but you have to wonder how the constant attention from the NCAA will affect the psychology of the program. Moreover, the Vols need to replace Jonathan Crompton at quarterback and right now the apparent 2010 starter is a freshman. They will also likely lose All-America safety Eric Berry to the NFL.
As long as USC is able to avoid turnovers – something they were not able to do in Knoxville earlier this season – they stand a good chance of beating the Vols at home.
USC has a chance to win the division because Stephen Garcia could be the best quarterback among the six signal-callers in the SEC East. At least he is a known commodity with 15 career starts. Brantley has the hype behind him, but how good will he be? We don’t know.
In addition, the only wide receiver in the SEC East who could rightfully be considered better than Alshon Jeffery is Georgia’s A.J. Green. The duel between those two premier receivers should be something to behold.
But USC should be superior to Georgia on defense even though Eric Norwood will play his final college football game on Jan. 2 in Birmingham. The Bulldogs lose most of their defensive line and, very likely, junior MLB Rennie Curran, one of the best defensive players in the SEC.
Another reason I like USC’s chances in 2010 is most of their toughest SEC games are at Williams-Brice Stadium, a place where the Gamecocks went 6-1 in 2009. If USC is able to duplicate that mark in 2010, they will win the division.
But it won’t be easy with a home slate that includes Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas. As long as USC is able to win three of those four games, sweep Kentucky and Vanderbilt in their own stadiums, and split the road contests at Auburn and Florida, they should be nicely positioned to compete for the big prize - a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game.
At worst, they will be involved in the SEC East race right down to the final weekend and should battle for a spot in a New Year’s Day bowl.
Is 2010 the season USC finally breaks through the glass ceiling? Yes.
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Like everyone else, I don’t know when Florida head coach Urban Meyer will return from his indefinite leave of absence. Three months? Six months? 2011? Who knows?
But I do know this - the door has been opened a little bit more for USC to make a long-awaited run towards the SEC East title in 2010.
All three of its main rivals in the SEC East will have flaws next season. The Gators won’t have quarterback Tim Tebow anymore along with an army of offensive and defensive players who will either exhaust their eligibility following the Sugar Bowl matchup with Cincinnati or depart early for the NFL.
Sorry, but UF interim head coach Steve Addazio doesn’t strike fear in the hearts of Florida’s opponents the same way Meyer does. Neither will current backup quarterback John Brantley – the presumptive 2010 starter - until he proves himself on the field.
Meanwhile, Georgia will be breaking in their third different quarterback in as many seasons along with a new defensive coordinator and his staff. Frankly, next season’s early-season meeting with the Bulldogs at Williams-Brice Stadium is a game USC should win.
And must win if the Gamecocks harbor any hopes of capturing their first SEC Eastern Division title. Granted, Georgia has been a strong finisher under Mark Richt (see 2007), so a September loss to the Gamecocks wouldn’t be fatal to their title hopes.
Tennessee? They appear to have new energy under Lane Kiffin but you have to wonder how the constant attention from the NCAA will affect the psychology of the program. Moreover, the Vols need to replace Jonathan Crompton at quarterback and right now the apparent 2010 starter is a freshman. They will also likely lose All-America safety Eric Berry to the NFL.
As long as USC is able to avoid turnovers – something they were not able to do in Knoxville earlier this season – they stand a good chance of beating the Vols at home.
USC has a chance to win the division because Stephen Garcia could be the best quarterback among the six signal-callers in the SEC East. At least he is a known commodity with 15 career starts. Brantley has the hype behind him, but how good will he be? We don’t know.
In addition, the only wide receiver in the SEC East who could rightfully be considered better than Alshon Jeffery is Georgia’s A.J. Green. The duel between those two premier receivers should be something to behold.
But USC should be superior to Georgia on defense even though Eric Norwood will play his final college football game on Jan. 2 in Birmingham. The Bulldogs lose most of their defensive line and, very likely, junior MLB Rennie Curran, one of the best defensive players in the SEC.
Another reason I like USC’s chances in 2010 is most of their toughest SEC games are at Williams-Brice Stadium, a place where the Gamecocks went 6-1 in 2009. If USC is able to duplicate that mark in 2010, they will win the division.
But it won’t be easy with a home slate that includes Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas. As long as USC is able to win three of those four games, sweep Kentucky and Vanderbilt in their own stadiums, and split the road contests at Auburn and Florida, they should be nicely positioned to compete for the big prize - a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game.
At worst, they will be involved in the SEC East race right down to the final weekend and should battle for a spot in a New Year’s Day bowl.
Is 2010 the season USC finally breaks through the glass ceiling? Yes.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
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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 @.