South Carolina College Sports

[goodbye]

Congrats to our state's two nationally-ranked major football universities for getting the job done (albeit with less enthusiasm this week) against two of our smaller schools. It was enjoyable and actually useful since there were definitely key negative elements in each teams' performance that have been exposed. Let's hope to see those potential hazards cleaned up before next week's games.

[Spartan]

Those weaknesses concern me. We have two nationally ranked teams here, but both of them need to improve. Clemson is fortunate to have a relatively easy game next week. They should win over NC State pretty easily.

The first Carolina v SC State game went well enough, but I think that a 17th ranked team should do better. I didn't get to see the game, but following it online and reading the various articles afterward, it sounds like the same problems with offense are still hurting the Gamecocks. It was a solid W on the scoresheet for Carolina though. I think Carolina's win over LSU next week will be difficult.

On a slightly separate note, has anyone else noticed that in South Carolina, nobody refers to "SC State" as "State" like they do in NC? The only exception I've found is with people who've actually gone to SC State.

[Spartan]

Oh, and kudos to both teams for improving their rank. USC 12, and Clemson 15. This is the highest USC has been ranked since 2001. I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts, since after the LSU game we'll be in the top 5 for sure

[whitehourseview]

Oh, and kudos to both teams for improving their rank. USC 12, and Clemson 15. This is the highest USC has been ranked since 2001. I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts, since after the LSU game we'll be in the top 5 for sure

Both are tied at 14 in the USA Today poll, which matters, whereas the AP poll no longer does.

I AA poll comes out late Monday, and it should be interesting to see if Wofford and Furman remain ranked.

[krazeeboi]

On a slightly separate note, has anyone else noticed that in South Carolina, nobody refers to "SC State" as "State" like they do in NC? The only exception I've found is with people who've actually gone to SC State.

In my circles, we do simply say "State." However, being from the Orangeburg area, that is expected. Also, most Black people in SC refer to it simply as "State" since it is an HBCU; this is probably how it generally works in those states where "______ State University" is an HBCU. At my last job in Charlotte, a guy mentioned that he ran track at State, and I and another colleague of mine, who is also Black (and a graduate of Winthrop), automatically assumed SC State although he attended NC State. I think NC State is more widely known as "State" in NC because it is a large school in an upper division, unlike SC State.

[CorgiMatt]

Oh, and kudos to both teams for improving their rank. USC 12, and Clemson 15. This is the highest USC has been ranked since 2001. I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts, since after the LSU game we'll be in the top 5 for sure

I wonder how Furman would do against Wofford. N.C. State beat up on Wofford, and Clemson has to play N.C. State there. Also, I wonder how Furman would do against S.C. State. Clemson 38 - Furman 10; USC 38 - S.C. State 3.

[whitehourseview]

I wonder how Furman would do against Wofford. N.C. State beat up on Wofford, and Clemson has to play N.C. State there. Also, I wonder how Furman would do against S.C. State. Clemson 38 - Furman 10; USC 38 - S.C. State 3.

Well Furman plays Wofford in Greenville on Sept. 29th. Furman hasn't played State since 1998, and the Paladins won, not like that matters today. http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_iaa/s...s.php?year=1995

State isn't ranked, and Furman is, so lots of folks probably think the mismatch still exists this year.

[Spartan]

Thats good to know about State. I grew up calling it SC State. I'll have to make more of an effort to change my vocabulary on that one.

Both are tied at 14 in the USA Today poll, which matters, whereas the AP poll no longer does.

According to who? I know I always go with the one that has my team ranked highest

Well Furman plays Wofford in Greenville on Sept. 29th. Furman hasn't played State since 1998, and the Paladins won, not like that matters today. http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_iaa/s...s.php?year=1995

I always thought Furman v Wofford would be a good rivalry game. Its a shame they don't play it more often. Come to think of it, I'm not sure what is considered either school's biggest rival. Maybe Davidson for Wofford?

[whitehourseview]

According to who? I know I always go with the one that has my team ranked highest

I always thought Furman v Wofford would be a good rivalry game. Its a shame they don't play it more often. Come to think of it, I'm not sure what is considered either school's biggest rival. Maybe Davidson for Wofford?

Furman plays Wofford every year, since they are members of the same conference. Even when Wofford was NAIA, and then Div II, the two schools made a semi regular effort to play one another, and in the first decades of the century, they played every year. Furman played Wofford every year from 1889 until 1980, after IAA football was split off, Furman went IAA, Wofford didn't at first. The two have played every year since 1995 now. Furman leads overall 49-24-7. Traditionally, The Citadel has been considered Furman's biggest rival, though in recent years, App. State, Wofford and Georgia Southern have also been big rivals for the Paladins. But traditionally, Furman v The Citadel has been considered a little version of the Clemson v USC rivalry.

http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_iaa/s...php?teamid=3625

The AP poll doesn't really matter anymore because it took itself out of the BCS rating system in some fit of being noble. The Harris Interactive poll, which doesn't come out until October, matters more today than the AP poll, because it is one of the two human polls in that mix. I really only look at the USA Today poll anymore, especially this early in the year.

This weekend will be huge for both Clemson and USC, as they go to big conference road games. Clemson at 12 at NC State on regional TV and USC on national TV vs. LSU at 3:30.

[Spartan]

Oh, I see. I misread what you said before, thinking Wofford last played Furman in 98. My mistake! Obviously I don't follow Wofford sports (or Furman or State) very much!

As for the AP, you may be right, but until ESPN and all the sports networks out there start using something else, I'm going to default to their standard. Right now all polls are suffering from a SoCal bias.

[krazeeboi]

My mom informed me today that State's band will be doing the halftime show at Sunday's Panthers/Falcons game; however, they can't do any shout outs to the home team, because they got the invite from Atlanta. That's pretty good exposure for lil' ol' State!

[goodbye]

The Clemson Tigers now officially have a balanced offense. So far there is little to dislike about the progress made. The areas that need improvement will be much easier to correct now that the key questions have been satisfactorily answered. It is a matter of tightening the lose bolts in a few positions and this could end up being a tremendous season for the Tigers.

[Spartan]

Clemson did play a solid game. I liked what I saw there.

Carolina actually did ok, even in spite of the loss to Louisiana State. We beat the spread, which was 16 or 17, and we actually played a decent game. Its a respectable loss, if you believe in such things. LSU is #2 in the nation after all (probably #1 this week).

[GvilleSC]

The Clemson Tigers now officially have a balanced offense. So far there is little to dislike about the progress made. The areas that need improvement will be much easier to correct now that the key questions have been satisfactorily answered. It is a matter of tightening the lose bolts in a few positions and this could end up being a tremendous season for the Tigers.

Hopefully all the loose bolts will be tightened and we'll be ready to roll over Georgia Tech this coming weekend. GT scares me because of what we did to them last year on national television. They'll be hungry for some pay back, though they haven't looked as spectacular this year.

South Carolina should get back on track this coming week against Miss State. They didn't really get off track this week, LSU should be an expected loss.

--------

Anyway, here's to our 4-0 Clemson Tigers and their solid ACC performance this weekend, and a "W" against Tech next weekend!

[CorgiMatt]

Steve Spurrier didn't look or talk like he was upset in his post-game interview on WLTX (CBS). He immediately told the reporters they can put it in the paper that Chris Smelley will be the starting quarterback against Mississippi State. A sports anchor interviewed Smelley and he is obviously very bright and ready to play. He's a redshirt freshman. Spurrier didn't talk woulda-shoulda-coulda, but if Smelley had started, I believe the game would have looked very different. And by the end of the game I knew Blake Mitchell was over, for now anyway. Now if Smelley can just quit underthrowing passes, which is what Blake Mitchell also has done so far all season. Yesterday there were two times when our receivers had nothing but turf between them and the goal line because they had beaten the defenders, but the ball was underthrown.

[whitehourseview]

Georgia Tech is a streaky team that is really banged up right now. They are a bit one dimensional, and with that one dimension injured, RB T. Choice, they get forced into passing situations they can't handle, like Sat. vs. Virginia. Clemson should be able to handle them by a couple of scores.

Also around the state, it should be mentioned that #12 Wofford beat #1 Appalachian State in Spartanburg Saturday, which even though Wofford has been ranked this year as well, that was a major upset, and was App. State's first loss in over a year. Wofford has a match up with Furman in Greenville next week in a big conference battle of ranked opponents.

And I did a double take seeing Charleston Southern playing #19 Hawaii last night. The Bucs lost 66 - 10, but at least they got a nice trip out of it, and they play at North Greenville next week. It's a long way from Honolulu to Tigerville.

USC has lots of offensive questions. Lingering doubts about the offensive line remain, and then there is the QB situation and a lack of playmakers in the receiving corps.

They might struggle with Miss. State a little while since the Bulldogs run a spread offense with a running QB, which gives USC fits, but the next week's match vs. Kentucky will be telling for the rest of USC's season.

[Spartan]

You have a good point. I don't think that USC will have any problems with MS State, but Kentucky is shaping up to be a decent team this year (ranked #14 this week), so they will be a good test on the rest for the season.

[CorgiMatt]

With all the ranked teams losing Saturday, the Gamecocks should move up nicely in the polls. I'm not going to get too excited, though, because Kentucky comes to town Thursday and beating us represents the next step for them. It will be interesting.

[goodbye]

Clemson ran into a solid block wall yesterday. It was built with stacks of mental blocks and I believe it is commonly referred by the name "Tenuta." Better luck next week against VA Tech. It will be interesting to see how the Tigers rebound from such a pitiful offensive display.

[Spartan]

I didn't get to watch all of the Clemson-GA Tech game, but I wasn't impressed with what I saw. It didn't appear to be the same team that showed up in Raleigh last week.

The Carolina was interesting to say the least. I think some of the problems during the first half were related to our new quarterback. there weren't really many mistakes, but lots of penalties (on both sides). The last half of the game was much better. Hopefully thats the team that shows up at the Kentucky game on thursday. I think that this game is proof that any SEC team can surprise you. I definitely underestimated MSU.

At the D-II level, Wofford beat Furman 45-20 in Traveler's Rest. Apparently Furman and App State were picked to win the SoCon this year (they've won 8 of the last 9 titles combined), and Wofford has beaten them both. I hope that Wofford can carry that momentum and win the SoCon this year.

[Spartan]

New rankings are out:

Carolina - 11 AP 18 USA Today

Clemson - 22 AP 22 USA Today

[whitehourseview]

A disappointing loss for Clemson, especially since so much of the game was mistake filled. Getting a home game vs. Virginia Tech with its own offensive problems should help some. Clemson has no major injuries, so getting focused vs. a team that stacked the line last October shouldn't be as big an issue.

I was at the Carolina v Miss. State game and saw about what I expected, in that Carolina just has better athletes than the Bulldogs and wore them out as the game went on. Kentucky is now in the top ten, so Thursday night's game will be huge for both clubs. Historically, when schools play on the previous Saturday, the home team is at a large advantage, so it will be telling to see if that hold for Thursday in Columbia.

Presbyterian beat NC Central for their first win vs. a I-AA team since they moved from Div II at the start of this season, that's a big deal for them.

I'm not sure what I'm more surprised at more, that Furman is 1-3 or that Wofford is 3-1 at this point. A Mike Ayers team should never be underestimated, but I'm really surprised at how Wofford manhandled Furman. The I-AA Southern Conference is up for grabs.

The Citadel is 3-1, with a nice win yesterday vs. Chattanooga and has a big tilt vs Wofford for first place in conference next week; which I can't imagine anyone predicted.

Charleston Southern had a bit of a hangover from the Hawaii trip and struggled with a mismatched North Greenville team in Tigerville, but won. Coastal Carolina will play at Furman for the first time next week, in an important match for two reeling squads.

[CorgiMatt]

Steve Spurrier said on his show this morning that this Kentucky game is the biggest of his career at USC.

[interestedexpat]

It seems to me that Carolina has everything to loose in the Kentucky game and not that much to gain. If they win, a lot of people, myself included will just say that Kentucky wasn't as good as their ranking. It will legitimate their ranking a bit, but they've still got to beat some other really good schools. If they loose then all of a sudden they are 3-2 and looking at a tough road ahead just to finish the season with a winning record.

I'm hopeful. I think the LSU loss was better than lots of people think. LSU is a monster. If they survive SEC hell, they probably win the national championship (IMHO).

On the other hand - if South Carolina (by some miracle) were to run the table with their one loss being at LSU - well, they are probably playing in the National Championship game.

[Spartan]

True, You can say the same thing about Kentucky though. Word for word:

It seems to me that Kentucky has everything to loose in the Carolina game and not that much to gain. If they win, a lot of people will just say that Carolina wasn't as good as their ranking. It will legitimate their ranking a bit, but they've still got to beat some other really good schools. If they loose then all of a sudden they are 3-2 and looking at a tough road ahead just to finish the season with a winning record.

This game is a huge deal for both teams. Both are vying for 1st place in the SEC East, which is unheard of. Its usually Florida, Georgia, and/or Tennessee. Kentucky has only played 1 team in the SEC- an unranked Arkansas. They still have a lot to prove. Even if Carolina manages to go undefeated the rest of the season (which will take a miracle) I doubt we'd be able to unseat Southern Cal for the Championship. Maybe a nice bowl game though.