![\"\"](\"https:\/\/usatcfn.files.wordpress.com\/2019\/01\/usatsi_10973840-2.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1\")
<\/figure>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJust when I thought I was out; they pull me back in.\u201d\u00a0 This famous quote is from the Godfather part 3.\u00a0 Just when you think Alabama is done, they show you they are not.\u00a0 This is no more prevalent in what we have seen happen the last 2 seasons.\u00a0 Georgia leading the National Championship 20-7, in the 3rd<\/sup> quarter saw Alabama pry victory from their hands, in overtime, on a 2nd<\/sup> and 26.\u00a0 History repeated itself in last year\u2019s SEC Championship with Georgia leading 28-14 in the 3rd<\/sup> quarter.\u00a0 Alabama picked themselves off the turf and rallied to break the Dawgs hearts yet again.\u00a0 In Nick Saban\u2019s tenure, Alabama has only been out of National Championship contention 3 times.\u00a0 In 2007, what looked like a promising year at 6-2, ended with a 4 game losing streak, including an embarrassing home loss to Louisiana-Monroe.\u00a0 Three years later, Alabama began the year 5-0, but losses to South Carolina, LSU and Auburn derailed title dreams.\u00a0 It has been 5 long years since the most shocking of those defeats took place.\u00a0 I am of course talking about the 2013 Iron Bowl.\u00a0 In a quest for a threepeat, Alabama came to the plains and with 1 second left attempted a 57 yard field goal.\u00a0 Adam Griffith\u2019s kick went wide right and short, but that was not the end.\u00a0 Auburn\u2019s Chris Davis grabbed the miss kick and ran 109 yards<\/a> to end the game.\u00a0 The dynasty would live on for Alabama with National Titles in 2015 and 2017.\u00a0 As we begin 2019, Nick Saban goes for championship number 6 at Alabama.<\/p>
Arkansas<\/strong>:<\/h2>![\"\"](\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\")
<\/figure> 2006\nwas a Cinderella year for the Arkansas Razorbacks. After dropping their opener to USC, the Hogs\nrattled off 10 wins in a row. Arkansas\nfound themselves 10-1 and in strong contention for a National Championship when\nrival LSU came to town. The Hogs lost by\nfive but had already clinched the SEC Western Division. Arkansas headed off to Atlanta for a right to\nplay in the Sugar Bowl. The clock struck\nmidnight for Cinderella as Florida bested Arkansas 38-28 en route to a National\nChampionship. Arkansas slipped into the\nCitrus Bowl and lost to Wisconsin. \nDespite back-to-back 10 win season in 2010 and 2011, Arkansas has not\nreturned to Atlanta. Brett Bielema was\nable to get Arkansas to 3 straight bowl games but was let go after a 4-8 year\nin 2017. Enter the Chad Morris era. Year 1 did not go a planned as Arkansas went\n2-10 and 0-8 in the SEC. Coach Morris\nhopes to channel his inner Houston Nutt and bring glory and prominence back to\nFayetteville.<\/p>
The\nHogs return their top 2 running backs from 2018 in Rakeem Boyd and Devwah\nWhaley. They also return 4 of their top\n5 receivers from last year. The Hogs\nwill, however, have a new signal caller. \nTransfers Ben Hicks and Nick Starkel will battle it out to see who\nstarts in game one. Whomever that may\nbe, the new quarterback must be a leader. \nIf Arkansas has a leader under center this offense can go a long way. On defense, the Hogs return 6 starters\nincluding leading tackler De\u2019Jon Harris. \nThis is an Arkansas defense that gave up 34.8 points per game last\nyear. Arkansas, along with Ole Miss,\nmust make strides on defense if they want to compete in 2019. We get to see the Ole Miss\/Arkansas showdown,\nin Oxford, in week 2. Arkansas will face\nKentucky, Alabama, and LSU on the road as well. \nThe home schedule features Auburn, Mississippi State, and Missouri. The annual Missouri rivalry will take place\nin Little Rock. Arkansas\u2019 path to 6 wins\nbegins with wins over both Mississippi schools, as well as sweeping through\ntheir non-conference. Something that was\nnot done last year. I really do not see\nArkansas beating any of their other SEC opponents. That is a tough road schedule and Auburn and\nMissouri are no cake walks. Arkansas is\ngoing to be hard pressed to make a bowl this year. If the pieces fall in the right place it can\nall work out for Arkansas to be bowling again. \n<\/p>
Mississippi State<\/strong>:<\/h2><\/figure> Like\nArkansas, 2014 was a Cinderella year for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The journey began with marquee wins over #8\nLSU and #6 Texas A&M. The Bulldogs\nwould follow those wins with a triumph over #2 Auburn. Led by Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, the\nBulldogs achieved a number 1 ranking. Mississippi\nState would hold the number 1 spot for five weeks until they traveled to\nTuscaloosa. Alabama put a chink in the\narmor by winning the matchup 25-20. \nAfter a win over Vanderbilt the stage was set as the Bulldogs faced\ntheir bitter rival in the Egg Bowl. With\nan injured quarterback, Ole Miss rallied to defend home turf and make the clock\nstrike midnight for Prescott and the Bulldogs. \nThe season ended with a disappointing loss in the Orange Bowl to Paul\nJohnson\u2019s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. \nThree years later, Joe Moorhead takes over this Bulldogs program. In year 1, Moorhead picked up wins over\nAuburn, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss. \nMoorhead\u2019s squad finished the year 8-5.<\/p>
As we\nstart 2019, Moorhead looks to achieve what the 2014 team did. The Bulldogs are without last years sensational\nquarterback in Nick Fitzgerald. \nFitzgerald has graduated, but not before setting records and doing\nwonders for this team. The Bulldogs\noffense returns their top 3 receivers and their 2nd<\/sup> leading rusher\nfrom last year. On defense, Mississippi\nState is without Johnathan Abram, Jeffery Simmons, and Montez Sweat. There is a lot of turnover this year with\nthese Bulldogs. That will not stop\nMoorhead from trying to accomplish his goals. \nThe season starts off with 3 non-conference games, including a return\ngame against Kansas State. The Bulldogs\nthen enter the long haul of the SEC. \nMississippi State hosts Kentucky, LSU, Alabama, and Ole Miss. The Dogs must travel to Auburn, Tennessee,\nTexas A&M, and Arkansas. Assuming\nMississippi State can start 3-0, a bowl game is feasible. With a cupcake game against Abilene Christian\nthat leaves only two wins left to get. \nGive them a win over Arkansas and Ole Miss and they are home free. With all the turnover I am not sure\nMississippi State can compete with their other SEC opponents. Kentucky could be a win, but the Cats were\nSEC runner ups last year. Moorhead and\ncompany did some surprising last year\u2026will history repeat itself with some\nupset wins in 2019? Only time will\ntell. <\/p>
South Carolina<\/strong>:<\/h2><\/figure> It was a fun time to be a resident of Columbia, South Carolina from 2010-2013. Steve Spurrier\u2019s Gamecocks won their first ever SEC Eastern Division Championship in 2010. Cocky looked prone to repeat as champions with a week 2 win on the road against Georgia. However, losses to Auburn and Arkansas derailed the train bound for Atlanta. South Carolina did not hang their head as they began 2012 6-0, which included a 35-7 win at home against Georgia. Tough scheduling and losses, both on the road, to LSU and Florida put the train off the tracks for a second year in a row. 2013 did not start off as strong as the previous 2 years, but the Gamecocks were still in contention at 5-1 heading to Knoxville. Butch Jones\u2019 Volunteers kicked a game winning field goal as time expired to upset South Carolina. Even with a win over eventual East champs, Missouri, South Carolina could not gain enough ground to travel to the Georgia Dome. We have focused on a lot of heartbreak, but three straight 11 win seasons has never happened before and has not happened since. Will Muschamp will try and rekindle the flames that Spurrier left behind. Muschamp knows how to win in double digits. The 2012 season at Florida is the highlight for Coach Boom. He hopes year 4 at Carolina will be the magical one. <\/p>
Cocky returns senior quarterback Jake Bentley.\u00a0 Bentley threw for 3,171 yards last year with 27 touchdowns.\u00a0 Bentley will have his top 2 rushers back in Rico Dowdle and Mon Denson.\u00a0 Even without Debo Samuel, South Carolina returns the next 3 top receivers from last year.\u00a0 Add in 3 returning starter on the offensive line and this Gamecocks offense could be one of the best Muschamp has ever had here.\u00a0 South Carolina returns seven starters on defense including TJ Brunson and Sherrod Greene. \u00a0Muschamp is a defensive guy by trade so you know he will be motivated to put together a defense that can rival Kirby Smart and Nick Saban.\u00a0 The defense last year had some holes at times.\u00a0 They will need to plug up those holes to have a better 2019.\u00a0 The season begins with a neutral site game against North Carolina.\u00a0 If the Gamecocks win, they are probably 2-1 heading to Missouri.\u00a0 South Carolina won last year\u2019s game in a torrential downpour.\u00a0 If Cocky prevails there, best case scenario puts them at 4-1 heading to Georgia.\u00a0 Georgia and Florida back-to-back is the make or break part of the season for Muschamp and company.\u00a0 If you lose both games, you are looking at having to win your next 4 before Clemson comes to town.\u00a0 Clemson has won the last 5 meetings and there are no signs of slowing down.\u00a0 With wins over Georgia and Florida, South Carolina would be 10-2 and Eastern Division Champions.\u00a0 Even if you split with those two teams, a 9-3 record is pretty good.\u00a0 I picked South Carolina to win the East last year.\u00a0 I am not quite sure I want to lock that pick in quite yet.\u00a0 After the 2 game stretch with Georgia and Florida we will revisit the conversation of South Carolina winning the SEC East.\u00a0 The East might be more enjoyable to watch than the West this year.\u00a0 It has been a good 4 years since we saw that. <\/p>
Before watching about SEC Media Days Day Three, here are days one<\/a> and two<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/usatcfn.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/usatsi_10418236-2.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1\")
<\/figure>2006\nwas a Cinderella year for the Arkansas Razorbacks. After dropping their opener to USC, the Hogs\nrattled off 10 wins in a row. Arkansas\nfound themselves 10-1 and in strong contention for a National Championship when\nrival LSU came to town. The Hogs lost by\nfive but had already clinched the SEC Western Division. Arkansas headed off to Atlanta for a right to\nplay in the Sugar Bowl. The clock struck\nmidnight for Cinderella as Florida bested Arkansas 38-28 en route to a National\nChampionship. Arkansas slipped into the\nCitrus Bowl and lost to Wisconsin. \nDespite back-to-back 10 win season in 2010 and 2011, Arkansas has not\nreturned to Atlanta. Brett Bielema was\nable to get Arkansas to 3 straight bowl games but was let go after a 4-8 year\nin 2017. Enter the Chad Morris era. Year 1 did not go a planned as Arkansas went\n2-10 and 0-8 in the SEC. Coach Morris\nhopes to channel his inner Houston Nutt and bring glory and prominence back to\nFayetteville.<\/p>
The\nHogs return their top 2 running backs from 2018 in Rakeem Boyd and Devwah\nWhaley. They also return 4 of their top\n5 receivers from last year. The Hogs\nwill, however, have a new signal caller. \nTransfers Ben Hicks and Nick Starkel will battle it out to see who\nstarts in game one. Whomever that may\nbe, the new quarterback must be a leader. \nIf Arkansas has a leader under center this offense can go a long way. On defense, the Hogs return 6 starters\nincluding leading tackler De\u2019Jon Harris. \nThis is an Arkansas defense that gave up 34.8 points per game last\nyear. Arkansas, along with Ole Miss,\nmust make strides on defense if they want to compete in 2019. We get to see the Ole Miss\/Arkansas showdown,\nin Oxford, in week 2. Arkansas will face\nKentucky, Alabama, and LSU on the road as well. \nThe home schedule features Auburn, Mississippi State, and Missouri. The annual Missouri rivalry will take place\nin Little Rock. Arkansas\u2019 path to 6 wins\nbegins with wins over both Mississippi schools, as well as sweeping through\ntheir non-conference. Something that was\nnot done last year. I really do not see\nArkansas beating any of their other SEC opponents. That is a tough road schedule and Auburn and\nMissouri are no cake walks. Arkansas is\ngoing to be hard pressed to make a bowl this year. If the pieces fall in the right place it can\nall work out for Arkansas to be bowling again. \n<\/p>
Mississippi State<\/strong>:<\/h2><\/figure> Like\nArkansas, 2014 was a Cinderella year for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The journey began with marquee wins over #8\nLSU and #6 Texas A&M. The Bulldogs\nwould follow those wins with a triumph over #2 Auburn. Led by Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, the\nBulldogs achieved a number 1 ranking. Mississippi\nState would hold the number 1 spot for five weeks until they traveled to\nTuscaloosa. Alabama put a chink in the\narmor by winning the matchup 25-20. \nAfter a win over Vanderbilt the stage was set as the Bulldogs faced\ntheir bitter rival in the Egg Bowl. With\nan injured quarterback, Ole Miss rallied to defend home turf and make the clock\nstrike midnight for Prescott and the Bulldogs. \nThe season ended with a disappointing loss in the Orange Bowl to Paul\nJohnson\u2019s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. \nThree years later, Joe Moorhead takes over this Bulldogs program. In year 1, Moorhead picked up wins over\nAuburn, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss. \nMoorhead\u2019s squad finished the year 8-5.<\/p>
As we\nstart 2019, Moorhead looks to achieve what the 2014 team did. The Bulldogs are without last years sensational\nquarterback in Nick Fitzgerald. \nFitzgerald has graduated, but not before setting records and doing\nwonders for this team. The Bulldogs\noffense returns their top 3 receivers and their 2nd<\/sup> leading rusher\nfrom last year. On defense, Mississippi\nState is without Johnathan Abram, Jeffery Simmons, and Montez Sweat. There is a lot of turnover this year with\nthese Bulldogs. That will not stop\nMoorhead from trying to accomplish his goals. \nThe season starts off with 3 non-conference games, including a return\ngame against Kansas State. The Bulldogs\nthen enter the long haul of the SEC. \nMississippi State hosts Kentucky, LSU, Alabama, and Ole Miss. The Dogs must travel to Auburn, Tennessee,\nTexas A&M, and Arkansas. Assuming\nMississippi State can start 3-0, a bowl game is feasible. With a cupcake game against Abilene Christian\nthat leaves only two wins left to get. \nGive them a win over Arkansas and Ole Miss and they are home free. With all the turnover I am not sure\nMississippi State can compete with their other SEC opponents. Kentucky could be a win, but the Cats were\nSEC runner ups last year. Moorhead and\ncompany did some surprising last year\u2026will history repeat itself with some\nupset wins in 2019? Only time will\ntell. <\/p>
South Carolina<\/strong>:<\/h2><\/figure> It was a fun time to be a resident of Columbia, South Carolina from 2010-2013. Steve Spurrier\u2019s Gamecocks won their first ever SEC Eastern Division Championship in 2010. Cocky looked prone to repeat as champions with a week 2 win on the road against Georgia. However, losses to Auburn and Arkansas derailed the train bound for Atlanta. South Carolina did not hang their head as they began 2012 6-0, which included a 35-7 win at home against Georgia. Tough scheduling and losses, both on the road, to LSU and Florida put the train off the tracks for a second year in a row. 2013 did not start off as strong as the previous 2 years, but the Gamecocks were still in contention at 5-1 heading to Knoxville. Butch Jones\u2019 Volunteers kicked a game winning field goal as time expired to upset South Carolina. Even with a win over eventual East champs, Missouri, South Carolina could not gain enough ground to travel to the Georgia Dome. We have focused on a lot of heartbreak, but three straight 11 win seasons has never happened before and has not happened since. Will Muschamp will try and rekindle the flames that Spurrier left behind. Muschamp knows how to win in double digits. The 2012 season at Florida is the highlight for Coach Boom. He hopes year 4 at Carolina will be the magical one. <\/p>
Cocky returns senior quarterback Jake Bentley.\u00a0 Bentley threw for 3,171 yards last year with 27 touchdowns.\u00a0 Bentley will have his top 2 rushers back in Rico Dowdle and Mon Denson.\u00a0 Even without Debo Samuel, South Carolina returns the next 3 top receivers from last year.\u00a0 Add in 3 returning starter on the offensive line and this Gamecocks offense could be one of the best Muschamp has ever had here.\u00a0 South Carolina returns seven starters on defense including TJ Brunson and Sherrod Greene. \u00a0Muschamp is a defensive guy by trade so you know he will be motivated to put together a defense that can rival Kirby Smart and Nick Saban.\u00a0 The defense last year had some holes at times.\u00a0 They will need to plug up those holes to have a better 2019.\u00a0 The season begins with a neutral site game against North Carolina.\u00a0 If the Gamecocks win, they are probably 2-1 heading to Missouri.\u00a0 South Carolina won last year\u2019s game in a torrential downpour.\u00a0 If Cocky prevails there, best case scenario puts them at 4-1 heading to Georgia.\u00a0 Georgia and Florida back-to-back is the make or break part of the season for Muschamp and company.\u00a0 If you lose both games, you are looking at having to win your next 4 before Clemson comes to town.\u00a0 Clemson has won the last 5 meetings and there are no signs of slowing down.\u00a0 With wins over Georgia and Florida, South Carolina would be 10-2 and Eastern Division Champions.\u00a0 Even if you split with those two teams, a 9-3 record is pretty good.\u00a0 I picked South Carolina to win the East last year.\u00a0 I am not quite sure I want to lock that pick in quite yet.\u00a0 After the 2 game stretch with Georgia and Florida we will revisit the conversation of South Carolina winning the SEC East.\u00a0 The East might be more enjoyable to watch than the West this year.\u00a0 It has been a good 4 years since we saw that. <\/p>
Before watching about SEC Media Days Day Three, here are days one<\/a> and two<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
![\"Mississippi](\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/D_H2xWRUYAIsBYw.jpg:large\")
<\/figure>Like\nArkansas, 2014 was a Cinderella year for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The journey began with marquee wins over #8\nLSU and #6 Texas A&M. The Bulldogs\nwould follow those wins with a triumph over #2 Auburn. Led by Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, the\nBulldogs achieved a number 1 ranking. Mississippi\nState would hold the number 1 spot for five weeks until they traveled to\nTuscaloosa. Alabama put a chink in the\narmor by winning the matchup 25-20. \nAfter a win over Vanderbilt the stage was set as the Bulldogs faced\ntheir bitter rival in the Egg Bowl. With\nan injured quarterback, Ole Miss rallied to defend home turf and make the clock\nstrike midnight for Prescott and the Bulldogs. \nThe season ended with a disappointing loss in the Orange Bowl to Paul\nJohnson\u2019s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. \nThree years later, Joe Moorhead takes over this Bulldogs program. In year 1, Moorhead picked up wins over\nAuburn, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss. \nMoorhead\u2019s squad finished the year 8-5.<\/p>
As we\nstart 2019, Moorhead looks to achieve what the 2014 team did. The Bulldogs are without last years sensational\nquarterback in Nick Fitzgerald. \nFitzgerald has graduated, but not before setting records and doing\nwonders for this team. The Bulldogs\noffense returns their top 3 receivers and their 2nd<\/sup> leading rusher\nfrom last year. On defense, Mississippi\nState is without Johnathan Abram, Jeffery Simmons, and Montez Sweat. There is a lot of turnover this year with\nthese Bulldogs. That will not stop\nMoorhead from trying to accomplish his goals. \nThe season starts off with 3 non-conference games, including a return\ngame against Kansas State. The Bulldogs\nthen enter the long haul of the SEC. \nMississippi State hosts Kentucky, LSU, Alabama, and Ole Miss. The Dogs must travel to Auburn, Tennessee,\nTexas A&M, and Arkansas. Assuming\nMississippi State can start 3-0, a bowl game is feasible. With a cupcake game against Abilene Christian\nthat leaves only two wins left to get. \nGive them a win over Arkansas and Ole Miss and they are home free. With all the turnover I am not sure\nMississippi State can compete with their other SEC opponents. Kentucky could be a win, but the Cats were\nSEC runner ups last year. Moorhead and\ncompany did some surprising last year\u2026will history repeat itself with some\nupset wins in 2019? Only time will\ntell. <\/p>
South Carolina<\/strong>:<\/h2><\/figure> It was a fun time to be a resident of Columbia, South Carolina from 2010-2013. Steve Spurrier\u2019s Gamecocks won their first ever SEC Eastern Division Championship in 2010. Cocky looked prone to repeat as champions with a week 2 win on the road against Georgia. However, losses to Auburn and Arkansas derailed the train bound for Atlanta. South Carolina did not hang their head as they began 2012 6-0, which included a 35-7 win at home against Georgia. Tough scheduling and losses, both on the road, to LSU and Florida put the train off the tracks for a second year in a row. 2013 did not start off as strong as the previous 2 years, but the Gamecocks were still in contention at 5-1 heading to Knoxville. Butch Jones\u2019 Volunteers kicked a game winning field goal as time expired to upset South Carolina. Even with a win over eventual East champs, Missouri, South Carolina could not gain enough ground to travel to the Georgia Dome. We have focused on a lot of heartbreak, but three straight 11 win seasons has never happened before and has not happened since. Will Muschamp will try and rekindle the flames that Spurrier left behind. Muschamp knows how to win in double digits. The 2012 season at Florida is the highlight for Coach Boom. He hopes year 4 at Carolina will be the magical one. <\/p>
Cocky returns senior quarterback Jake Bentley.\u00a0 Bentley threw for 3,171 yards last year with 27 touchdowns.\u00a0 Bentley will have his top 2 rushers back in Rico Dowdle and Mon Denson.\u00a0 Even without Debo Samuel, South Carolina returns the next 3 top receivers from last year.\u00a0 Add in 3 returning starter on the offensive line and this Gamecocks offense could be one of the best Muschamp has ever had here.\u00a0 South Carolina returns seven starters on defense including TJ Brunson and Sherrod Greene. \u00a0Muschamp is a defensive guy by trade so you know he will be motivated to put together a defense that can rival Kirby Smart and Nick Saban.\u00a0 The defense last year had some holes at times.\u00a0 They will need to plug up those holes to have a better 2019.\u00a0 The season begins with a neutral site game against North Carolina.\u00a0 If the Gamecocks win, they are probably 2-1 heading to Missouri.\u00a0 South Carolina won last year\u2019s game in a torrential downpour.\u00a0 If Cocky prevails there, best case scenario puts them at 4-1 heading to Georgia.\u00a0 Georgia and Florida back-to-back is the make or break part of the season for Muschamp and company.\u00a0 If you lose both games, you are looking at having to win your next 4 before Clemson comes to town.\u00a0 Clemson has won the last 5 meetings and there are no signs of slowing down.\u00a0 With wins over Georgia and Florida, South Carolina would be 10-2 and Eastern Division Champions.\u00a0 Even if you split with those two teams, a 9-3 record is pretty good.\u00a0 I picked South Carolina to win the East last year.\u00a0 I am not quite sure I want to lock that pick in quite yet.\u00a0 After the 2 game stretch with Georgia and Florida we will revisit the conversation of South Carolina winning the SEC East.\u00a0 The East might be more enjoyable to watch than the West this year.\u00a0 It has been a good 4 years since we saw that. <\/p>
Before watching about SEC Media Days Day Three, here are days one<\/a> and two<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
![\"South](\"https:\/\/imagesvc.timeincapp.com\/v3\/fan\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffansided.com%2Ffiles%2F2015%2F08%2Fncaa-football-south-carolina-florida.jpg&c=sc&w=850&h=560\")
<\/figure>It was a fun time to be a resident of Columbia, South Carolina from 2010-2013. Steve Spurrier\u2019s Gamecocks won their first ever SEC Eastern Division Championship in 2010. Cocky looked prone to repeat as champions with a week 2 win on the road against Georgia. However, losses to Auburn and Arkansas derailed the train bound for Atlanta. South Carolina did not hang their head as they began 2012 6-0, which included a 35-7 win at home against Georgia. Tough scheduling and losses, both on the road, to LSU and Florida put the train off the tracks for a second year in a row. 2013 did not start off as strong as the previous 2 years, but the Gamecocks were still in contention at 5-1 heading to Knoxville. Butch Jones\u2019 Volunteers kicked a game winning field goal as time expired to upset South Carolina. Even with a win over eventual East champs, Missouri, South Carolina could not gain enough ground to travel to the Georgia Dome. We have focused on a lot of heartbreak, but three straight 11 win seasons has never happened before and has not happened since. Will Muschamp will try and rekindle the flames that Spurrier left behind. Muschamp knows how to win in double digits. The 2012 season at Florida is the highlight for Coach Boom. He hopes year 4 at Carolina will be the magical one. <\/p>
Cocky returns senior quarterback Jake Bentley.\u00a0 Bentley threw for 3,171 yards last year with 27 touchdowns.\u00a0 Bentley will have his top 2 rushers back in Rico Dowdle and Mon Denson.\u00a0 Even without Debo Samuel, South Carolina returns the next 3 top receivers from last year.\u00a0 Add in 3 returning starter on the offensive line and this Gamecocks offense could be one of the best Muschamp has ever had here.\u00a0 South Carolina returns seven starters on defense including TJ Brunson and Sherrod Greene. \u00a0Muschamp is a defensive guy by trade so you know he will be motivated to put together a defense that can rival Kirby Smart and Nick Saban.\u00a0 The defense last year had some holes at times.\u00a0 They will need to plug up those holes to have a better 2019.\u00a0 The season begins with a neutral site game against North Carolina.\u00a0 If the Gamecocks win, they are probably 2-1 heading to Missouri.\u00a0 South Carolina won last year\u2019s game in a torrential downpour.\u00a0 If Cocky prevails there, best case scenario puts them at 4-1 heading to Georgia.\u00a0 Georgia and Florida back-to-back is the make or break part of the season for Muschamp and company.\u00a0 If you lose both games, you are looking at having to win your next 4 before Clemson comes to town.\u00a0 Clemson has won the last 5 meetings and there are no signs of slowing down.\u00a0 With wins over Georgia and Florida, South Carolina would be 10-2 and Eastern Division Champions.\u00a0 Even if you split with those two teams, a 9-3 record is pretty good.\u00a0 I picked South Carolina to win the East last year.\u00a0 I am not quite sure I want to lock that pick in quite yet.\u00a0 After the 2 game stretch with Georgia and Florida we will revisit the conversation of South Carolina winning the SEC East.\u00a0 The East might be more enjoyable to watch than the West this year.\u00a0 It has been a good 4 years since we saw that. <\/p>
Before watching about SEC Media Days Day Three, here are days one<\/a> and two<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"