Lower your expectations.
That may not be a romantic notion, but it’s a good piece of advice.
Last year, the Gamecocks struggled through a season that included a loss to the Citadel, a quarterback injury and the team’s worse win-loss record since 1999. A number of players have played for three head coaches in the past year. Even with head coach Will Muschamp’s reputation as a skilled recruiter, competing with the likes of Georgia and Clemson for enough recruits to rebuild a program can be a difficult task. The remaining uncertainty at quarterback doesn’t help the upcoming season’s prospects.
So can we expect a nine-, ten- or eleven-win season? Most likely not, but we shouldn’t want one either. The stories of schools including Baylor and Ole Miss explain the pitfalls of such a comeback.
Baylor was the laughingstock of Texas football for generations. The university hired Art Briles as head coach and the Bears became bowl eligible within three years, quickly earning a reputation as one of the nation’s top teams. The progress seemed inexplicable, heartwarming and inspiring: a quintessential Texan leading a small Christian school to excellence. Then an investigation by ESPN’s Outside the Lines revealed that this success coincided with the staff turning a blind eye to Baylor players’ transgressions. A number of Baylor football players received allegations of sexual assault and violence without losing playing time, and Waco police followed orders to minimize access to the ongoing investigations.
Ole Miss’ return to relevance, led by head coach Hugh Freeze, has been accompanied by 13 charges of NCAA football violations. Allegations include helping recruits cheat on the ACT and providing players and their families with prohibited benefits.
The list goes on, and each story follows a similar plot.
Each of these teams had the dream comeback fans had hoped for, but in the process each school sacrificed its dignity, its morality and in some cases the well-being of its own students. In the end, many found themselves back at point A, or worse, after sanctions were handed down.
A nine-win or better season for the University of South Carolina would indicate that the Gamecocks could become the next installment of the series and another example of the broken nature of college athletics.
A mediocre season serves as a sign that coaches and players are complying with NCAA policy. For fans who believe that the ends justify the means when it comes to coach and player conduct, know that doing things the right way means that when the Gamecocks do return to prominence, the team will be less likely to face the threat of falling apart as a result of NCAA punishment.
In what has been widely forecast as a trying season, we need to remember to enjoy the journey. The Muschamp era will be a piece of South Carolina football history, and we get to witness the beginning firsthand. Not to mention that this year’s team will get many chances at one of the most prized storylines in sports media: the upset.