Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] On this episode of Cox Talking Gamecocks, the AP preseason poll is released, and it is the conclusion of the Gamecock football schedule prediction. Okay, here we go.
[00:00:54] Okay.
[00:00:56] Welcome to episode 332 of Cox Talking Gamecocks. I am your host, Tim Cox, where I will keep every episode from 1801 to 2001, even though. Yes, yes, I understand. Last episode, I did not abide by those rules whatsoever. Blew by the 20 minutes, and didn't even give a forewarning. Sometimes I give a little heads up. So let's do that.
[00:01:23] Might go a little long this episode, too, but, hey, we're talking football, you know, not that there's ever, you know, not a bad reason to talk long about the Gamecocks, but I understand you enter into a sort of social contract when you listen to my show and I say, you're gonna get 18 minutes to 20 minutes, and all of a sudden it's 31, and you're like, well, what the hell's going on here? I'm trying to. Trying to move on with my day. So, apologies. But, hey, it happens. Might happen again. Today. We're talking football here. Gonna jump right into things here because there is a lot to cover, starting with, of course, my Gamecock calendar here and a piece of trivia for y'. All. Let's see what we got.
[00:02:08] What? Two South Carolina teammates were selected by the Colorado rockies in the 2023 MLB Draft.
[00:02:19] This is a good one because that's recent, too. Like, that's not, like, super obscure. So 23.
[00:02:27] Trying to do my math here.
[00:02:30] I'm gonna say Gavin Cassis and Hall.
[00:02:36] Oh, Jack Mahoney and Braylon Wimmer. Wow. How about that, huh?
[00:02:41] The Rockies should just call these guys up now. They need them. Rockies are awful.
[00:02:46] Wow. How about that? That's a good question. I like that one, but. All right.
[00:02:50] Changing gears away from baseball. Shout out. Mahoney and Wimmer, though.
[00:02:55] Changing gears away from baseball and diving right into football. I mean, fall sports are here. They're getting underway at Carolina and the countdown of college football. It's ridiculous.
[00:03:08] Single digits, you know, and if you count week zero, it's. It's even less. It's just incredible. You know, it's. It's a lot of fun here, and it's just.
[00:03:20] You so close, you can taste it. So, a bit of news before we jump into the season prediction schedule breakdown. The preseason AP poll was released. We talked earlier about the coaches poll. So we finally have the AP one released. And kind of funny, the Gamecocks are the Exact same ranked 13th to start the year. So it's pretty amazing. You know, like, it's one thing when we're talking about the coaches poll, but when you have that AP vote and you're gonna start the year on TV with that number next to you, it's just.
[00:04:01] It's been a long time since we've had that as Gamecock fans. And yes, those preseason rankings, they don't mean a whole lot. And a ton is going to change between that game won and the end of the year. Hopefully it's good changes for the Gamecocks, but it's all about how you play on the field. Yes, but I talked about it last time with the coaches poll. This is exactly that step one that South Carolina needs. When you look at last year and you look at what the team is trying to do this year, it's getting over that hump. So you're trying to get over that one more win, maybe, but you're trying to get yourself into the playoff. You have a roster that you think you can do it with.
[00:04:46] And when you start the year ranked even anywhere in that top 25, they give you a little bit more grace. I feel like, especially the AP folks where, you know, hey, we. We think you're going to start this way. We think you're good enough to start the year, and if you continue to win, you, it only accelerates that. And I said it before, I'm not going to, you know, beat a dead horse here, but I think whether it was consciously or subconsciously, I think not being ranked in the preseason really hurt South Carolina when it came to how the committee viewed that team.
[00:05:25] I think they put aside some of the late season amazingness. That's not even a word that we saw.
[00:05:34] And they kind of looked a little bit past the strength of the winds and the strength of schedule and all that jazz. And I think they kind of were like, well, this team came out of nowhere. Like, you know, it's a good story. We'll put them 14th to end the year wherever the hell we were. Right, but now you're starting in the top 15.
[00:05:52] Everyone knows that South Carolina had a good year last year.
[00:05:56] We're on the screens this year as seemingly a boat of confidence.
[00:06:02] And let's get to it. So, very exciting news there, and it's going to be pretty cool to see that ranking to start the year.
[00:06:10] But. All right, speaking of the year and the season coming up, here it is, part two, the conclusion of the football schedule, preview, prediction breakdown, whatever you want to call it.
[00:06:25] You know, I'm giving my two cents on every game that South Carolina plays.
[00:06:30] Looking at this thing with my naturally optimistic point of view, trying to be a little bit realistic here and seeing how we go.
[00:06:40] So setting the stage from the last episode, part one here, which if you haven't got hit pause I won't hate on it. Go listen to part one. You go through the first six games, but we are at the halfway point now. I have the Gamecock sitting at 5 and 1 with the only loss coming to LSU in Baton Rouge.
[00:07:04] So let's jump right back into things here. So game seven, the Gamecocks come back home to take on Oklahoma. Now we all remember how much fun that game was last year and I think we're all kind of looking forward to it this year because of that. And that game started the run that Carolina went on.
[00:07:30] But don't let that lull you to sleep thinking that Oklahoma is going to come here this year and just lay another egg.
[00:07:40] I expect the Sooners to be much improved, especially on defense. They were all out of whack last year as a whole. They had injuries galore.
[00:07:51] They had an offensive coordinator that they have since fired.
[00:07:56] They had a little bit of an experiment at quarterback that failed.
[00:08:01] They've righted a lot of those in the offseason. At least Venables is trying to.
[00:08:08] This game is an early one in Colombia, currently slated for a kickoff between noon and one. So this is the first early game of the year really, either home or away for this team. Carolina that is. It's either been those mid afternoon slots or the night games. So kind of interesting there.
[00:08:30] This game will also just be the second true road game for Oklahoma. They go up to Temple early in the season and then they have a neutral site game as they always do against Texas and then they come to Willie B.
[00:08:44] So no disrespect to Temple, but you could make a strong argument that this is their first real road game of the year for Oklahoma. You know, a hostile environment, packed stadium. You know, I think Temple plays where the Eagles do, but I doubt there's 70,000 people there. Right. And I think that does make a difference.
[00:09:10] And you know, all things considered, you're going to hear this as a theme.
[00:09:15] I think home field advantage is really going to be an advantage for Carolina this year in general.
[00:09:22] Beamer has gotten his teams to play well in front of the home crowd, but I think the fan support this year, which is already so high with our fan base, I think it's going to be through the roof this year. I might have already said that.
[00:09:38] So I think that every single home game is going to be rocking, especially if my predictions hold true and you have a one loss Carolina team coming back home trying to right the ship.
[00:09:53] And I think the, I think the team does that. I think the team bounces back and they get a W.
[00:09:59] Now, don't expect it to be another 35 to 9 whomping like it was last year.
[00:10:06] You know, I could see this being something like 35, 28. Right.
[00:10:11] But I think you get a couple of big defensive plays that are the difference for the Gamecocks here to move to six and one.
[00:10:21] So game eight, the Gamecocks stay home and it's homecoming weekend, funny enough, as the Gamecocks host the Alabama Crimson Tide. First time that the Tide have been to Columbia since 2019. I was actually at that game and another game that fans have circled as one where the team can, you know, let's just say, exercise some demons from last season.
[00:10:47] And if we were to indulge that for a minute, you know, I'm trying to toe the line here of not looking too much at last year, focusing on this year, but still looking back a little bit on last year. So if we indulge that exercising demons for a little bit here, there's a couple of things that at least in my mind stood out that hurt Carolina in that game last year. Turnovers, penalties in the kicking game.
[00:11:18] I think Lenores will be smarter with the ball this year. I think he's going to know what to do with it. He's more mature, he understands the offense, all that jazz. I think he knows when to get rid of it, when to take a knee, when to tuck and run, all that jazz.
[00:11:33] I think at home the team should feel more comfortable and in theory play smarter and not be too penalized.
[00:11:41] The kicking game is a discussion for another day in another episode. I haven't touched on that at all during the season. Prediction.
[00:11:49] It is something that is a big question mark and hopefully the coaches decamillis, Beamer have everything worked out, have a game plan and whether it's Mason Love or otherwise, they feel confident in that person.
[00:12:06] My point is I think Carolina will be in a good spot to be an improved team where they missed in this game last year and I think the offense is going to be a big strength of this team throughout. The Bama will have their usual talented roster and in the second year of DeBoer they'll be all more bought into this thing and very well could be a team that competes for an SEC championship spot. But I have the Gamecocks here in a big time win, righting a wrong in front of the home crowd on homecoming day. Nonetheless to move to 7 and 1.
[00:12:46] So yeah, like the thinking is here.
[00:12:49] You were right there with them last year. It's a new look team for the Tide. No more Jalen Milro. Right. It could be more a.
[00:12:57] Maybe a little bit more of a traditional looking offense. Right. Kind of know what the Boar looks for. But with that being said, they might be improved in a couple areas. I think South Carolina is going to be improved in some areas.
[00:13:12] Better quarterback play at home and who knows, you know, I mean, there's a lot going on with Alabama. There's a lot of pressure in that locker room. Who knows where things will stand in this game.
[00:13:25] So then, game nine. We are into the month of November now. Pretty crazy to think as I'm sitting here, it's about 89 degrees outside.
[00:13:33] November 1st to be exact. The Gamecocks will be back on the road, this time to Mississippi to take on Ole Miss. Miss.
[00:13:42] Now at this point we're really in that point of the year where not only things should be clicking on all cylinders for this Gamecock's team, right? Like really after that bye week, but really when you get home to Oklahoma or you know, to play Oklahoma, you're playing Alabama. And now here, like there really shouldn't be a lot of talk of we're trying to find the right combination on the line or we're trying to gel communication. Like that really should not be the case really after the first two games, but let alone eight here. But my point is you're at the point in the year where teams under Shane Beamer have tended to elevate their game.
[00:14:29] This team has usually played well in November under Beamer.
[00:14:34] Going into this game though, the Gamecocks are on the last leg of a very tough stretch in their schedule. So there's going to be bumps and bruises. Guys are not playing 100% at this point in the year.
[00:14:49] But this is where teams get remembered, right?
[00:14:52] How do you perform in the stretch at the end of the season?
[00:14:59] When you look at Ole Miss, they're having to replace a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. So I am very interested to see how their season goes, especially with them playing Georgia and Oklahoma consecutively before us.
[00:15:17] Last year in this matchup, it was really a comedy of errors, if we're being honest here.
[00:15:24] It was a comedy of errors from the Gamecocks that set the stage for that loss. And even without that, you still had a relatively inexperienced Lenores going against a very good team that played complimentary football in Ole Miss this year.
[00:15:45] The Rebs have a less experienced defense and a first year starter at quarterback.
[00:15:51] Lane Kiffin, of course, has given Carolina fits since going to Ole Miss. I think we've only played them twice, but it's just been both brutal matchups.
[00:16:01] But I think a surging South Carolina team goes to Oxford and hands the Rebels a loss to move Carolina to 8 and 1 going into their second bye week.
[00:16:14] And I mean, just think about that for a second here, okay?
[00:16:19] If this holds true, you have South Carolina sitting at 8 and 1 going into a bi week. Could you imagine the buzz and excitement around Gamecock Nation if that's the case?
[00:16:36] I can't. I mean, it would have been so long since you would have had a record like that, but it just makes it that much more sweet.
[00:16:44] And of course, there's everything else we're gonna get into in a second here.
[00:16:48] Like, the postseason is just so different. Like, I might just have to take trips to Columbia just to sit and feel that buzz, walk around campus, have lunch at Salty, just feel that energy.
[00:17:04] I mean, Carolina would not only be right towards the top of the sec, but they could be towards the top of the national polls.
[00:17:14] Like, and you'd have every Gamecock fan holding their breath for the next three weeks trying not to say anything too loud about the College Football Playoff.
[00:17:27] And, you know, side note, I also really like the timing of this bye week. Like, yes, you do break up that November a little bit, but. But it comes right after the hardest stretch of the schedule and gives the team a real chance for that one last deep breath before the final plunge of the season. Like, if you want to kill some time, look around at other schedules in college football, like, particularly in the sec. Like, there are some wacky schedules out there.
[00:18:00] Kentucky, I think, has a weird one where they. I think they play two or maybe three at the most games, and then they have a bye week. They have a bye week in September, I think.
[00:18:10] So strange. And then they have a massive stretch and then a really late bye week. Two, you have other teams where they have, you know, it's just two games after the bye week. It's just very strange. I think Ole Miss has a weird one, too. Carolina's is pretty balanced in terms of where the bi weeks go. And don't underestimate that. Like, yes, it comes to how you perform on the field and the depth you have and all that jazz. But these buys coming at a good time to whether it's self scout, heal, you know, game plan for an opponent on the road, whatever it is, they come at pretty good times for South Carolina.
[00:18:53] Which brings us to game 10 coming off the bye week where the Gamecocks head to Texas to play for whatever trophy that is. You know, we, we play for the trophy that, that's a cowboy. That's you know, of course a very well known image associated with South Carolina, but of because it's Texas A and M and they were the new shiny thing in the SEC for some reason. We play them every year. That's what we play for.
[00:19:19] Sorry, that was a unnecessary rant. We're going to Texas A and M to play the Aggies in College Station.
[00:19:27] And A M, you know, while we're on the subject here, A and M is atop my charts for weirdo fan bases. I know that's not groundbreaking and frankly I'm tired of playing them.
[00:19:39] And I don't know what the schedules look like beyond this one, but I'm tired of playing them.
[00:19:44] Hope, hoping that we do stop playing them. Makes no sense. They're a permanent rival of ours. I give so many thanks and so much credit to Beamer though for finally making this quote, end quote rivalry competitive.
[00:20:02] But every other. It feels like every time that our team has to fly that far into that weird town, I just don't like it.
[00:20:11] The good news is this game will be in the early window, so the Gamecocks dodge having to play Kyle Field at night. But even so, like this trip just stinks. And A and M returns a lot of talent on both sides of the ball and I'd expect to see more consistency on offense from them this year as well. They came up just short in their goals last year.
[00:20:36] Kind of similar vibe to South Carolina. You're going to be on a mission this year to get over that hump.
[00:20:42] Carolina is going to have great quarterback all year. You know, I think the car, I think the quarterback play from South Carolina is going to be elite and that can help you in every game that you play in.
[00:20:54] But this is a road trip that I do think will be too tough to overcome. And I think that A and M does get the better of Carolina here, moving the gamecocks to 8 and 2.
[00:21:09] Game 11, the gamecocks return home to take on in state opponent Coastal Carolina. Kind of a fun one. Coastal, of course, here taking on the spot of the sacrificial lamb ahead of the Clemson game. But, you know, you still have to take them seriously. Like I kid, but you know, you do. You know, there's certainly teams that we've had in this spot here that are way worse than Coastal. And the Sunbelt teams have been known to hang with power conference teams. Just look at Old Dominion last year. So got to take it seriously. Of course, with that said, I think this is a game that Carolina pulls away and end things very comfortably. And hopefully it's a deal where you can play the backups and reserves for at least the whole fourth quarter, if not more. And, you know, everyone has a nice day. That's kind of what I'm hoping for out of this game. Everyone has a nice day, we all have fun, and then we go home.
[00:22:07] Which brings us to the regular season finale, Game 12, the Palmetto bowl, the Carolina, Clemson game, whatever you want to call it.
[00:22:21] After last year's game, I know that both fan bases are dying to have this game again, Right. Like, there's already so much talking back and forth. You got one fan base that's looking to avenge it, another fan base that's looking to prove it wasn't a fluke.
[00:22:41] All that, and with the extended playoffs and South Carolina on an upward trajectory under Beamer, this game seemingly is going to be very important for both programs for the foreseeable future, no matter how you slice it. Right.
[00:23:01] I say that because it seems like one or both of these teams are going to be in a position to have a playoff berth almost every single year. Right. If we're talking the top 12 or if they expand it to 16, and then if you have one that feels very comfortable in their position and one that's maybe on the edge, it adds all that much drama. And if there's one that's trying to play spoiler, it's all that. So this matchup, we talked last year about it being maybe the biggest one in the history of the rivalry.
[00:23:34] This one, this year, if Carolina lives up to some of these predictions, it might even be bigger than the year before that. And then what if it gets even bigger? So the point is, it's going to be a fantastic matchup for years to come.
[00:23:47] Last season, I predicted South Carolina going to Clemson and playing spoiler, getting the win and spoiling their playoff chances, it ended up not working exactly like that.
[00:24:00] But this year, that narrative is not the case for the Gamecocks, as I think Carolina goes into this game as one of the top teams in the country and looking to establish their own streak against Clemson.
[00:24:17] So I kind of have it where Carolina is going to be going into this game from a position of strength. Last year, that ended up being the case. Carolina was rolling, had a fantastic team.
[00:24:31] But going into the season, I was like, oh, I think we might play spoiler.
[00:24:36] I'm saying this year, Carolina is already going to be in that position of strength.
[00:24:42] I love that this game is at home. I don't love that it's at noon.
[00:24:47] But hey, Beamer has tended to do well against Clemson in that noon slot and it's just insane, y'. All, like the Clemson glazing has already started from the media. Like, if you listen to them, you would have thought that Clemson went to the championship last year and didn't luck into the ACC championship game and have a first round playoff exit. But hey, what do I know, right? I just watched the games.
[00:25:18] The Tigers do return a good amount of talent. They have a quarterback that they like a lot as well.
[00:25:25] I do wonder if they have the depth that maybe they're used to over there. They have a new defensive coordinator. I know we're talking the last game in the year here, but does that system catch on? You know, is there a learning curve?
[00:25:39] Doesn't have the players that fit his system. You never know.
[00:25:43] This game also comes at the end of a long stretch for Clemson where it will be their fifth game in a row.
[00:25:50] So remember, South Carolina had that bye week right before the A and M game.
[00:25:55] So that's only the third game in a row for Carolina. Going to be the more rested team going into it in theory.
[00:26:02] But I have this game as another battle. I really do.
[00:26:07] And this game, to me, also figures to be another Lenora Sellers legacy game. We're all going to remember 3rd and 16.
[00:26:16] But if these predictions hold true, then Lenores has the chance to do something that has never been done at South Carolina and even outside of that, right? If we put aside potential postseason talks for a minute here, if he leads the team to consecutive wins against Clemson for the first time in a decade, in over a decade, he will have solidified himself as one of the best to do it in the garnet in black.
[00:26:47] This also could be a game, you know, for a guy like Dylan Stewart. Haven't talked about him by name really in these predictions because we're talking big picture. But this is an opportunity for him to have some signature moments, right? Like we all remember Clowney throwing Taj Boyd like a rag doll and never losing to Clemson in his time at South Carolina.
[00:27:11] So why can't Stewie cap off his sophomore season with a couple of massive moments himself.
[00:27:20] The point being like this game sets up to have massive implications no matter what happens leading up to it.
[00:27:30] Not only is Carolina looking to beat Clemson in back to back years, but one or both of these teams will be eyeing the playoff and this game could very much decide that this is the home Palmetto bowl that Carolina fans have been waiting for.
[00:27:50] This could have the feel of those peak Spurrier years, but maybe even a little bit more if there's playoff chances on the line.
[00:28:03] I think this game is razor thin just like last year's.
[00:28:09] I think Lenores cements his legacy and I think the home crowd makes a difference and I can even see a little trickery come into play here as as Carolina gets the win, moving to 10 and 2 on the year and concluding the regular season.
[00:28:26] So there you have it.
[00:28:28] My season prediction for this year's Gamecock football team sitting at 10 and 2 and who knows what the possibilities are.
[00:28:38] Do we see the Gamecocks in Atlanta?
[00:28:41] Does Willie B. Host a playoff game? Or do Gamecocks the find themselves above the Mason Dixon line this winter?
[00:28:50] It's all incredibly intoxicating and exciting to think about and if things come together, this could be a really special year. There's a few ifs that have to come true.
[00:29:06] There's a couple of key games that you can't slip up at.
[00:29:11] You know, we think about early season games going to Mizzou Week one, neutral site. Got to get off to a good start here, right?
[00:29:21] But if these things come together and you get a couple of players who have great development and can step up in these big moments and fill some of the shoes that have been left from guys who moved on to the NFL or whatnot.
[00:29:37] This really does have a chance to be a special season. And I said it already here almost as just a quick line. But Lenores like this doesn't happen often. There's a lot of pressure on him. It's just incredible what these guys do. As 19, 20 years old.
[00:30:00] If he can continue in his maturation and his development and honing some of these skills and taking that next step, the sky feels like it's the limit for South Carolina. A good quarterback can carry you in a lot of ways in college football, and if you get a couple of weapons around him to develop again, it could be a very special year.
[00:30:23] I'm already so excited and nervous for week one, for the season to start. It's just so fun.
[00:30:30] Next episode I'll do my final off season thoughts about the team, talk about things. I'm excited for maybe a couple question marks, things like that. So we'll get into more of this, but season prediction concluded. Oh, here's, here's the hats off. Here's cheers thoughts, prayers, anything that that holds true because, boy, would that be special.
[00:30:51] But with that, y', all, that wraps up this episode. Please follow me on social media, Twitter or X is Cox Gamecocks. Instagram is just the name of the show. Cox Talking Game Cox. And please, like subscribe and review the podcast. I appreciate all y'. All Go Cocks.
