The Post & Cocky Predictions: Week 9

The Post & Cocky Predictors are ready to go in here in week 9. After back to back 5-0 weeks, Ryan has moved from worst to a tie for first. Here are the expert picks!

Week 8 Results                             Overall
1. Ryan (5-0)                                  T1. Joseph (24-17)
2. Jeremy (2-3)                               T1. Ryan (24-17)
3. Joseph (1-4)                                 3. Jeremy (23-18)

                                                                Joe                    Ryan                    Jeremy

Michigan State at Nebraska                 Nebraska                MSU                   Nebraska

Georgia vs. Florida                               Georgia               Georgia                  Georgia

Illinois at Penn State                              PSU                    PSU                       PSU

Clemson at Georgia Tech                    Clemson              Clemson                 Clemson

South Carolina at Tennessee                S. Car                 S. Car                     S. Car

South Carolina at Tennessee Preview

The No. 14 South Carolina Gamecocks (6-1, 4-1) will travel to Knoxville, Tenn. this Saturday night to play the Tennessee Volunteers (3-4, 0-4) in a SEC Eastern Division battle.

The Gamecocks are coming off of their lone bye week of the 2011 season and will be looking to build on a 14-12 win over Mississippi State two weeks ago.  This will be South Carolina's first game without their star running back Marcus Lattimore in the backfield.  He'll instead be cheering the team on from the sidelines.

"Getting ready to play Tennessee again," said Steve Spurrier, Tuesday afternoon. "It's always a big game for the University of South Carolina. I don't know how big a game we are to them. They still lead the overall series pretty big; 22 wins and five losses."

South Carolina has only beaten Tennessee once in Knoxville in 15 chances.

Filling in at running back for the Gamecocks will be true freshman Brandon Wilds, who has carried the ball 13 times this year for 75 yards.

"Brandon (Wilds) again is our starter," Spurrier said. "He's been healthy all season and has been practicing more. We think he's better prepared to play than Kenny (Miles) now because of Kenny's wrist, but he was out there last night and Kenny should get some playing time."

The Gamecocks are sitting at 6-1 and are tied at 4-1 with the Georgia Bulldogs for first in the SEC Eastern Division standings. This game starts the most difficult part of their schedule and South Carolina will need to play some of their best football in the final five games of the season to get back to Atlanta.

After this weekend at Tennessee, the Gamecocks travel to No. 10 Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks in a 7:15 p.m. ET game on ESPN, and then come back home to take on Florida.  The next few weeks should tell you just how good these Gamecocks are.

Tennessee is coming in off of a pair of big losses from two of the best teams in college football.

They lost 38-7 to No. 1 LSU two weeks ago and are now coming off of a 37-6 loss at No. 2 Alabama.  These two types of losses can really have an effect on a team's psyche.

The Vols have lost more than just these games however.  QB Tyler Bray, who was the SEC's leading passer has gone down with an injury and Matt Simms, his backup, was replaced last week with redshirt freshman and Rock Hill, SC native Justin Worley, who will be making his first career start at the collegiate level Saturday night.

With the Vols coming off of two embarrassing losses and a freshman making his debut under center, Tennessee will need a strong gameplan to win this Saturday.

I expect to see a lot of running back Tauren Poole for Tennessee.  He has carried the ball for 462 yards on 113 carries this season and two touchdowns.  The Vols may  be relying on him to balance the attack and try to take some of the pressure off of Worley in his first career start.  Look for a lot of Poole in this one.

If the Gamecocks are able to run the ball effectively without Lattimore in the game, stop Tauren Poole and make the Tennessee offense one dimensional, and improve on third down defense to stop some of Tennessee's offensive rhythm, South Carolina should be able to win this game in Rocky Top.

Prediction:
#14 South Carolina 28  Tennessee 21

At First Glance: Tennessee

No. 14 South Carolina at Tennessee:
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn.
TV: ESPN2
Radio: 107.5 FM "The Game" (Columbia)
Line: South Carolina by 3.5

Tennessee Volunteers:
3-4 overall, 0-4 in SEC play

Last week:
Tennessee lost 37-6 to No. 2 Alabama

This season:
Tennessee started out with wins over Montana and Cincinatti, but have since fallen off the map in the SEC Eastern Division, losing four of their last five games, including a loss to No. 1 LSU.

Impact performer:
RB Tauren Poole hasn't had much action in Tennessee's pass-heavy offense. He's rushed for 462 yards this season and two touchdowns. With Tyler Bray out at QB with an injury, redshirt freshman Justin Worley is likely to start for the Vols this Saturday night and has yet to throw a pass in his young career, so look for Poole to get a lot more carries with such a young player at QB.

Previous four: tied 2-2
2010: South Carolina 38 Tennessee 24 (Columbia, SC)
2009: Tennessee 31 South Carolina 13 (Knoxville, TN)
2008: South Carolina 27 Tennessee 6 (Columbia, SC)
2007: Tennessee 27 South Carolina 24 (F/OT) (Knoxville, TN)

All-time series: Tennessee leads 22-5-2
In Columbia: Tennessee 8-4-2
In Knoxville: Tennessee 14-1

The Post & Cocky Midseason Report

The Post & Cocky recaps the first half of the 2011 season for the Gamecocks and takes a look ahead to the second half of the year. We give out team grades, take a look at the SEC East race, look at some notable games in the upcoming weeks, and name our player of the year.

 MIDSEASON REPORT

The Post & Cocky Predictions: Week 8

The Post & Cocky Predictors race is heating up. This week, we will not feature a guest predictor since the Gamecocks are on a bye week. Here are the expert picks!

Week 7 Results                               Overall
T1. Ryan (5-0)                                  1. Joseph (23-13)
T1. (Guest) Joey (5-0)                       2. Jeremy (21-15)
3. Jeremy (4-1)                                 3. Ryan (19-16)
4. Joseph (3-2)                               


                                                              Joe                     Ryan                 Jeremy
 
Rutgers at Louisville                           Rutgers                Louisville              Rutgers

Georgia Tech at Miami (FL)                 Miami                   Miami                    GT

Penn State at Northwestern                  NW                     PSU                    PSU

Utah at California                                 Utah                     Cal                      Cal

Oregon State at Washington State       WSU                   OSU                   WSU

BCS Blog: Week 7

The first official BCS Standings were released Sunday night and the top 10 shapes up like this:

1. LSU (7-0)
2. Alabama (7-0)
3. Oklahoma (6-0)
4. Oklahoma State (6-0)
5. Boise State (6-0)
6. Wisconsin (6-0)
7. Clemson (7-0)
8. Stanford (6-0)
9. Arkansas (5-1)
10. Oregon (5-1)

South Carolina finds themselves outside of the top 10, which isn't a big surprise to anyone, at No. 14.  The Gamecocks are the fifth highest one loss team and are one of five SEC teams in the top 25.  The Big-12 is tied with the SEC as the second-most-represented conference in the first release of the BCS Standings, each with five teams ranked. The Big Ten sits at No. 1 with six ranked teams.

Conference Representation:
T1. Big Ten (6 teams)
T2. Big-12 (5)
T2. SEC (5)
T4. ACC (3)
T4. Pac-12 (3)
T6. Big East (1)
T6. Conference-USA (1)
T6. Mountain West (1)

Impact Game of the Week:
(6)Wisconsin at (16)Michigan State
Will Wisconsin remain undefeated and continue their hopes for a national championship, or can the Spartans upset one of the highest scoring offenses in college football? Keep an eye on this game to be a great Big Ten slug-fest, and one of the best match-ups of the weekend.

The Post & Cocky Predictions: Week 7

Week 7 is upon us! The Post & Cocky Predictors are back again! Who will come out on top this week? This week's guest predictor is Joey Daniels!

Week 6 Results                               Overall
T1. Joseph (2-3)                               1. Joseph (20-11)
T1. Jeremy (2-3)                               2. Jeremy (17-14)
T1. Ryan (2-3)                                  3. Ryan (14-16)
T1. (Guest) Kevin (2-3)                               


                                                          Joe               Ryan             Jeremy           Joey
 
Michigan at Michigan State              MSU              MSU                Mich              MSU

Virginia Tech at Wake Forest             VT                 VT                   VT                 VT

Florida at Auburn                              Aub                Aub                 Aub               Aub

Kansas State at Texas Tech              TTU                KSU                KSU              KSU

USC at Mississippi State                   MSU               USC                USC              USC

South Carolina at Mississippi State Preview

The South Carolina Gamecocks (5-1, 3-1) will travel to Starkville, Miss. this Saturday to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-3, 0-3) for a 12:20 pm ET kickoff.

The Gamecocks are coming off of their best offensive outing of the season and their best game against a SEC opponent in school history.  South Carolina destroyed Kentucky last Saturday, 54-3, to move to 3-1 in the conference.

New starting quarterback Connor Shaw led the offense with 311 yards through the air and four touchdowns as the Gamecocks racked up 639 yards of total offense on the Wildcats.

“It was just time to call some plays and see what happened,” Spurrier said after the game. “I didn’t know if we could move it like this or not, but I knew we had to try.”

Shaw also showed an ability to scramble away from pressure when the pocket collapsed.  He carried the ball 15 times for 42 yards.

"We had a very good game plan as far as different formations, different strategies," Shaw said. "I wasn't as nervous as last time. I'd been there, done that. My offensive line came to me and told me they had my back."

One player who had to be happy to see Shaw throwing the ball around was Alshon Jeffery.  He was finally able to make a few plays on Saturday with the improved quarterback play.  He finished the game with six catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns.

"When the week started, (Spurrier) told us we were going to throw the ball a lot, we were going to air it out," said Jeffery post-game. "So that's what I expected."

Marcus Lattimore was able to reach the 100-yard mark, despite not seeming to be a main part of the initial gameplan for Coach Spurrier. He carried the ball 22 times for 102 yards.

Bruce Ellington was able to break open a big play, taking a direct snap 61 yards down the Kentucky sideline for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.  This is the kind of versatility that Spurrier and the coaching staff knew Ellington could bring to the table.

"It was a great run," Ellington said after the win. "The line did a great job blocking and when I got into the endzone Alshon met me and the crowd was screaming, it was exciting."

The defense played another great game, holding Kentucky to just 96 yards of offense and three points.  It was the second time this season that the defense held a team to just three points.

"I know what we are and I know how we practiced this week," said Ellis Johnson after the game. "I know some things we do well and some things we don't do well and it's about their attitude.  I think they stepped up today."

Mississippi State is coming off of a 21-3 road win over non-conference opponent UAB, in a game which they trailed 3-0 at halftime.

Bulldog starting quarterback Chris Relf was replaced by Tyler Russell in the second half of Saturday's game and Russell threw for three touchdowns.  Russell finished the game 11-13 for 166 yards through the air.

RB Vic Ballard, the SEC's fifth leading rusher, was able to remain effective for Mississippi State, carrying the ball 19 times for 101 yards on the ground.

If the Bulldogs are going to be successful against South Carolina, they will need Ballard to have a strong game on the ground.  Carolina's defense has moved up into the top 10 defensively in the nation, so the Mississippi State offense may find it difficult to score points against the Gamecocks this weekend.  A balanced attack is what the Bulldogs will need and Vic Ballard will be the key to that.

I see the Gamecocks playing a hard fought road game this weekend, Marcus Lattimore getting more of a workload this Saturday, Connor Shaw managing the game well, and South Carolina winning a close one.

Prediction:
#15 South Carolina 24  Mississippi State 20

---
The Gamecocks dismissed former QB Stephen Garcia from the team on Tuesday after he failed to meet requirements of his reinstatement with the program.  A mix of alcohol and marijuana was found in his system after a drug test, and the oft-suspended fifth year senior is now gone for good.  Garcia finished his career with over 7,500 passing yards, 47 touchdowns and 41 interceptions.  He was 20-14 as a starter and finishes as the third best statistical quarterback in school history.

The Post & Cocky Predictions: Week 6

We're in week 6 of the Post & Cocky Predictions! This week's guest predictor is Kevin Hoskins.

Week 5 Results                               Overall
1. Joseph (4-1)                                 1. Joseph (18-8)
T2. Jeremy (2-3)                               2. Jeremy (15-11)
T2. Ryan (2-3)                                  3. Ryan (12-13)
4. (Guest) Blair (1-4)                               


                                                      Joe               Ryan               Jeremy           Kevin
 
Arizona at Oregon St                    Zona              Zona                  Zona               Zona

Iowa at Penn State                       Iowa               PSU                  PSU               PSU

Mizzouri at Kansas St                   KSU             Mizzou              Mizzou             KSU

Georgia at Tennessee                  UGA               UGA                  UGA               Tenn

Kentucky at USC (-21)                UK (+21)        UK (+21)            UK (+21)         UK (+21)

South Carolina vs. Kentucky Preview

Click Here for the Post & Cocky Preview Show: South Carolina vs. Kentucky

The No. 18 South Carolina Gamecocks (4-1, 2-1) will host the Kentucky Wildcats (2-3, 0-2) in a SEC Eastern Division game this Saturday afternoon at Williams Brice Stadium.  Kickoff is set for 12:21 ET and the game will be televised by SEC Network.

Kentucky should have fond memories of the Gamecocks as they came from behind to defeat South Carolina last season 31-28 in Lexington, a week after the Gamecocks knocked off No. 1 Alabama.

"Kentucky is a team that beat us last year," said Head Coach Steve Spurrier. "In fact they beat us very similarly to the game we lost last week. They scored on their last play when they had it. We had a defensive play there. We sort of got in field goal range, but something happened each time and we didn't get an attempt each time."

This season, however, the Gamecocks are coming off of an unexpected loss rather than an unexpected win.

The Wildcats have struggled so far this season and they have yet to play competitively against an SEC opponent.  They've lost 48-10 at home to then-No. 15 Florida and are coming off of a 35-7 beat down at the hands of the No. 1 LSU Tigers in a game which they only totaled 155 yards of offense.  Kentucky has lost their last three games.

Kentucky features a variety of defensive looks which could pose a problem for Connor Shaw, who is making his second start of the season in place of a struggling Stephen Garcia.

"They (Kentucky) have a lot of stuff," Spurrier said of Kentucky's defense. "They blitz from everywhere - zone blitzes and man blitzes. They have a lot of defenses, which is unusual for Kentucky. These guys are all over the place. LSU had 14 at halftime but they didn't really go up and down the field against Kentucky's defense last week at all."

Kentucky's offense has struggled throughout the season, ranking 113th in both passing yards per game and points per game and also rank 96th in rushing yards per game.

If the Wildcats are going to be successful against Carolina, they must get their play makers involved early and often.  WR La'Rod King is the most dangerous weapon that Kentucky has and their offense is at its best whenever he is playing well.  With the possibility of Melvin Ingram missing this contest, Kentucky's offensive line has one less thing to worry about and may have a little more success against the Gamecock defense.

The Gamecocks are coming off of a tough 16-13 home loss to the defending national champion Auburn Tigers (4-1, 2-0), in another dismal offensive performance by Stephen Garcia and the entire offense.

Garcia finished the game with 160 yards passing and two interceptions to his one touchdown.  The two picks that he threw against Auburn brings his total to nine on the year, which is the most in the nation.  Yet another poor performance from the fifth-year senior has cost him the starting job as Spurrier announced Monday night that sophomore Connor Shaw would start this Saturday against Kentucky and try to give this offense a spark as the passing game is ranked 101st in the country in yards per game.

"We're making some changes on offense," said Spurrier at his weekly press conference. "We're going to give Connor Shaw his chance to replace Stephen. I know our offense looks pretty sorry. We're still seventh in the conference in offense like we were last year. We've moved up to sixth in defense. We're obviously not peaking as well as we'd hoped, but again we feel like Connor deserves a shot to see if he can perform at a higher level and get our offense going a little bit."

This will be Shaw's second start of the season as he was benched in week one against ECU and never returned to the field as Garcia led the Gamecocks to a 56-37 win.

South Carolina's defense played well against Auburn allowing only 16 points despite being on the field for 92 plays.  Melvin Ingram finished the game with 11 tackles, 3.5 sacks and one interception and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week.  The defense also forced four interceptions, two by C.C. Whitlock, and held Auburn's offense on several third down situations.

If the Gamecocks can get Connor Shaw comfortable with the offense this week, give Lattimore more carries, and forget the loss last week, I believe they can get right back into the win column against this struggling Kentucky team.

Prediction:

#18 South Carolina 24  Kentucky 10