FOOTBALL

NCAA: SC shouldn't have approved hotel stays | SCNOW
Wow. This brings the whole Whitney thing into focus.

The documents show the school's compliance office compared rates and found the hotel's $450 a month charge in line with other comparable apartment complexes. "After much research and discussion, it was determined that the institution's initial evaluation of those arrangements was flawed," Stiles wrote to Jennifer Henderson, the NCAA's director of student-athlete reinstatement.

I really hope the compliance office wasn't so stupid as to compare that rate to other apartment rates around town.

The school spoke with the hotel's general manager, Jamie Blevins, who said he agreed to the $450 per month rate in part because of the "slumping economy and declining level of business for the hotel industry."

Well, that does seem reasonable.

Stiles wrote that the NCAA has not decided if Blevins' actions would give him booster status. The Whitney Hotel joined the Gamecock Club, the school's annual giving program, this past March.

That ain't good. I guess we'll find out what the NCAA is going to do soon enough. Right now, though, it looks like some heads need to roll in our compliance department. Still doesn't seem like we'll be facing the dreaded "lack of institutional control," though.

Explaining the Whitney Docs Released Friday by USC | Spur of the Moment
Haney doesn't think they're all that revelatory, though.

More on Whitney Docs | Spur of the Moment
More. But not really.

SEC East Race, A Graphic Explanation – ‘Life of Pi’ Edition | The Rubber Chickens
Wait, so which one is Richard Parker?

South Carolina - Alabama Game Set for 3:30 | Gamecocks Online

CBS announced Saturday night that they would be televising next Saturday's contest between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Alabama Crimson Tide. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. ET at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.

ESPN's GameDay is Coming to Our City | Gamecocks Online
Great, this is exactly what we need. First the game is on CBS at 3:30pm, spot we've never won in. Second, we've never won (or even played well?) when GameDay is here. If Lee Corso picks us for the upset on Saturday so help me, God...

Also, I really hope GameDay chooses a location other than the Fair Grounds. It's really not a good location because it's far away from everything. Nobody want to wake up a 7am on a Saturday and drive down to the Fair Grounds. The tournout against Tennessee a few years ago was pathetic. I would much rather the crew set up on the Horseshoe or on the lawn in between the Strom and the Greek Village.

South Carolina - Alabama Game Day Information | Gamecocks Online

The South Carolina Athletics Ticket Office reminds fans of the potential presence of counterfeit tickets for the sold-out game versus Alabama on October 9. Fans may verify the authenticity of their tickets by visiting the box office at Colonial Life Arena between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Be careful out there, folks. It's a dangerous world.

Guest Post: "My Dad Had a Saying" | Leftover Hot Dog
The guys from The Rubber Chickens pen an article for LOHD. While couldn't care less about this:

Tell us about a player’s passion, his motivation, and his origins. Tell us why he plays the game in the first place. Make him human. Make him real.

(I always skip those types of articles), I think this is a valid point:

There is absolutely no reason a beat writer has to stay neutral. This isn’t the BBC covering the Palestinian crisis. It’s a local college town.

Journalists need their independence to give their stories credibility. A local sports reporter really doesn't need credibility. We can independently veridy the score of the game without much bother. He certainly doesn't need to be a Dour Dan and remind us how much we suck all the time (looking at you, Ron). I challenge anyone out there to tell me why a local sports reporter has to remain neutral. In fact, with the current state of the newspaper industry, you'd think at least one enterprising paper would utilize this strategy to draw in readers. Whatever happened to being innovative?

South Carolina: Can The Gamecocks Still Win The SEC East? | Bleacher Report
I'll be a happy camper if the SEC East comes down to the USC-Florida game.

Steve Spurrier Lighting the Fire Under South Carolina Gamecocks | Bleacher Report

Free safety Akeem Auguste said when being asked if film study was pleasant, "Of course not, everybody had a whole bunch of missed assignments, a lot of bad things went wrong on tape." When Auguste was asked how the Gamecocks could improve, "I don't know, man, honestly, everybody didn't come ready to play. Got to play tough. Get in everybody's face a lot more."

BASEBALL

Five fall keys: South Carolina looks to reload | Rivals.com
The biggest question facing the Yardcocks next year just might be who will take over as the starting catcher.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Jacobs's Hat Trick Propels No. 20 Gamecocks To 7-0 Shutout | Gamecocks Online

South Carolina senior forward Brooke Jacobs tied the school record for points in a single game as the No. 20 Gamecocks cruised to a 7-0 shutout against Mississippi State in SEC Sunday action on CSS. Jacobs netted the sixth hat trick in Gamecock history with three goals in 14 minutes and added an assist on the game-winning goal to help South Carolina improve to 9-2-2 (3-0-1 SEC).

MEN'S SOCCER

Gamecock Men's Soccer Earns Thrilling 3-2 Victory Over UAB | Gamecocks Online

The South Carolina men's soccer team earned a come-from-behind victory over UAB in its Conference USA opener, collecting a 3-2 victory at Stone Stadium on Saturday night. The win improves South Carolina's record to 5-2-1, 1-0-0 C-USA, while the Blazers fall to 6-3-0, 0-2-0 in league action.

RECRUITING

USC to scout QB target Saturday | Palmetto Sports

USC recruiter GA Mangus is spending the Gamecocks' off weekend in the Northeast scouting prospects in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. And Saturday he will focus on QB Tanner McEvoy (6-6 205) of Oradell, NJ.