The South Carolina Gamecocks escaped Nashville with a sloppy win over Vanderbilt, but the No. 13 Gamecocks still have a great chance to return to Atlanta for the SEC Championship. South Carolina has improved since an embarrassing Week 1 loss to Texas A&M, and the rest of the SEC East has dropped early games. While Georgia was the early favorite to win the East, South Carolina is in great position with the tiebreaker over the Dawgs.
Georgia has the most talented player in the country, and the Dawgs have a chance to get on the right track against the Tennessee Volunteers in Week 5. The Gamecocks may have beaten Todd Gurley and company in Columbia, but the rest of the East is weaker. Georgia has a great chance to win out against the rest of the SEC East. Having Gurley, the nation’s best running back, and a much-improved defense gives the Bulldogs a chance in every game.
Georgia’s two West opponents may be the downfall for Mark Richt’s team this year though. A trip to Arkansas in October will be much tougher than anticipated. The Razorbacks, coming off a rough two year patch, decimated Texas Tech in Week 4 with 438 rushing yards. Arkansas won’t be a pushover this season, and Georgia will have to watch out. The other tough SEC game will be when Auburn comes to Athens. The reigning SEC champion will be a formidable foe once again with quarterback Nick Marshall even more comfortable in the passing game.
It’s very realistic that Georgia will drop one of those two games. If the Bulldogs DO lose either or both of those games, South Carolina will have a much better chance to make it to Atlanta. The Gamecocks own the head-to-head tiebreaker over their rivals, and that could prove to be the difference.
Florida was thought to be a much better team in 2014, and then Kentucky and Alabama happened. The Gators survived the Wildcats with a triple overtime victory and were completely embarrassed by the Crimson Tide. Jeff Driskel is NOT a good quarterback. Will Muschamp is NOT a good head coach, and the Florida Gators will continue to be mediocre.
Missouri, the reigning SEC East champion, just dropped an embarrassing loss at home to Indiana. Yes, a Big Ten team actually beat someone in 2014. The Tigers have lost a lot of talent on both sides of the ball and are just not as good as they were last year. A November trip to Texas A&M seems like a sure loss. Georgia and Arkansas will be stiff tests for the Tigers.
South Carolina plays Mizzou in Columbia with College GameDay visiting the Horseshoe. The Gamecocks should handle the Tigers, but quarterback Maty Mauk may cause trouble. Mauk is very elusive and can easily make plays by escaping the pocket, and Carolina has had trouble dealing with that this year. If South Carolina can beat Missouri, the road to Atlanta looks much clearer.
South Carolina is not guaranteed to make the SEC Championship in Atlanta, but their job is straight forward. Win every remaining game, and the Gamecocks are in. Win out against the East, and it’s likely that someone will slip along the way. South Carolina is still very alive in the hunt, and the road continues Saturday against Missouri.
This article South Carolina Gamecocks: The road to Atlanta appeared first on isportsweb by Chris Edel