South Carolina Gamecocks 2010 Season Preview/Prediction
The College Football season may be 6-7 weeks away but our man Kyle Hunter has been deep in study and will provide his take and 2010 College Football Predictions on as many NCAA teams as he can before the 2010/11 season kicks off.
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2010 NCAA Football Predictions – Teams | Analysis | Previews Online
SEC 2010-2011 Football Previews: South Carolina Gamecocks
Coach: Steve Spurrier
2009 Record: 7-6
South Carolina Gambling Odds from Sportsbook.com to win BCS: +10000
The 2009 South Carolina Gamecocks were a pretty competitive team even against the big boys in the SEC, but they just didn’t have everything put together on offense. In fairness to the 2009 team, they had one of the toughest schedules in the entire country. In 2010, the Gamecocks will be expected to improve on last season’s record.
The majority of their talent will return and the team should be pretty solid on both sides of the football.
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The offense did struggle last year, but with 9 returning starters one would expect them to get their act together this season. Steve Spurrier’s reputation as an offensive guru has definitely taken a bit of a hit in South Carolina, but he definitely still knows how to run an offense.
The key will be the quarterback play for the Gamecocks. 
Team Strengths:
The defensive secondary, specifically the corners, are tremendous. Stephon Gilmore is arguably one of the best corners in the entire country and Akeem Auguste is an impressive ball-hawking corner himself. The senior free safety, Chris Culliver, will provide some solid experience and leadership in the secondary.
The Gamecocks are loaded at the receiver spot, with Alshon Jeffrey and Tori Gurley leading the way. The Gamecocks have the depth to go four wide often, with Jason Barnes and Stephen Flint also fitting in nicely on the outside. The tight end, Weslye Sanders, is also a terrific pass receiver that needs to be utilized.
South Carolina appears set at the running back position with some impressive depth. Kenny Miles, Jarvis Giles, and Brian Maddox all return from last year’s team. Marcus Lattimore, an extremely highly touted recruit, will also get plenty of playing time as a freshman.
Team Weaknesses:
By far the biggest glaring weakness for the South Carolina Gamecocks is their offensive line. They were last in the SEC in sacks allowed last season with 37, and they also were last in the SEC in rushing yards per game, despite having a solid stable of backs. Other than center T.J. Johnson, this team has some major question marks on the offensive line.
The linebackers are a bit of a question mark for this season because of the loss of Eric Norwood. There is still quite a bit of talent there, but losing a guy as solid as Norwood is bound to hurt the production of this unit.
The quarterback spot is a huge question as it has been for the last few years. Stephen Garcia often shows glimpses of brilliance, but he is wildly inconsistent. It is possible that freshman Connor Shaw could get some action if Garcia does poorly, but he needs time in the system.
2010-2011 South Carolina Football Prediction: 8-5
This South Carolina team is a difficult one to project, because they have a ton of talent, but they do have some glaring weaknesses. If they get decent play from the offensive line and the quarterback, they could easily win the SEC East. I think the offense will be a little better this year and the ground game will get going, but I still have my doubts about the efficiency of this passing game.
The Gamecocks will likely upset some big name squads, but also lose some that they shouldn’t.
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