The old saying goes, "If you have two quarterbacks, you have none." If you buy into that way of thinking, South Carolina currently has none.
After Saturday's scrimmage, it appears the quarterback competition has narrowed to Perry Orth and Brandon McIlwain, with Jake Bentley waiting in the wings. Bentley almost certainly won't start in the season opener, but it appears Will Muschamp and the coaching staff have no issue playing multiple quarterbacks.
Let's be honest. For those who watched the 2015 Gamecocks, we saw that a two-quarterback system can be even more frustrating than just having one mediocre quarterback. For the majority of the second-half of the season, Orth and Lorenzo Nunez would split drives, and neither was able to get into a rhythm. Even from the beginning of the season, the starter would change from week to week, which cuts down on a quarterback's ability to work with his first-team offense.
The primary goal of this season is to build momentum for a turnaround. It's not reasonable to expect this team to win eight games and compete with the SEC powerhouses. Part of building momentum has to come from week to week, not just from season to season. Putting in a new quarterback or having two or more guys split time throughout the season doesn't allow the team to move forward.
Occasionally, quarterbacks will take over because of injury or performance and excel right out of the gate. More often than not, things break down like they did at Florida last season when Will Grier was suspended. The Gators started 6-0, but won just four of their last eight games under Treon Harris, who had started the first game of the season after winning the job in camp.
Because Orth and McIlwain bring different things to the table, it's not hard to imagine Muschamp rotating the duo and riding the hot hand. He could also decide to bring in McIlwain for read option looks or give him drives to mix up the opponent's defensive game plan.
That could be effective for a short period of time, as teams would have to prepare for both quarterbacks, as Vanderbilt likely will do for the season opener. However, the SEC has some of the best defensive minds in the nation, so a simple timeshare under center likely won't be enough to rejuvenate a Gamecock offense that's already strapped for playmakers.
The Gamecocks will likely struggle offensively in 2016, and adding in a quarterback competition that drags on through the season will do far more harm than good. The best option for the season is to pick a starting quarterback and stick with him until the bye week, barring injury or major ineffectiveness. South Carolina has to build chemistry on an inexperienced offense, and a two-quarterback system just won't do.