mind of a gamecock

4 Out of 5 Ain't Bad, Plus a Bonus

2009-11-10T22:01:00.005-05:00

Before I get to blogging today, I need to pass on a couple of administrative notes:

1. I'm a family man now, and even though she doesn't possess the ability, I won't be publishing comments that I wouldn't want my daughter to read.

2. I won't publish comments left anonymously. Now onto the good stuff.

I will be the first to admit that I was not thrilled with the idea of Assistant Coach Swinney becoming Head Coach Swinney, and 5 games into the season, I felt like my reservations were justified. But Coach Swinney appears well on his way to shutting me, and a lot of others (Philip), up. Nine games into the season, four of the five major team goals are still alive. That's winning the Atlantic division, winning the ACC, winning a BCS bowl game, and winning the Heisman Trophy for CJ Spiller. I consider that last one a team goal, because, despite Spiller's individual talents, no player can win it without the support of his teammates on the field. That's pretty dang good for a 39 year old with very little coaching experience. Not only has Coach Swinney changed the mindset of the players, but he has changed the mindset of the fans as well. We believe that Coach Swinney can lead us back to our glory days. This morning (11-11-09), right here, I am proud to announce that, for the first time, I am 100% All In.

I'm not sitting here saying that Clemson will achieve all, or even most, of the afore-mentioned goals, but I am saying that the team and the fans finally believe that Clemson can achieve all those goals. Yes We Can! And, unlike our fowl friends down the road, it isn't gonna be next year. Speaking of those guys........Rejoice!! Clemson fans, we just got some more good news last night. Steve Spurrier announced that he planned to stay in Columbia for at least 3-4 more years. If you've been paying attention, that news should excite you.

Now MOAG.

On Switching Conferences:

- If we swapped schedules right now, Clemson would go 6-6, or 7-5, Carolina would go 7-5 or 8-4, and Carolina would beat Clemson 75% of the time. In other words, they would swap places. If Clemson fans, who follow a perennial 8-4 team in the ACC, dont think they would start losing to Carolina if they played Bama, Arkansas, Florida and Tennessee, and we played Wake, NC State and Virginia leading up to our game, then you are in total denial.

- The reality is, you would be limping into your rivalry game just as we do every year, because we are similar programs and you play cupcakes for 4 weeks prior and we play some of the best teams in the country. And you usually win.

- Clemson would fare no better in the SEC than USC, and there's a good chance they'd fare worse...

- usc wouldnt have any trouble with florida"no defense" state and most of the others with clemsons schedule we would go 10-2 or 9-3

- How many CU victories over SC SHOULD be attributed to a demoralizing defeat at the hands of UF the game prior?

The Florida Game:

- SC beats UF on Saturday...............watch and see. SOS knows how to beat these guys.

- I predicted this about two weeks ago...I'm sticking by my prediction.

- WE CAN BEAT THE GATORS! I am starting to get excited about the game. We can make history with this win and IT IS POSSIBLE. If everyone would get behind this team and get fired up it would motivate the players. We have talent! We are capable of playing good football. Who is in???? GOOO GAMECOCKS!!

- with the refs it's going to be nearly impossible.

- I have been predicting the Gamecocks will beat UF this week all season, I think they will overlook our boys and I also think the crowd will be a big difference. I do not see UF's offense being as strong as it was last year and I have a strong feeling the Gamecock D will be up to the challenge!

- Not many of you give our guys a chance this weekend, and some of you think the Clemson game is more important anyway...I may be one of only a very few that is very optimistic about this weekend.

On Spurrier's Future:

- Spurrier ain't going no where but to atlanta in the next year or 2.then he will keep going back a few times before he retires for good.

- Even if Clemsux were to win again, they dont want to seeDarth Visor on our sidelines for 2,3,4 or even 5 more years.

On SEC/ACC Power Poll:

- why the HELL are we behind so many acc teams clemson is probably their best team and we gunna kick their butt in two weeks

- BS we are supposed to believe that out of the 24 teams in the SEC and the ACC that we are only better than 11 programs,what a joke.

On the Bye Week Before Clemson (which they begged for 5 years ago):

- I think the bye wek hurts us right before the Clemson game. While Clemson is focusing on there next opponent, we are already preparing for the Taters. We may be to ready to play this game and emotion last for maybe 4or 5 plays and them reality sets in. That may not be the case but for some reason, Clemson always comes out, plays harder, hits harder and has a better game plan.

The Old, Old, Old Ball Coach

2009-11-09T12:36:00.003-05:00

I am a dog lover. I always have been. One of my least favorite movies of all time is Old Yeller; however, even at the tender age of 7 I understood why dude had to do what he did. The legendary dog had become a liability to his family, and he needed to die before he hurt someone. Well, it's time for the Gamecocks to channel Travis Coates. They need to take their beloved coach out to a field, tie him to a post, and blow his brains out.

In the last 4 games, South Carolina has scored a total of 49 points. They can't run the ball to save their lives (you know it's bad when professional writers are actually trying to suggest that Brian Maddox was a bright spot on Saturday against Arkansas). And it actually seems to be getting worse. The cure for a struggling offense desperately trying to avoid a 6-6 finish is probably not games against Florida and Clemson, both of which play great defense.

The problem for the Gamecocks here is two-fold. They don't want to be known as the school that ran off two coaching legends in succession, but they also can't continue doing what they've been doing under Spurrier and expect to get any better. It's a troubling dilemma (not for me) that is the result of grossly negligent foresight on their part. Rumor has it that A.D. Hyman hired Gary Patterson when he was at TCU, and if anyone is capable of fixing the Gamecocks, it's Patterson. But TCU could easily match, or better, any offer South Carolina made him, and does he really want to kill his career yet? I doubt it.

So it promises to be another long, long off-season, replete with a drastically overrated recruiting class, a fresh group of bad assistant coaches, and delusional fans finally having arrived in "next year."

Here's some classic MOAG:

- USC is a better team than Clemson regardless of how crappy we feel as a fanbase after the last couple of losses. Clemson has Spiller. That's it. Granted USC has no chance of stopping him so maybe they can step on that hurt toe. I'm sorry but Clemson is NOT better than, UT, Ark, UF, Ole Miss, Vandy, or UGA. Great, they beat a horrible Fla St. team and are going to the ACC Championship to represent the best of the worst. USC: 32, Clemson: 10

- why the HELL are we behind so many acc teams clemson is probably their best team and we gunna kick their butt in two weeks

- Spiller is weak. Spiller is a good player dont get me wrong, but he fakes injuries every game to avoid contact. He is running up and down the field... cutting on a dime yet he bounces outside on every play when a cut is not wide open he just runs out.

- we are 5-0 at home this season and have won 5 of our last SEC games at home. We have to defend those accomplishments at Williams Brice this weekend and our players will be named courage, valor, honor to support our wounded warriors. Get fired up and help support this team and their cause against the #1 team in the country!! We have lots to play for and a mountain to climb this Saturday afternoon.

- you can always count on Clemson to play their best game of the year against us. Maybe thats due to their coaches getting them prepared. I would like to at least see us get a few breaks in the contest, instead of the tigers getting all the luck.

- I still cannot believe that the taters were so foolish as to hire a real estate agent as a football coach!!! I know that taters are dumb, but even this was hard to believe!!!This right here tells you the difference in the prestige of the two programs in our state. One program in COLUMBIA is a top-flight, flagship school for the state with high standards that can only be met by HIRING THE VERY BEST.The other program in the cow pasture is a trailer park of a school without even enough prestige ot hire a real football coach! All they could do was to get a real estate guy or an insurance salesman or whatever he is. I'm not sure.There has never been a better tim to be a GAMECOCK!!! COACH SPURRIER has turned this program around AGAINST ALL ODDS in the TOUGHEST CONFERENCE IN AMERICA. In the meanwhile Dabo Dabo Do has been busy loosing to teams like Maryland in the weak A-SHE-SHE with a teamload of convicts and a stadium full of fans with no teeth who work at Waffle HOUSE. LOL!!!!We are living in a GOLDEN AGE of GAMECOCK football. Enjoy it while you can! I sure am!!!GO COCKS!!!

- Not one for moral victories and excuses; but Can anyone tell me WHEN...in the name of all that is good and decent...will we get a schedule reprieve? I mean 11 straight weeks is INCREDIBLY UNFAIR!!! If that was not enough, we are having to play our very best competition when we are nursing the injuries and fatigue of 8-9 straight weeks.

Blog Note

2009-11-04T09:46:00.002-05:00

I'm remembering now one of the big problems I had with the blog last year. All the anonymous comments create confusion amongst the readers. It's a disservice to everyone, so from now on I won't be publishing any anonymous comments. Thanks for your understanding. Iit's going to make for a livelier and more sensible conversation.

Welcome Back, MOAG Fans & Haters

2009-11-03T21:49:00.003-05:00

Yes, it's true. Mind of a Gamecock is back! For some of you, this news is a batman kick to the throat, while for others, it's second only to the joyous news we received last year on October 14. That was the day our long, national nightmare ended, and the dawn of a new era began in Clemson. I'm not going to re-hash those events, because we're all in a better place now, but I do feel that I owe to you, my loyal readers, an explanation of exactly what happened to Mind of a Gamecock. On the surface, it might have seemed like I disappeared at exactly the same time that Clemson was imploding on the football field, but I can assure you that Clemson's downward spiral last year had nothing to do with the MOAG hiatus. What had happened was, this site was becoming too big for me to handle. I was not expecting the kind of instant, overwhelming success Mind of a Gamecock received. I literally could not go anywhere without people asking (actually hounding) me about it. It got to be too much. The same thing happened to Dave Chappelle. When he bailed on his show I called him a quitter, but now I know how he felt. Some people also said some really mean things about me and my family, and it made me very upset.

But that's all in the past now. As I previously, Mind of a Gamecock is back! I realize in writing this that some of you are going to find the timing of my return as suspicious as the timing of my departure, but let me assuage you of those concerns. It is merely a coincidence. It has nothing to do with the fact that Clemson is looking good for their first trip to the ACC Championship Game. It has nothing to do with the fact that the Gamecocks are getting a head start on their yearly November swoon. It was simply a logistical decision. The timing is right for my family and me. Speaking of my family, we welcomed a little girl into the world last March. Speaking of little girls, did anyone catch Chris Culliver's performance on Saturday night against Tennessee? Yes.

So, folks, I welcome every last one of you back to Mind of a Gamecock. The premise of the blog remains the same (got some really good post-Tennessee MOAG coming over the next few days). I'm going to open the forum up to questions. I'm sure y'all have a lot of them. So fire away. Oh yeah, things got a little distasteful last time around in the comments section, so try to conduct yourselves with the maturity that everyone expects from southern college football fans.

MOAG Power 20

2008-10-19T09:13:00.000-04:00

1. Texas
2. Penn St.
3. Alabama
4. Florida
5. Oklahoma
6. USC
7. Oklahoma St.
8. Georgia
9. Texas Tech
10. Ohio St.
11. LSU
12. Utah
13. Georgia Tech
14. TCU
15. Boise St
16. South Florida
17. Tulsa
18. Pittsburgh
19. Boston College
20. Kansas

Jordin Lindsey Still a Paste Eater

2008-10-17T17:23:00.003-04:00

When asked about last year's fake field goal in Baton Rouge, the highly aggresive, stupid, alcoholic Lindsey had this to say:

" It made me feel like they thought they could toy with us and it pissed me
off."

I Have An Announcement

2008-10-16T15:33:00.004-04:00

Folks, this blog has become tedious. It is much harder, and more time consuming, than I had initially thought it would be. With that in mind, I have decided to approach it like I have most of the difficult things I've experienced in my life - I'm quitting. Maybe quitting isn't the right word. Perhaps I should say, I'm not going to blog anymore. But don't panic, I am still going to blog every now and then. Every Sunday I will put out my MOAG Power 20 and the 10 Things I Learned This Weekend pieces that everyone loves so much. I will also try to re-focus the effort back towards what made this blog great, the dumb things that South Carolina fans say. So I want to thank everyone who reads my blog. It's been a great ride, and I know y'all have learned a lot about the game. Thanks, and remember to check back every now and then for some funny stuff. I will leave you with one last prediction: Clemson 29, GT 28

A Reason To Cheer

2008-10-16T15:25:00.002-04:00

Folks, the day Clemson fans have waited for has finally come. Saturday should be fun?

Tigers & Gamecocks Stand Together

2008-10-15T21:13:00.003-04:00

Folks, it's been a tumultuous decade. We have seen a lot of empty promises go unfulfilled, a lot of rhetoric go unchecked, and a lot of potential go down the drain. Year after year we have hoped with bated breath that "this will finally be the year things turn around," and year after year we have been disappointed. We had the chance to do the right thing back in 2003, but we flinched. We allowed our leader to take us down a disastrous path that ruined many, many lives. But even after he screwed things up, we gave him another chance. And look where it's gotten us. However, a change is upon us. The day we have all waited for has arrived. So I implore you, Tigers & Gamecocks fans, be happy. There is an electricity and excitement in the air that we haven't felt in a long, long time. We have a reason to be hopeful. George W. Bush is on his way out, and Barack Obama is going to take this program to a whole new level.

Weekend Winners

2008-10-10T21:26:00.000-04:00

Illinois -12 Minnesota
Arkansas +18.5 Auburn
Penn St. -6 Wisco
SCAR/Kent. under 38.5
Georgia -12.5 Tenn
LSU +6 Florida
Tulsa -24.5 SMU
Ark. St./ULM over 54
Indiana +5 Iowa
Oklahoma -6.5 texas
Temple +7.5 CMU
Washington St. +30 Oregon St.
Texas Tech -20.5 Nebraska
Colorado +14 Kansas

Clemson vs. Wake Forest

2008-10-09T16:20:00.002-04:00

Folks, I can't remember a time when I was less sure of what to expect from a Clemson football game. On paper, Clemson should run away with this one like they did last year. But the games aren't played on paper, otherwise we would never have lost to South Carolina. Neither team is playing particularly well right now, and both desperately need a win to stay in control of their respective destinies. I really don't even feel like getting into potential match up issues, because there are so many it would take too long to break down. Plus Clemson coaches make it a point not to key on potential mismatches. They'd rather let their massive egos and shitty schemes makes the players look bad. Wake has the home field advantage and a vastly superior coaching staff. But Clemson has vastly superior talent. There are 5 key issues to focus on in tonight's game:

1. Clemson must run well for TWO full halves. Keeping Wake off the field, while at the same time not letting their opportunistic defense create turnovers, will give Clemson the best shot to win this game. Wake is weak against the run, but look for them to stack the box. Clemson's OL should be better than it has been since opening day with the return of Chris Hairston.

2. Get to Riley Skinner. Last year we showed what can happen when you get to Skinner early and often. We rattled him completely out of his game. Unfortunately, our pass rush this year has resembled a French retreat more than the German blitzkrieg we all long to see. If Skinner gets enough time to find an open man tonight, he will. Clemson must chase him around and knock him down.

3. The absence of Sam Swank. Rarely would it matter if a team's kicker was out of the lineup, but Swank is one of the best in America. Wake may end up having to leave some points on the field without their AA foot-man. And it could also have an impact on the field position battle.

4. If it rains real hard tonight, Clemson could have a decided advantage in this one.

5. Spence v. Grobe. The game against Wake Forest last year is the best game Clemson has played since the start of the 2007 season. It was an outstanding performance by everyone involved, most notably, Rob Spence. He had WF confused and off-balance from the opening kick. DO NOT expect to see that again tonight. Spence is scared of his shadow right now, as well he should be. I think his job, and not necessarily Bowden's, is on the line tonight.

The good news for Clemson is that Wake's offense, at least up to this point, is very one-dimensional. That won't give Coach Vic too much to think about, and he can focus on not finding someone, anyone, else to blame.

Clemson 37, Wake Forest 13

Don't Nobody Give a Damn Shit

2008-10-08T13:59:00.005-04:00

Folks, the pinnacle of football season has finally arrived. Fresh off a lucky victory over Ole Miss last weekend, all abandoned hope has been restored in Stinktown, USA. Chris Smelley has finally figured it out.....again. Spurrier is a genius.......again. We're gonna win the SEC East......again. Why not us.....again? Fuck all that. To those who love watching the gamecocks crash and burn, early to mid-October is always full of giggles. This year promises to be no different.

The Gamecocks have never won back to back SEC road games. That is a fact. So sure am I of this fact that I didn't even have to look it up. Hell, it might not even be a fact. But it is. You see what I'm getting at here? Look for that trend to continue this weekend as the gamecocks head up to Lexington for a match up that pits the former #1 defense in the country(joke) against the current #1 defense in the country(no joke). Okay I looked it up, and the gamecocks have won back to back road games on more than one occasion, but that still doesn't matter. My claim is just as true now as it was before, or at the very least it should be. That's how bad of a program South Carolina is. This year's collapse won't be as epic as last year's, but it will leave us giggle-happy gigglers happy.

It isn't so much the collective team bed-shitting that we enjoy, it's the mania that permeates the fan base as it is happening. Right now, their fans are on Cloud 9. Who wouldn't be with a 4-2 record and 1 vote in the Coaches Poll? But the wheels are loose, folks. Lose to Kentucky this weekend, and they will fall off the wagon faster than Blake Mitchell at Pavlov's.

Even Gamecock fans, with their stunted analytical skills and transitory memories, have lingering nightmares of a year ago. But don't think for a second that they don't expect a totally different result this year. If they didn't, they wouldn't be gamecock fans. Mind of a Gamecock, as we told you when we first started this blog, is debilitating and permanent. So strap in and get ready for another fun ride, filled with giggles and various other sorts of laughter. Souls without hope take comfort, because there is about to be a surplus of it in Columbia, just ripe for the taking.

Now, let's take some MOAG.

On Kentucky and Kentucky fans:

- Defensive game, with no mistakes on offense we should win going away in the 4th Qtr.Carolina 24 Kan-tucky 14

- Smelley has a career day and SC pulls away late in the 3rd to seal the deal.USC - 35KY - 17

- I really dont think this will be close at all. Our offense has found its rhythm just in time for the Wildcats.

- USC 34--UK 17

- Carolina 33, Kensucky 10

- Cocks pound the kitties 35-14

- GCs are definitely capable of scoring 33 pts and should win by at least two tds.

- I like our chances. We are better than last year, and there's NO WAY KY can make a decent argument to assert it has improved. I see a 34-13 type of score, Cocks winning, of course.

- UK's pass defense is not excellent and ours is. UK has been trying to pass a lot with Hartline and that plays right into our hands as our secondary is top notch. They haven't seemed that effective running the ball either. The strengths of both teams are the defenses, but if we catch the fire we had against Ole Miss, this one really could be a "catch up" game for UK and I don't think they are built for that.

- We now have several big play receivers and the line is progressing. Look for USC to lay the wood to Ky to the tune of 38 to 14.

*editor's note: after several of these prediction posts, a Kentucky fan chimed in to remind the gamecocks that Kentucky had a pretty good defense(39 points surrendered in 5 games this year), and that it would likely be a low scoring affair. He predicted a 14-10 victory for UK, which prompted this response:

- Yeah dream on brother...Hold us to 10 points???!!:lol

- There fans football IQ looks to be very low and I hope we beat them so bad

- they have absolutely no clue about football or how average their team really is. they are good, however, at thumping their chests about back to back music city bowls

- I HAVE NEVER SEEN SO MANY FANS SO OVERCONFIDENT

*editor's note: I needed a towel to dry up all the irony that came dripping off of that one. For this next one, I needed about 50.

- Look, Kentucky may beat USC on Saturday, but I have never seen so much smack by a group of fans who have lost 8 straight times to someone. USC HAS OWNED KENTUCKY IN FOOTBALL FOR 8 YEARS NOW. Until you win you really should just STFU.

On LSU:

- Bunch of thug players... a disgrace to the SEC...

- the coaches , the players ,the fans , TRASH.

On South Carolina:

- Do we or do we not have the hardest hitting defense in the SEC? Huh? Love it how our defense pops 'em 'til they drop.

- It's great to watch the opposing backs and WRs get by the line of scrimmage and the next thing you know they are getting crushed or took out by the GC Hit squad. Priceless.

- It's like watching a storm gathering. Let me give you some stats: 1. One of the top defenses in the country 2. #1 in the SEC in third down conversions 3. A few damn good recruiting classes 4. Spurrier...he just keeps passing it down field...and we have gotten tired of watching it...we have wondered why. We wondered when we would see results. Well...Can you see it? Did you see it Saturday?It's coming. They are coming. The University of South Carolina Gamecocks!

- I'm with you, my friend.While watching us chuck the ball on Ole Miss Saturday, with our RS sophomore QB and the fine stable of young WRs that Coach has brought in, all of a sudden i inexplicably had a flashback to those offensive days of Lou.

- The Gamecock offense is on-track and it's definitely opened up.

- It sucks for Kentucky that they are the first game after Spurrier gets it rolling.Too bad for uk but its gotta be somebody.Dont get too downhearted on the cats after the blowout loss because its just the beginning of the Spurrier run.Nothing personal just BAD TIMING ............Cocks RULE!

- We have a great defense...better than Alabama's and better than yours[kentucky] arguably. Our starting QB is Chris Smelley! He was the SEC offensive player of the week with over 320 yds. passing and 3 TD's!!

- Is Chris Smelley the best quarterbak in the SEC? His completion rate of 63.1 percent leads all SEC quarterbacks who've attempted at least 100 passes this season.

- We finally have a Steve Spurrier offense lead by a Steve Spurrier quarterback! The rest of the SEC is on notice.

- Here's why we will beat the gators this year.Kudos (sp?)to Coach Ellis Johnson for the halftime adjustments he made in using a 3 man front against the rebels. The positive swing in time of possession in favor of our gamecocks was dramatic, indeed. The most important tool to be utilized against the gators, in my humble opinion, is keeping Tebow off the field, period. Call me crazy, but I actually think we can win out from here. Our season has just gotten decidedly more interesting. Anyway, I really do think we can beat those gators and win out the rest of the way.

- Absolutely,I think our time has arrived..............GO COCKS

- Even though we have lost some heart breakers over several seasons, the excitement to our program is building. The fans should begin to realize that we can now play with anybody and can beat anyone on our schedule.

- I think Smelley's stats will improve if we continue to wear white jerseys...seems like he saw the receivers a lot better...can we also wear white at home?

On the SEC:

- The fact of the matter is that any SEC team can beat any SEC team any given week this year. The talent levels between the schools are all close, and getting closer.

Upstate Sportman of the Month

2008-10-05T15:37:00.005-04:00

Folks, we all know that football is king around these parts. What we sometimes overlook, in our quest for the perfect season, are the unheralded local sports heroes, heroes that hail from lesser-known sporting arenas. With that in mind, I've decided to start awarding one local sports hero per month the recognition he or she deserves. My winners will come straight from the sports pages of the Greenville News. Without further ado, Mind of a Gamecock readers, I'd like to present you with the winner of the first Upstate Sportsman of the Month Award...........Mr. Reid Sherard.

Late last month Reid killed himself a 400 lb. gator at Lake Moultrie, a mighty feat, of which most of us can only dream. I would like to personally congratulate Mr. Sherard, and, God willing, one day meet him and shake his hand. Everyone give Reid a round of internet applause. Now let's just hope Reid isn't a South Carolina fan. Otherwise, it might be the last win he experiences over a Gator for a long, long time. Congrats, Reid, you earned this.

10 Things I Learned This Weekend

2008-10-05T11:52:00.004-04:00

1. There are things more embarrassing than losing to Maryland at home. Among those things, watching that same Maryland team go on the road the following week and lose 31-0 to a Virginia team that has no business playing college football, yet will probably somehow beat Clemson when our game-winning touchdown gets called back for 2 men on the line of scrimmage. My guess is that we will avoid finishing dead last in the Atlantic Division, but only by virtue of a tie-breaker over NC State. It's a good thing God forgives, because Bowden owes her big time.

2. There is honor in being wrong. Earlier this week, a stupid person, presumably a South Carolina fan, asked me if I still thought the gamecocks would go 3-9. I was given a chance to retract my prediction. I stuck to my guns; however, I did admit there was a chance they could pick up a 4th win after seeing how average the SEC was this year. I thought that possible 4th win might come against Arkansas. I was wrong. It came against Ole Miss. So my prediction won't come true. Hey, you can't always be right. Looks like 4-8 for the gamecocks this year.

3. Texas is better than I thought they were going to be this year. I had them pegged for 7-5 and a trip to the Alamo Bowl. It would have been unusual to see Texas finish the season with 5 losses, but not surprising. Even so, Texas has unequivocally fought their way back into Holiday Bowl contention, and I have to eat some crow on that one. Looks like it's up to Oklahoma, again, to be the first team to put Texas in their place.

4. The SEC is not a great conference this year. It is merely good on its best day. I want everyone to pay really close attention to the way SEC fan trumpets Vanderbilt going forward. Wait for, and bask in, the inane hypocrisy that will spew forth from his cake hole. When Wake Forest did it, it was a product of a bad ACC, but now that Vandy is doing it, it just shows to cromulent & amazing the SEC is.

5. The Heisman Trophy winner will come from the Big 12, and barring injury, it will be either Chase Daniel or Sam Bradford. I would give the nod to Daniel at this point, but that is no slight on Bradford. Both are superb quarterbacks. Their numbers are very comparable at this point, but my hunch is that Daniel's will stay on this level, while Bradford's might falter a little bit now that OU is getting into the meat of its schedule. I could be wrong, but Daniel is a senior and he's just done this more times than Bradford, who will probably win it next year. One thing is for certain though, the quarterback play in the Big 12 is beyond ridiculous. When Colt McCoy is the 6th best QB in the league, you're into something good.

6. Friday the 13th Part 8 might be the best of the entire series. It's tough to beat Part 5, but at the very least, 8 is the most underrated. Sure, it takes us away from the traditional Camp Crystal Lake setting, but sometimes change is good. Up until this installment, Jason was just a mindless, soulless, jerk. But on the streets of Manhattan, our antagonist becomes self-aware. We see an aggressiveness heretofore unknown. We see a man adapting quickly to his surroundings. We see exactly what can happen when you apply yourself. And we even see the slight makings of a sense of humor. John might tell you I'm crazy for thinking this, but I'm sticking to my guns on this one.

7. The national championship race is gearing up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. Right now I think there 6 teams with a legitimate chance to make it to the title game. Those Tier 1 teams are: Oklahoma, Alabama, Penn St., Missouri, LSU, and USC. Of those 6 teams, I think Penn St and USC have the easiest path. OU and Mizzou will likely play for the Big 12 title, and the loser will be out. The loser of the Bama/LSU game is likely out as well. Penn St. has one tough game left against Ohio State, and USC is the only team capable of beating USC the rest of this season. The one team I feel most confident about is Oklahoma, despite the tougher schedule. Later on I will do a more in-depth breakdown of Tier 1, as well as Tier 2 and Tier 3.

8. The Big East, are you listening Stuart?, is the worst conference in America. For the second straight year, I bought into South Florida and Connecticut, and for the second straight year, I've been had. Don't get me wrong, I think they are decent teams with pretty good players, but they aren't ready for prime time. I still think the PAC-10 is wretched, but not more so than the Big East, or as I like to call them, the Big Least(MOAG original).

9. South Carolina will battle Tennessee for dead last in the SEC East this year, which, ironically, will prompt Coach Spurrier to stick around for at least one more year. His thinking will be, "Okay, it can't get any worse, let's give this thing one more shot." Of course, after all of his best defensive players leave at the end of this season, Spurrier will find out in that it can indeed get worse. 1-11 for South Carolina in 2009, mark it down.

10. Georgia Tech will finally break the ACC's humbling BCS Bowl losing streak.

MOAG Power 20

2008-10-05T10:40:00.002-04:00

Folks, a lot has changed since the last Power 20. In MOAGland, we only do a poll every 2 weeks. Trying to do one weekly is like pissin in the wind, bettin' on a losing friend, makin' the same mistakes, we swear we'll never make again.

1. Oklahoma
2. Alabama
3. Penn State
4. Missouri
5. LSU
6. USC
7. Texas Tech
8. Texas
9. BYU
10. Georgia
11. Florida
12. Utah
13. Ohio State
14. Kansas
15. Virginia Tech
16. Georgia Tech
17. Vanderbilt
18. Illinois
19. North Carolina
20. Oklahoma State

As you can see, as I've stated for quite some time against even the most strenuous SECer objections, the Big 12 is clearly the dominant conference on the college football landscape this year. The SEC comes in a distant second, but that is somewhat by default, since all the other conferences suck nuts.

State of the Blog

2008-10-03T15:40:00.003-04:00

Sorry once again folks, my internet has been crappin out on me all week. I've been in a remote location, abroad, since Tuesday, and they just don't get service here like we do stateside. I'll be back from my family's resort early Saturday morning, and blog content will resume better than ever. Thanks for your patience.

10 Things I Learned This Weekend

2008-09-28T20:54:00.002-04:00

Evenin, folks! Sorry for the delay. I just got back down from a lovely weekend in the mountains, which I surprisingly enjoyed. Even being away from the hustle and bustle of big city life, I was able to catch a full slate of games on Saturday, and some things became very apparent to me as I watched

1. Clemson has the worst coaching staff in America. There's just no way to sugar coat it. I'm not going to sit here and list every mistake they made yesterday, b/c those of you who care probably watched the game and saw what I saw. But suffice it to say, it is time for a change in Clemson. The definition of insanity is trying the same thing and expecting different results. Folks, the Clemson administration is completely fucking bonkers, which brings me to this. Allow me to introduce my brand new blog: http://firectb.blogspot.com/

2. We have apparently hit some sort of rawesome football timewarp, because the top teams in America are Oklahoma, Alabama, and Penn State. Yes, I know OU has been up there this whole decade, but it appears that Penn St. and Bama are ready to join them and launch us, via football, back to that glorious period, 1975-1985, when mohawks ruled the scene and cocaine was king. Don't be surprised if any or all of these 3 teams win the national title this year.

3. The quarterback situation in Columbia is so bad, that Tommy Beecher actually got a chance to play again. Thank goodness we can always count on our little retarded brother to be worse than we are.

4. The Big 12 continues to put distance between itself and all comers for the honor of best conference in America. Call me crazy, but it seems like the SEC is actually trying to look bad. Maybe they just finally got so sick of all the fluff. SEC! SEC! SEC! SEC! SEC!

5. Cullen Harper has played himself out of the Heisman Race.

6. The ACC might not be as bad as everyone keeps saying. VT and FSU both put convincing wins on decent Big 12 teams. I can't really explain Wake's debacle against Navy though. Maybe they were looking ahead to next week's matchup with ((((((((((((((mighty)))))))))))))) Clemson.

7. Clemson will only win 3 more games this year. South Carolina won't win 1 more.

8. The Big 10 is worse than I gave it credit for.

9. Mark Richt, you have always kept your mouth closed for a reason. Perhaps this weekend reminded you of why that was a good idea. On ESPN's College Gameday, Chris Fowler asked Richt if he was prepared to deal with an Alabama team that "punched Clemson in the mouth." Richt answered simply and smugly, "We are not Clemson." It's a good thing Saban took his foot off the gas, Mark, or you might have had to amend that statement to, "We are not as good as Clemson."

10. Alabama is just so god damn awesome.

Friday 5

2008-09-26T16:57:00.001-04:00

*South Florida -8.5 NC State
Duke -6.5 Virginia
Ole Miss +23 Florida
Houston +10.5 East Carolina
Minnesota +17.5 Ohio St.

We're Having a Baby

2008-09-26T16:52:00.003-04:00

Good news, folks. My wife is expecting. It is our first child, and we are very excited! She's about 10 weeks along now. I felt like y'all deserved to know, and I knew you'll would want to share this time in our lives with us.

What Happened After The Alabama Game

2008-09-25T23:01:00.002-04:00

Folks, as you know, I took what may have been perceived by some as an inexcusable hiatus after the loss to Alabama. I took a lot of heat for it at the time, much of which I felt was undeserved. I promised you an explanation, and I feel like you deserve one. Well, what had happened was, I was really, really, really, very upset by the outcome of the game, like super pissed, and I didn't feel like posting or dealing with any of you. So, there you have it. I'm sure some of you probably wish you could take back some of the stuff you said, but I'm a forgiving person. So thank you for continuing to support Mind of a Gamecock.

Mind of a Gamecock

2008-09-25T12:17:00.001-04:00

The following is a post from a diehard South Carolina fan that I thought you would enjoy:

Word of Warning........I was looking for 6 USC/Ga tickets on the board a
month ago and got an email from a guy named Joseph Shirey from North Augusta,
who said he had 2 tickets in lower level for $300. I paid through Paypal
promptly and he came back and said he found 4 more from a friend that were in
section 2 for $550. Again I paid promptly. I waited and waited and no tickets. 2
weeks before the game came and he told me he mailed them out. The week of the
game comes and no tickets. He tells me he will look into it. He said he did not
send them with any tracking info. He calls me back and said his neighbor took
them out of his mailbox and sold them at school for $25 ea. He did refund the
money. Hard story to believe but it gets better. He tells me he has gotten the 4
LSU and 4 Tenn tickets in Sect 2 if I wanted them. I paid over face for these as
well. I paid for them on 09/07/08. I spoke to him on a every other day basis and
he still had not mailed them out as of 09/22/08. He said he had not had time but
promised me he would. I would text him everyday asking for a tracking number and
got the same response, will have it tomorrow. Well finally he tells me he is
going to the Post Office on the 23rd and actually did send me a tracking number.
Well the tracking number never worked on USPS.com. A package did arrive today
though. I open it up and there sits a Blackberry Phone. I call him and he said
that was suppose to go to a guy in Texas who won it off Ebay. I asked for his
Ebay ID and got nothing but excuses. He would not give me his ID. So the jist of
the whole story is I sent this JOSEPH SHIREY a total of $1330 and still yet to
have seen any tickets. I also missed the Ga game because I could not find 6 more
in time. Keep this guys name in mind if you are ever looking for tickets. Do not
buy from Joseph Shirey from North Augusta.

Best of the Best

2008-09-22T21:06:00.003-04:00

Folks, I'm going to give you a break from my insight tonight (<--rhyme), and just inundate you with the best MOAG since the Wofford debacle.

On the coaching situation:

- HIRE PHIL PETTY.......Okay here it is our last two hires have old washed up coaches that we have had to pay alot of money to .These two guys knew very little about the Gamecocks before we hired them.So, lets go the other way and hire a former player who loves the Gamecocks would walk here from East Carolina.And would have postive emotions,and love the Gamecocks.so,WHAT HE HAS NEVER BEEN A HEAD COACH the latter has not worked at all.

On the UAB game:

- UAB's defense is VERY bad. Our offense is pretty decent. We should be able to cover that spread[-25] pretty easily.

On solutions for the offense:

- we should run the triple optin with garcia...seriously... why not!?! the option destroyed the patriots yesterday.

On how they stack up:

- i never thought i would see the day when Wake Forest has a better football team than we do. (editor's note: Apparently this guy has been asleep since 2003)

- There is zero chance that Wake is better than South Carolina. South Carolina is in the SEC. Wake is only an ACC team.

- You don't know that Wake Forest are better than us. I am pretty sure we haven't played them.

On A.J. Green:

- Hope he likes GA. He won't be welcomed back in this state again. Traitor seems to fit like a glove.

- If we had AJ Green he'd be on the bench for the next 2 years

- If you are not a gamecock then you are not worthy of the bottom of my shoe.Kid chose Georgia, good for him...... hope he friggen sucks for 4 years.

On bright spots:

- We are actually #1 in first downs and Smelley is the #3 QB in the SEC.

- We should be 4-0 right now. ( <---yep)

- It's almost sickening the way you guys groan around here. Our offense is first in the sec in first downs, it's third in the sec in passing, fifth in red zone scoring. MORE FIRST DOWNS than ANYONE in the sec.

- losing to Vandy two years in a row is unacceptable? So even if Vandy does great this year, it's still unacceptable? Stop living in the past, Vandy's an alright team this year.

- I tried to make the point last night that after watching numerous games yesterday, there is a lot of bad football out there...not just us!

On the rest of the season:

- some of you guys are acting like amateurs. I mean, this is Gamecock football, and anyone who has been a fan for a while, say a decade, would know it is way too early to throw in the towel.

- I agree. Its far from over around here. Spurrier can get this offense turned around. When he does, look out, we will have a great season.

- My prediciton for the season: Team turns it around and gets 7 regular season wins with a bowl win making 8... we go into next year experienced and we don't look back.

- There's not a game left on our schedule that we will not be in come the 4th quarter

- anybody else see our only other losses being LSU and FL?

- Our defense will give us a chance to win every game we play. Our offense who leads the SEC in first downs has to stop turning the ball over and score in key situations. Im sticking with my 10 win prediction. Remember ohio st in 02? They had a great defense won every game close even against sorry teams a win is a win and a really good defense can get you wins.

- If we win the T/O battle we beat: Ole Miss, Ky, Tn and Arky. We should also beat UAB this Sat which would be seven W's. I also like our chances (provided we win the T/O battle) against LSU at W-B and at clemtech.

10 Things I Learned This Weekend

2008-09-21T13:41:00.004-04:00

1. Clemson is better than Arkansas. And it's time for Willy Korn to get some serious minutes. I'm not calling for a complete benching of Harper, but he clearly isn't the same quarterback he was last year. He threw 2 terrible picks yesterday, and probably should have thrown 2 more. He can't throw downfield. He telegraphs his passes. He has ZERO pocket presence. He looks injured. He makes excuses and points to his statistics against terrible opponents when asked about his performance. Frankly, he looked downright bad against the worst team on our schedule(outside of South Carolina). I don't believe he is capable of leading this team to a division, or conference, title. I couldn't glean anything from this game in the positive sense. It was a 1-AA team. Clemson gets its first chance to prove something, anything, next Saturday against Maryland.

2. South Carolina's offense may be the worst in all of 1-A football. It is somewhat understandable to struggle against the Wofford option attack, but it is utterly unfathomable to only put up 16 real points(most coming from field goals), and to have to go for it on 4th down in your own territory to win the game. Look for Garcia real soon next week against UAB. Look for Spurrier to quit real soon at the end of the year. I stand by my prediction of 3-9 on the season.

3. Les Miles has a pair of 8 ton testicles. I keep waiting for one of his coaching moves to bite him in the hat, but it just never happens. In a way it's frustrating, b/c you know he shouldn't be getting away with all this stuff, but he just continues to prove me wrong. Hats off(just kidding, Les) to his enourmous nuts.

4. When Wake Forest vaulted into the top 25 and challenged for the ACC two years ago, it was because the ACC was incredibly weak. Now that Vanderbilt is doing the same thing 2 years later, it's because the SEC is sooooooooooooooo awesome. SEC! SEC! SEC! SEC! SEC!

5. SEC! SEC! SEC! SEC! SEC!

6. The Pac-10 is the worst BCS conference in America.

7. The Big 12 is the best.

8. That impending sense of doom that all ACC defensive coordinators are feeling? That's just Paul Johnson and his virtually unstoppable offense..............in its first year. It's time to be afraid. GT might not take the division this year, but IMO, it's only a matter of time before they do it thoroughly and often. If they can continue to get good defensive talent, the Jackets will emerge as a national power over the next decade.

9. Something is terribly wrong in Knoxville. The Vols returned an All-SEC caliber running back behind a superb offensive line, and they just can't move the ball. Worse yet, they seem hellbent on shooting themselves in the foot every chance they get. I'm not a Tennessee fan or a Florida hater, but that game yesterday pissed me off. When will enough of Fulmer be enough?

10. Florida St. is not back, and the Noles went out of their way last night to prove it. Their defense will be stout for the remainder of the year, as they get 5 starters back from suspension starting next weekend. But the same offensive problems that have plagued them for the past 4 years are still there. If you are puzzled by the lack of quarterback talent in Columbia, SC, look further south to Tallahassee for a real head scratcher. We're still a couple of years away from seeing anything resembling the old FSU. Now Miami, that's another story altogether.

MOAG Power 20

2008-09-21T00:19:00.003-04:00

1. Southern Cal (2-0)
2. Oklahoma (3-0)
4. Georgia (4-0)
4. Florida (3-0)
5. Missouri (4-0)
6. LSU (3-0)
7. Penn State (4-0)
8. Texas Tech (4-0)
9. Wisconsin (3-0)
10. Alabama (4-0)
11. South Florida (3-0)
12. Kansas (3-1)
13. Texas (3-0)
14. Wake Forest (3-0)
15. BYU (4-0)
16. Auburn (3-1)
17. Ohio State (3-1)
18. Utah (4-0)
19. Georgia Tech (3-1)
20. Vanderbilt (4-0)

On the cusp: Boise State, Clemson, Texas Christian

Live Blog of the Gamecock Loss

2008-09-20T19:35:00.038-04:00

1st Quarter

- Chris Smelley threw a pick on the first play of the game, and may have thrown another one. I'm not sure.

- South Carolina leading after 1Q, 3-0, and that's only because Wofford missed a field goal. This is pretty much exactly what I said would happen. Wofford is running all over them.

2nd Quarter

- Wofford just wasted no time in scoring a touchdown on a big play. 7-3 Terriers. 1-0 MOAG.

- South Carolina just scored a lucky touchdown to go up 10-7. Wofford will score again once they get the ball back.

- A thug gamecock player just punched a Wofford player, personal foul.

- Todd Ellis continues to refer to Wofford as Vanderbilt.....Now he's complaining that the refs aren't calling the game fair......

- Wofford just hit Smelley and forced a fumble. Terrier ball at midfield with about 4:00 to go in the half.

- Gamecocks found a way, somehow, to stop Wofford, and got the ball back with 2:00 to go in the half. 30 yard run called back for a block in the back. They can't get out of their own stupid way.

- Smelley sucks

- Smelley throws another pick to end the first half. Gamecocks 10-7. It's coming.

3rd Quarter

- Wofford takes it to start the 2nd half, promptly marches down the field. 1st down at the gamecock 15.....

- 25 yard field goal for the Terriers, 10-10. Should be 13-10 Wofford. Gamecocks seem to be really building off that great Georgia loss.......

- Todd Ellis calls 'em Vandy again........

- Gamecocks blowing a red zone possession.....AND HERE COME THE BOO BIRDS!!!!.......

- Succop hits a lucky 38 yard field goal, go up 13-10......

- Gamecocks somehow stop Wofford and force the punt.....Tommy Suggs laments on the fact that it's been "several years" since the gamecocks have blocked a punt......

- Smelley almost throws another interception because he sucks......

- Todd Ellis coins a legendary nickname for Eric Baker: E-Bake........

- Gamecocks 1st & Goal at the 2, Wofford stuffs them on 3 straight plays to end the 3rd quarter.....

4th Quarter

- Gamecocks kick a fieldgoal to start the quarter, lead 16-10. Tommy Suggs points out the fact that gamecocks have always played poorly against teams with small defensive lines.......

- Wofford fields the kick to being their game-winning drive......

- Terriers down to the gamecock 34 yard line.......

- Terriers down to the gamecock 16 yard line.......

- Terriers kick a field goal, down 16-13. Should be tied 16-16. Smelley sucks. About 8 minutes to play......

- Gamecocks going for it on 4th down inside their own territory....yeah, that's what I said......they get it......

- Terriers running out of time.....under 4 minutes now.....gamecocks driving.....Maddox runs into his own lineman on 2nd down......Spurrier slams down the play chart......

- Todd Ellis points out the fact that every gamecock possession has gone at least 6 plays, except for the 3 that resulted in turnovers......Now with 3 minutes to go he says it looks like the gamecocks will go to 2-2 on the year

- Touchdown for the gamecocks, looks like Ellis was right.....

- Ellis complains about the officiating again.....

- Tommy Suggs really impressed with the defensive adjustments that South Carolina made at halftime....against Wofford.....

- Well, it looks like the Gamecocks will win the game. This win, coupled with the Goergia loss, pretty much means the sky is the limit from here on out.

Now here's some thoughts from gamecock fans after tonight's big win:

- We'll be fine. Kentucky and Ark are both horrible this year. This is the same team that should have beat GA last week.

- for all your prognosticators who don't think we will beat UK or Ark and have no chance against anyone else on this schedule, I think by November this team will have proved the naysayers on this board wrong. I'm no sunshine pumper but I do believe this team will reach at least 7 wins.