Predicted to meet Alabama in SEC Championship Game
It was 2004 and Steve Spurrier walked up to the podium after an introduction from then-President Andrew Sorensen.
Spurrier, noticeably less grey, but with the same youthful exuberance, pledged to Gamecocks fans that they would get his best shot.
“And, again, I believe that winning the SEC is an achievable goal for the University of South Carolina. I really do,” the Old Ball Coach delivered.
Now, nine and a half years later, the Gamecocks appear to be on the cusp of fulfilling Spurrier’s promise. At least that’s what the media at the 2014 SEC Media Days thinks.
South Carolina was picked to win the SEC East a week ago, which would pit them against Alabama in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta, Ga.
To get there, however, the Gamecocks need to do a combination of things.
First, they must beat the teams they’re supposed to beat. Last year’s fiasco against a Tennessee squad that finished 5-7 cannot be repeated if this is the year Spurrier foresaw when he arrived in Columbia. Although coaches commonly refer to the SEC as a minefield, meaning that any team could lose on any given day, the reality is that South Carolina will be heavy favorites heading into games against the Vanderbilts and Kentuckys of the SEC.
Next, the Gamecocks must win key road matchups down the stretch. A date with current SEC champions Auburn looms on South Carolina’s schedule, as does a trip down to Gainesville, Fla. A road trip to Clemson doesn’t necessarily matter in terms of South Carolina’s chances of winning the SEC, but don’t tell that to Gamecock nation.
Several Gamecocks also landed on the 2014 Preseason Media Days All-SEC Team.
Junior running back Mike Davis earned second-team honors, as did redshirt senior offensive linemen A.J. Cann and Corey Robinson.
Senior defensive back Brison Williams also earned a spot on the third-team defense team.
Williams may be expected to switch from safety to cornerback, depending on the availability of the team’s cornerbacks come fall.
Cann and Robinson will be apart of a talent-heavy, experienced offensive line that will have the duty of protecting redshirt senior Dylan Thompson.
The fifth-year quarterback from Boiling Springs, S.C. seemed collected during SEC Media Days, praising Spurrier’s inability to settle for less.
“I think coach Spurrier’s clear and we’re clear about our goal, and that’s to win the SEC East first and then the SEC,” Thompson said. “That’s a huge challenge, though. That’s been our goal for the past three years and we’ve fallen short. It just made us hungry, and I think the fans are getting that way. When you have a great leader like coach Spurrier, he’s not satisfied.”
If the projections from last week’s SEC Media Days hold true, the Gamecocks would face the Crimson Tide for the first time since October 9, 2010 when No. 19 South Carolina stunned No. 1 Alabama 35-21 at Williams-Brice Stadium.
That win has become Spurrier’s signature victory while at South Carolina, and has set an incredible benchmark for years to come.
The only thing that could rival that victory now, is a win in the SEC Championship Game.