2009 “The Teams You Care About” College Football Preview
Austin Scott, Sports Editor
September 9, 2009
Filed under Sports
The college football season has only just begun, causing frenzy among sports writers to look into the not so distant future of the game. Year after year we put our reputations on the line, in hopes that our predictions will be somewhere close to right. In reality, nobody can predict the next “Cinderella” or major upset. But for the sake of your entertainment, here are my predictions for your team’s season:
University of South Carolina
After an off season full of successful coach hires and freshman signings, South Carolina seems to have found some of the missing puzzle pieces that plagued the gamecocks last season. One of those missing pieces was the running game. Carolina finished 11th in rushing in the SEC last season. New offensive line coach, Eric Wolford, has given the USC running game an optimistic makeover.
The Gamecock Nation is also receiving optimistic signs for the futures of true freshmen, Jarvis Giles and Stephon Gilmore. Look for Stephon Gilmore to be a big factor in the offense this season in the Wildcock formation. If the new formation is a success, the gamecock offense could catch fire and put more points on the board than last season.
The gamecock defense is always among the best in the nation year after year. The defense will be led by players like Eric Norwood and Cliff Matthews, who have the ability to run down the play. The secondary has a mixture of players with speed and hard hitting. Safetey Chris Culliver and cornerback Akeem Auguste should have breakout seasons.
Lastly, the gamecocks have something every team wants…a secret weapon. Well, the secret is out that walk-on Bryce Sherman will be a big factor in the gamecock offense this season. Sherman is a track man who is being compared to LSU’s Trindon Holliday. You can expect him to do big things this year for the University of South Carolina.
Why they could struggle:
South Carolina will live and die by their quarterback play. Last season, gamecock quarterbacks threw more interceptions than any other team in Division 1A. The fate of the Glies within the hands of Stephen Garcia, who had his share of struggles against both the Clemson and Iowa in Outback Bowl. New quarterbacks coach GA Mangus said, “We don’t need [Garcia to be] spectacular. We need him to take care of the ball and give us a chance to win.” If Garcia can be a game manager rather than a game changer, he will give the Gamecock defense a chance to win more games than they are expected. If Garcia cannot manage games, then the Gamecocks are once again in for a long year.
Season Prediction
South Carolina’s schedule is once again among the toughest in college football. With only two “cupcakes games” scheduled, they should finish the season around 7-5 or 8-4. Don’t count the Gamecocks out on an upset game against Georgia, Mississippi, or Alabama, but it’s starting to look more and more like another mediocre season for the University of South Carolina.
Clemson University
He’ll win them games and he’ll keep them in games with his agility and speed. C.J. Spiller returns for the Tigers as senior. Spiller’s ability to make breakaway plays could be the difference in a number of games this season in the ACC. Spiller is receiving a bunch of hype from his fans; he has them all chanting one word… “HEISMAN.”
Another reason for Clemson fans to get excited is their semi-new head coach Dabo Sweeney. He brings a passion and drive to a team that hasn’t seen that in past seasons. The big question is can Dabo get the Tigers to “Finish the Job?”
The Tigers should have no trouble on defensive line because of the leadership of returning starters Da’Quan Bowers and Ricky Sapp. Expect to see a lot of sacks this season if those two stay healthy.
Why they could struggle:
No matter who you have a quarterback, if he’s unproven, you will always have a question mark. Kyle Parker has the opportunity to turn that question mark into and exclamation point if he can pull a win out in Atlanta the second week of the season against Georgia Tech. If he struggles, the Clemson Tigers could be playing a game of “musical quarterbacks,” which could be detrimental to their season.
Also, some key losses on offense could come back to haunt the Tigers. All-ACC receiver Aaron Kelly and star running back James Davis left Clemson to try and make it in the NFL. Dabo should have a hard time trying to replace the hole left in the Clemson receiving core.
Season Prediction
It’s hard to win in the ACC without a solid secondary, especially with teams like Florida State and Wake Forest on your schedule. Clemson doesn’t seem to be completely solid on either side of the ball. There are too many question marks for the team to succeed in the ACC. Don’t count on a big season unless Kyle Parker shows some heroics early on in the season. Expect them to go somewhere around 7-5 with sure losses to Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Miami and sure wins against Middle Tennessee, Coastal Carolina, and NC State. As usual the Clemson Tigers should make it to a good bowl in the winter.
University of Georgia
Bulldog star reciever, AJ Green, outruns a Oklahoma State defender.
If Mark Richt is your head football coach you’ll always have a winning season. The Georgia Bulldogs return freshman standout, A.J. Green to the starting lineup that could be a major factor in SEC match-ups. The Georgia defense is solid, as usual. They are returning nine starters from the 2008-2009 season. They are led by their linebacker, Rennie Curren, who will lay the wood on anybody who comes his way. The Bulldog’s defense is good enough to win close games if the Dogs’ offense can capitalize on the turnovers.
Why they could struggle:
Expect the bulldogs to take a step back offensively. Other than Green, no other receivers have stepped up to be that go-to receiver, and the dogs need to find a second option in the pass game other than just A.J. Green. If Green is in double coverage, which he will be, the bulldogs will have to rely on their run game. The Georgia offensive line can’t stay healthy enough to support the run game, especially with tackle, Trinton Sturdivant, out of the lineup again this season. It’s an unfortunate chain of events that could lead to the demise of Georgia’s season.
Season Prediction
Honestly, the Georgia Bulldogs are overrated. There is no way the Bulldogs can replace the first overall pick in the NFL Draft with a 6-year senior. Again, there is no way to replace the playmaking ability of Knowshon Moreno. My guess is that Georgia will be lucky to finish in the top 25 at the end of the season. The dogs have an extremely tough schedule and will struggle to win most of their games. They’ll make it to a decent bowl, win it, and look forward to next season. I see the bulldogs having a very quiet season with wins sure wins against Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Auburn and sure losses to Oklahoma State, LSU, Florida, and Georgia Tech. The rest of the games will decide whether the bulldogs have a decent season or a good season. My guess is they’ll have a season that leaves a bad taste in the Georgia Bulldog fan’s mouth.
I think that Carolina’s defense is weak and will get killed by clemson!
[Reply]
Georgia Tech’s triple option is too much for Clemson’s weak defense. Dabo most definitely will not have his players prepared for the three headed running back monster that Tech has. And you were right about Kyle Parker. His freshmen is showing. And now that Clemson is lacking in the passing game it wont open up anything for CJ Spiller which may cause him to have a sub par year so the heisman is most likely not coming to Clemson, South Carolina anytime soon.
[Reply]
Looks like Kyle Parker’s “question mark” is starting to straighten out, after a pretty solid second half in Atlanta.
[Reply]