Slow day around South Carolina. No Spurrier quotables, no new coaches being hired, really not much. Um, the men's soccer schedule was released, though C&F would be hard-pressed to tell what the hardest games will be. Or the easiest games, for that matter, though he certainly wishes the team the best of luck.
USC plays defending national champion Wake Forest at the Demon Deacons' home tournament in mid-September. Other opponents ranked last year include SMU and Tulsa, both Conference USA opponents.
Oh, well, there you go. And South Carolina is in Conference USA, which is bizarre on some level.
The Gamecocks' freshmen are also smarterer than those at any other school in the SEC, save Florida. Women's track and field leads the way, followed by the men's soccer team and the baseball team.
SEC-TV? Try CBS and ESPN. Doesn't look like Fox has a jump on the SEC television contract after all. (RSS HT: ASOB)
C&F is comfortable with this. Sure, a Fox deal has the potential to make you go, "Oooh! Shiny!" It's a new thing, after all. But then you remember: This is the network that employs Joe Buck. And the attraction to a Fox deal goes away.
The Pac-10 is growing. Or not. Probably not, but it's at least fun to think about. SBN colleague Block U has been all over this, even going so far as to advance Utah as the logical candidate to be No. 11 or 12.
It makes sense to bring in Utah or BYU if you're going to do this, but not both. Same television market, and anyone who believes that television markets don't play into this need only ask themselves, "Why is BC in the ACC?" and "Why did the ACC want Syracuse?"
Other logical candidates are, of course, Boise State -- though, again, TV issues -- and Fresno State, though that brings in no new markets. UNLV is the TV dream possibility, bringing the Las Vegas market and providing what every needs in their football league: a Vanderbilt.