A South Carolina Gamecock's SEC Preview 2009

Recently, I gave a 2009 SEC Preview for GATORS FIRST and he posted it up on his site which you can view HERE.

Or simply keep reading as I posted it below also ---
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With the college football season rapidly approaching, Gatorsfirst.com is presenting a different take on the 2009 season every day for the entire month of August. We call it our ''Full Month of College Football Previews''. As part of the project, we are having fellow bloggers and other college football personalities from around the SEC and the rest of the nation give us their take on the current state of college football. This approach will allow us to bring you a much more in-depth look at the 2009 season than we could possibly provide on our own.

The next in this series is the Southeastern Conference season preview, comes from Flounder at Leftover Hotdog. As he is a South Carolina Gamecocks fan, we turned to him for his specific take on the upcoming season. Also, check out the interview below for his take on the old bowl system, Steve Spurrier's coaching, and split national titles.

Conference Championship: Florida over LSU

Projected Conference Finish
East
Florida 12-0 (8-0)
Georgia 11-1 (7-1)
South Carolina 7-5 (5-3)
Tennessee 8-4 (5-3)
Vanderbilt 7-5 (4-4)
Kentucky 6-6 (3-5)

West
LSU 10-2 (6-1)
Alabama 9-3 (6-2)
Ole Miss 9-3 (6-2)
Arkansas 6-6 (4-4)
Auburn 5-7 (2-6)
Mississippi State 4-8 (1-7)


Top 5 Freshmen/newcomers
1. Andre Debose, WR/RB, Florida
2. Bryce Brown, RB, UT
3. Stephon Gilmore, S, South Carolina
4. Rueben Randle, WR, LSU
5. Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Bama


Top 5 Breakout Players
1. Aaron Hernandez, TE, UF
2. Caleb King, RB, UGA
3. Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas
4. Randall Cobb, WR, Kentucky
5. Jordan Jefferson, QB, LSU


Player Superlatives
Player of the Year: Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
Offensive POTY: Jevan Snead, QB, Ole Miss
Defensive POTY: Eric Berry, S, UT
Overrated POTY: Ryan Mallett, QB, Ark
Underrated POTY: Carlos Dunlap, DE, UF


Bowl Projections
BCS Championship Game: Florida v. Texas
Sugar Bowl: Georgia v. Oklahoma
Capitol One: Alabama v. Penn State
Cotton Bowl: LSU v. Oklahoma State
Chick-Fil-A Bowl: South Carolina v. FSU
Outback Bowl: Ole Miss v. Ohio State
Liberty Bowl: Tennessee v. East Carolina
Music City Bowl: Vandy v. Clemson

And now on to the interview:

Gatorsfirst (G1): How did you become a fan of your team?
Leftover Hotdog (LOHD): I was born a gamecock fan and went to both undergrad and graduate school there so my blood bleeds garnet.

(G1): Describe the game day atmosphere.
(LOHD): There is nothing like game day at Carolina. I have seen many games at other stadiums and few can match the spirit that surrounds Williams-Brice. On a typical game day, fans get there early and you will see all types of hardcore fans. From fans in luxury game day condos to the famous cockabooses to the common folk in the fairgrounds or parking lots. Good times flow all day and all you see is garnet & black. You have fraternities wearing ties and sororities dawning sun dresses. The southern feel abounds. Beer flows like water most of the day and of course there is a constant sound of "2001." It is certainly something special and every SEC fan has to come experience at least once. Heck, if you are luck you may actually see a real gamecock…..then the crowd packs the stadium and “2001” is played and the crowd erupts. Nothing like it.

(G1): Give me some thought on your coaching staff.
(LOHD): I love the 2009 coaching staff. Spurrier has surrounded himself with talent. They bring new energy and a “fire in the belly” attitude that Carolina has been missing. The gamecocks lost 5 assistant coaches during the offseason, including recruiting coordinator David Reaves (left to be with brother-in-law Lane at UT). So some will think that the gamecocks will miss a beat b/c of this but I think this is going to help them – now and in the long run.

(G1): Are you satisfied?
(LOHD): I am very satisfied with the new staff especially the new O line Coach Eric Wolford. Also got a heck of a defensive strategist in Lorenzo Ward and a new QB coach in GA Magnus. This crop of coaching will prove to be the best staff Spurrier has every had.

(G1): Do you wish your team ran different schemes?
(LOHD): It is not a know secret that the gamecocks hope to run the ball more in 2009. This will help free up the passing game a bit. Which was the secret to success for Spurrier back in the day – a good running attack. Overall, I am pleased with Spurrier and his playing calling /offensive strategy. What has been interesting is him finding out over the years that the UF ‘fun-n-gun’ does not work at USC but also not really in the SEC anymore. On defense, Ellis Johnson has put together a great unit that really gets after it. USC has had a great D for the last 2 years and I don’t see that changing in 2009.

(G1): How is recruiting?
(LOHD): Spurrier continues to build this program. He has brought in his type kids the last few years to play his style and you can tell the difference not only in the type of kids we get but we now get looks from kids that if it was not for Spurrier they would not even think “SC.” The gamecocks have had 2 top 15 classes in the last 3 years. Got depth in positions now and actually have position battles taking place, which 4 years ago did not happen. So recruiting under Spurrier is tremendous. The 2010 class is shaping out also to being a great class. So I feel that the program as a whole is going in the right direction despite Spurrier’s 28-22 record.

(G1): Who is a player we might not know from your team that you are excited about this season?
(LOHD): #96 DE Clifton Geathers

(G1): Why?
(LOHD): Much of the focus and talk on the defensive side of the ball has been about LB Eric Norwood. Don’t get us wrong he is a beast and will be in the NFL next season but there are other “key” guys on this unit to watch. Mr. Geathers is one and will have a break out season in 2009…mark our word. Clifton has what it takes to be good from his genes to his size. His brother plays for the Cincy Bengals and his uncle played in the NFL so he knows how to get around an O lineman. Speaking of size, well he is 6 foot 8 inches and hovers around 280. He will get plenty of chances as offenses will be busy knowing where Norwood and the other DE Cliff Matthews are. I see many of headaches caused by Mr. Geathers in 2009 from coaches to QBs.

(G1): Make one point about your school, and another point about your conference, you think is overlooked on the national level.
(LOHD): THE University of South Carolina Gamecocks before the season starts has the number one hardest schedule. So you can see despite all the talent build up that Spurrier has done over the last few seasons there is still a tough road ahead of them. USC plays in the SEC which hands down is the hardest and best conference. It is no cake walk in the SEC East with Florida, UGA and Tennessee each year. So when college football fans and critics give USC and Spurrier grief --- keep in mind what sandbox they play in.

(G1): What do you think about conference title games?
(LOHD): I support this notion as generally it has worked in the SEC in getting the two best teams to match up at the end of the year.

(G1): Was it a good idea to add to 12?
(LOHD): YES. No more and no less.

(G1): Would you change something about the conference?
(LOHD): I don’t think there is anything I would change about the SEC right now. Everything seems to be going well.

(G1): How much did you like the bowl system pre-BCS? As a fan, how much do you concentrate on 'National Championships'? Has this changed in the last decade or so?
(LOHD): Gamecock fans dream about SEC glory as we have never tasted it in football. So winning the SEC East is a goal each season. Let’s start there and the rest will shake out. Generally, whichever team can win the SEC East has a solid standing and chance a New Years’ Day bowl and sometimes due to the is tough test the SEC winner has national championship implications.

(G1): What sort of changes, if any should be made to the BCS system? Does this opinion put you in-line or out-of-line with other fans of your team and conference?
(LOHD): I don’t know as I go back and forth on this one. I do feel there are too many bowl games and it should be reduced. The current BCS formula generally has pitted the very best teams together so hard to argue that fact over the last few years. A playoff would be good to see but it would not generate the kinds of $$$ bowls do. Greed is the root of the problem. Until that change this scenario will continue.

(G1): Are the polls a good idea in the first place?
(LOHD): YES. Everyone wants to know how they stack up.

(G1): Should they play a role in determining a 'National Champion'?
(LOHD): Yes. It should be part of the equation but SOS and conference play needs to be weighted more.

(G1): How much should non-BCS teams be included in the BCS- and other high payout- bowls?
(LOHD): If a non-BCS team has a tough schedule like most BCS teams and they earn it then let the play. But don’t show me a non-BCS team with a perfect record that has played a bunch of no bodies.

(G1): How much do you watch these teams?
(LOHD): Not often.