When the Gamecocks take the field tomorrow night in Death Valley they will be playing for something much more important than a second consecutive victory over their heated cross-state rivals.  This game is an important lead up to what could be one of the greatest seasons in the history of USC football and certainly the most memorable of the Spurrier era.  It has been surprising to see references to the Gamecocks looking past this game to the SECCG.  Even setting aside the intense rivalry, anyone diminishing the importance of the Clemson game ignores the universal psychology of sports where momentum and confidence mean everything at this stage of the season.   The Florida game was a statement win for the Cocks.  Another victory in a hostile environment against a Tiger team looking to salvage something positive from this season would be HUGE for the Cocks and allow them to put the letdown game against Kentucky further in their rear view mirror.  Make no mistake, the Auburn team Carolina will tangle with in Atlanta is much better than the one we faced Week Four at Auburn.  It will take a flawless performance to bring them down, fueled by the momentum and confidence the Cocks will generate in Clemson tomorrow night.  SECCG is the big prize but for this team to leave an historic mark on USC football the road to greatness goes through Clemson.  Go Cocks!!

I'm a huge Gamecocks fan (though not Alum) that's lived in Colorado for a few years now, which is bad enough, but I'm going to be in Seattle for the SECCG. I've been hunting the internet, but can't find a Gamecocks bar there like I've got in Denver. Is there somewhere out there Gamecocks fans go to watch the game, because I'd rather not be the only jackass in a bar cheering for them (not that it'll stop me).

As linked by Chris Low on ESPN.com, AL.com released a list of teams with the most personal fouls. Tops? Southern Miss, with 27. 

But more importantly to us, a supplementary list was provided that shows the number of personal fouls among BCS teams. Have a look:

How Teams in Current BCS Standings Rank

• Oregon, 21
• Auburn, 20
• Florida State, 19
• Oklahoma State, 19
• Nebraska, 18
• Michigan State, 17
• Missouri, 17
• Texas A&M, 17
• Boise State, 16
• Oklahoma, 15
• Arkansas, 14
• Miami, 14
• LSU, 12
• Mississippi State, 12
• Virginia Tech, 12
• Alabama, 11
• Nevada, 11
• Ohio State, 11
• Arizona, 10
• Stanford, 10
• TCU, 10
• Wisconsin, 10
• Utah, 9
• Iowa, 6
• South Carolina, 5

AL.com goes on to point out that 4 is the least amount any team has committed. One of the most infuriating things is seeing a first down or defensive stop wiped out by a late hit or some other needless PF penalty. But it hasn't been a problem for our squad. It's a testament to our coaching and to the intelligence and maturity of our players.

Anyone care to play devil's advocate? Granted, overall there seems to be a vague inverse relationship between position in BCS top 25 rankings and PFs committed, but it could be coincidental.

At any rate, stupid penalties are absolutely crippling, and we're doing a good job of avoiding them. Our boys should be lauded for that.

I think it would be REALLY awsome if the team would wear all black uni's, thus bringing back the craze of the Black Magic years.  It would not only probably be a huge emotional plus for the guys, but would also honor the only other time in program history that the Gamecocks enjoyed success.

I have been looking for them to break out the all black's for several games this season now... but I think the SECCG is the ULTIMATE time to bring them back.

With Friday being the eve of the Florida game and subsequent Eastern Division title, I'm sure comparatively few Gamecock fans were awaiting the start of basketball season. And given that the team is very young and inexperienced, that's even less of a draw to a football-oriented fanbase. However, seeing as basketball is arguably my first love, I took in the Elon game and was very impressed with what I saw.

Before I get into specifics, I'll go ahead and toss out a disclaimer: It was "just" Elon, it's only the first game of a long season and the team still has work to do. That said, there's plenty to feel good about after a 94-79 win, especially after we came out flat in our exhibition game.

• Intensity. This team played like their hair was on fire. The speed, aggression, and overall energy on both ends of the court was very refreshing and fun to watch. It did lead to some sloppy plays (errant passes, bad misses, dumb fouls), but it was the kind of effort that could have won us more games last year.
• Lakeem Jackson could very well be our breakout player of the year. He has added to virtually every area of his game while bringing the same hustle he had last season. Not only did he make a few jump shots, he also made his first career three-pointer. Yes, you read that correctly: Lakeem Jackson made a three-pointer. Anyway, it's vital that our upperclassmen step up and take the reins of this team, and I'm glad to see that Jackson seems to have answered the call.
• On a similar note, Sam Muldrow was beasting all night long with several blocks and thunderous dunks. He ended up leading all scorers with 20. He's been capable of that kind of performance all along, so I hope he can keep it up.
• In what was a pleasant surprise, Ramon Galloway ended up playing a good chunk of minutes. (He was unlikely to be back before December with a foot fracture.) He didn't look out of shape or out of sync at all, hitting some nice jumpers and a few threes. Having him not only back, but so close to 100% is huge for us, especially in our rather brutal out-of-conference schedule.
• The scoring was incredibly balanced. We had six players in double digits and almost everyone scored. We finished with 23 assists as well, which is a far cry from just about any game last year. (We probably went weeks at a time without that many assists.) Again, it was refreshing to see that so many guys were capable of contributing instead of letting the load fall on one player's shoulders.
• To that end, Bruce Ellington may not be the next Devan Downey, but he is an extremely capable point guard all the same. He can score if he needs to, but he's unselfish with the ball and is good at facilitating opportunities for his teammates. He's going to be a central figure to this team, but I believe he'll have much more help than Downey did.

Anyway, as I said before, it was only Elon and there's still work to do; we did let them back into the game late, and free throws and rebounding continue to be weak spots. But overall it was still a dominating performance that I don't think anyone expected. I figured we would struggle to put them away and maybe eke out a 10-point victory, with a loss being entirely possible. But instead we never trailed and led by as much as 24.  Win or lose -- and this will be a tough year, I think -- this team will be fun to watch. Horn finally has "his" players and his up-tempo system is running at its best yet.

I am new to the Gamecocks fanclubs, but I do have plenty of hard to digest losses growing up rooting for the Jets. Last weekend my wife and I visited South Carolina and attended the Arkansas game. Before the game I didn't think South Carolina would come out showing it's best since they basically had nothing to play for. If Lattimore or Jeffery or Gurley got hurt, that would be devastating heading into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Things have never broken this way for the Gamecocks before. This is their chance to finally take that next step that you fans have been waiting for for so long. My wife is a huge Gamecocks fan and it doesn't take much for her to start getting discouraged, but I'm here to tell you guys that your time has finally come.

Florida does not have the offensive fire power to stay with South Carolina. Florida depends on gimmicks and trickplays and keeping you off-balance to defeat you. I don't think that will work against the Gamecocks. In addition,Lattimore is due to break out and have a big game again, and with the size and strength of the USC WR, Florida cannot just focus on him.

We will see what happens, but I really like South Carolina's chances. I will be watching with confidence (something I don't do much rooting for the Jets). Go Gamecocks...

In talking to some of my fellow Gamecocks this week, I've noticed a bit of a disturbing trend. Fans have been hand-waving a possible loss to Arkansas as something that "doesn't matter," and while they're right that it doesn't have any direct implications on the East championship, it's still a win we need.

• We can't get 10 wins in the regular season if we don't beat Arkansas. It's possible we can still get to 10 wins through a combination of the SEC championship and the following bowl game, but I think we can all agree it'd be much easier to just go ahead and take care of business at home. Besides, won't someone think of the 1984 season? It's so lonely.
• We can't go undefeated at home if we don't beat Arkansas. We already jumped the toughest hurdle by beating 'Bama, so we need to capitalize on that signature win and turn it into a signature season, which is something we've failed to do in the past. Going undefeated in Willy-B is more realistic than ever.
• We won't have any positive momentum going into the Swamp if we don't beat Arkansas. I'm sure I don't need to remind everyone that we don't have a single win in Gainesville. Zip. Nada. Zilch. A win over the Hogs won't guarantee a W at the Swamp, but it sure would be nice if we came in with our heads held high instead of reeling from a loss.
• No matter what happens with the East, we won't get as much respect if we don't beat Arkansas. If we lose to Arky en route to clinching the East championship, it'll just be more ammunition for analysts, pundits, etc. to rip on the East for being weak. And if we lose to Arkansas and fail to secure the East, it'll be seen as a disastrous implosion by the only team that was really considered the division frontrunner (and thus another indictment on how terrible the East is). We are in the rare and unique position of carrying the division's reputation on our backs. I'd love to see us take it and run with it by downing two of the West's best teams.

And finally, this is a huge weekend for recruiting. The state and nation's No. 1 recruit, Jadeveon Clowney, will be in attendance for an official visit along with Lateek Townsend, another highly sought-after prospect. Doing it big on the field will be a tremendous help in securing not only those two, but the other recruits left on our board.

I guess now that we have become more nationally exposed, teams have decided our "pump up" music is so great that they will use it also.

I know we have no rights to the music, but Sandstorm is as much a part of South Carolina tradition as 2001, or the GAME - COCKS cheer.  Yes it is a bit nit picky, but its annoying to hear it at other stadiums all of a sudden.

Be creative people!!!

Just a small pep talk of sorts for my fellow fans who might be thinking, "Gah...we could lose to Kentucky and it'll all be for naught."

First of all: Isn't it funny that, despite the ups and downs of our program, we haven't lost to Kentucky at least once over the past decade? Hell, we've lost to Vandy twice in that stretch. And Kentucky has even fielded decent squads a few years. Really is hard to believe they didn't take at least one of those games, considering we had some years that were shaky at best.

That said, we should feel confident that this streak continues. I'm not trying to screw with karma here...we all know anything can happen. And I understand the overarching feeling of "Oh man, I hope we don't screw it up this weekend!" Coach Spurrier emphasized in his presser today that a loss this weekend is a reality. Despite the magnitude of the Bama win, it's still just one lonely tick in the win column. In a fantasy world, we'd win every remaining game by default for beating the #1. Here in real life, we don't even get ranked ahead of that team.

But I think we need to remember that we're the favorite in this game for a reason. Our #10 ranking is earned--it was not the result of picking on cupcakes while the big boys tumble, which, despite some nice wins, had a little something to do with our elevated ranking in 2007. This year, we trounced the #1 team in the nation; we took another top ten team to the final drive; and we shut down a Georgia team that, while obviously in disarray, is still playing with top-tier talent.

We've played good football, and we deserve the confidence that good football stirs up. We shouldn't get proud or cocky; but we can't let our nervousness trump our excitement. It's not fair to ourselves as fans. Our boys have given us every reason to believe that they're capable of success. For the first time in a while, my mindset going into a weekend is "Can't wait to see what we do on Saturday!" as opposed to "OH GOD OH GOD DONT SCREW UP!"

Now in full disclosure, that thought has crept into my mind once or twice. But it's probably on the mind of every fan of a winning sports team going into a game. The point is this: We don't have to spend the whole week yanking our hair out, chomping our nails to the nub, and placing bets on how we'll blow it this week.

Who knows, we might lose, and that will suck. But for now, I think we all owe it to ourselves to believe that we probably won't.