When Will the Gamecocks Win It All?

If one were to poll Gamecock Nation asking what would you like most to see the Gamecocks accomplish in football, you would likely get three answers. They would be: “Beat Clemson!”, “Win the SEC!”,

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“Win it all!”   The first one, check! The Gamecocks have proven they can consistently swat the “team from upstate.” The other two? Well, that hasn’t come so easy.

Contrary to popular rhetoric among those who dislike the Gamecocks, the Cocks have actually had an undefeated season. In 1906, USC’s board of directors banned the sport of football, claiming that the chants and cheers performed by students and fans were “not gentlemanly in nature.” Students and fans petitioned, and in the fall of the next year, 1907, the sport of football was reinstated. A hastily assembled team competed flawlessly in an abbreviated three game season.

Of course, an undefeated, abbreviated, century-old undefeated season isn’t a national title. The first time the Cocks sniffed a national title game was 1984. The Gamecocks could probably have won any conference title in the nation that year, but as an Independent, they would have to run the table. It seemed as if they were going to do just that. But a stunning loss to Navy spoiled that season.

Twenty-six years later, the Gamecocks were knocking off top-ranked teams. They came into Atlanta confident, as their opponent, the Auburn Tigers, had barely squeaked by in Jordan-Hare Stadium earlier that year. On a neutral field, South Carolina was thought to be the advantaged team. But that was clearly not the case. The Gamecocks were blown out by the Tigers/War Eagles.

The next three years were all eerily similar in nature. The Gamecocks defeated the eventual SEC East champion all three years, but lost one too many games to make it to Atlanta.

So, this brings us to the question: When on earth are the Gamecocks going to bring home the bacon? Look no further than the season starting in less than two weeks. South Carolina is poised to be a dark horse this season. All the hype in the SEC East is focused on the Tennessee Volunteers at the moment. Now, which team was all the hype focused on last season before they were embarrassingly blown out in their season opener?

The Gamecocks are anxious to prove themselves, and they will only lose one or two games this season. Those losses will come from either Tennessee and/or Georgia, but this will be one of those chaotic years in the SEC East. Tennesee will not be the juggernaut everyone believes they will be. No, they are still a year away from national prominence, and that’s if Butch Jones can develop his talent. If not, they will reside in mediocrity like the Bulldogs. Speaking of the Bulldogs, they have to face both teams from Alabama this season. Even if, and mind you this is a big if, the Dawgs manage to defeat the Gamecocks, they will still have to worry with playing at Tennessee and at Florida.

The Gamecocks have much more of a

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

chance to win the SEC and beyond than many are wanting to give them credit for. They are energetic and ready for redemption. They are ready to shock the South and quite possibly the nation.