The University of South Carolina football team is favored by only a touchdown against unranked Central Florida – which hosts the No. 12/13 Gamecocks (2-1, 1-1 SEC) at BH Networks Stadium in Orlando on Saturday.
So … is this another “no respect” moment for Steve Spurrier’s team?
Not really … this weekend’s matchup has all the makings of a “trap game” for South Carolina, although Central Florida (which is four spots away from making the AP Top 25 and two spots away from making the USA Today/ Coaches’ poll) isn’t going to be able to sneak up on the Gamecocks following its big win over Penn State two weeks ago in Happy Valley.
The Golden Knights (3-0, 0-0 AAC) never trailed against the Nittany Lions, defeating a Big Ten team for the first time in school history and earning a measure of respect for the fledgling American Athletic Conference. Head coach George O’Leary’s squad is coming off a 10-4 season in which it lost three games by less than a touchdown – and is looking for a statement victory over a Southeastern Conference powerhouse.
To do it, they’ll have to beat a Spurrier-coached team coming off of a bye week – which is easier said than done. In fact Spurrier is 7-1 at South Carolina when given an extra week to prepare for his opponents – with his lone loss coming against the Clemson Tigers in 2007.
Speaking of Clemson, the third-ranked Tigers are four-touchdown favorites this weekend as they welcome unranked Wake Forest to Death Valley.
We’ll be making our #FITSPicks for both of these games later this week …
5 comments
The Magik Round Dice look puzzled as they say—-
Gamecocks ——- 26
Knights ————- 25
We will all be on “pins and needles” waiting on your picks.
This had better be a Gamecock blow out.
George O’Leary whose manufactured resume knocked him out at vaunted Notre Dame? Along with offensive coordinator Charlie Taffe, who was The Citadel’s winningest coach until being dismissed over a DUI arrest?
Not throwing stones, just pointing out that both of these coaches careers were diverted by off the field issues, not by losing games. One would think they might have rather substantial chips on their shoulders.
SEC powerhouse? Don’t think they are playing Bama, LSU, or A&M.