The feeling around Columbia, South Carolina, and really the feeling of all Gamecock fans, is that the media is out to get USC. While it's true that the media has tended to overlook the Gamecocks in the past, or downplay the somewhat spotty success of Coach Steve Spurrier's football team, this summer has been a different story. Riding high off of the school's first ever appearance in the SEC Championship Game last season and an excellent recruiting year, grabbing the nations number one high school athlete, the national and state media has taken notice. Finally, some Gamecock fans would say.
The LA Times website (of all sources) posted an article titled Get Cocky on Thursday (after originally being written by the Philadelphia media) that basically suggests South Carolina has the ingredients of a National Champion. The article doesn't claim or predict that the Gamecocks will be National Champions, but it does put forth a pretty good argument as to why they should be considered a decent threat to chase the crystal football come January. The article raves about the offensive powers that are RB Marcus Lattimore and WR Alshon Jeffery, while calling 5-star DE recruit Jadeveon Clowney a "6-6 cyborg whose high school highlight reel is so spectacular that it must have been altered by the special effects team from Transformers."
As far as Preseason Award Watch Lists go, Carolina isn't doing to shabby there either.
Offense
QB Stephen Garcia, Jeffery, and Lattimore are all three on the watch list for the Maxwell Award which goes to the nation's most outstanding college football player each season. Lattimore is also on the watch list for the Doak Walker Award which is given to the nation's top running back each season. Additionally, Lattimore was recently selected by the fans on an ESPN.com poll as the SEC running back of choice in a last second goal line stand. He finished just ahead of Alabama's Trent Richardson and Arkansas Knile Davis (two backs also on the Doak Walker Award watch list). In addition to the Maxwell Award, Jeffery has been named to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award which goes to the nation's top receiver each season. OL T.J. Johnson and Rokevious Watkins are on the Outland Trophy list which is awarded to the nation's top interior lineman.
Defense
DE Devin Taylor has been named to the watch list for the Lombardi Award, given to the nation's top lineman of the year. Taylor also has his name on the Bednarik Award and Bronco Nagurski Award lists, given to the nation's top defenders each season. CB Stephon Gilmore is also on the Bednarik Award and Bronco Nagurski Award lists.
Even the video game world seems to like Carolina's chances. College Football blogger for cbssports.com, Tom Fornelli, simulated an entire college football season on NCAA '12 and the game seemed to like the Gamecocks. USC went 11-1 (7-1) and won the National Title over Boise State 24-22. Garcia won MVP. Now how would that be for a storybook ending to Garcia's five years at South Carolina?
It's all hype, and it's only the media, but when was the last time the University of South Carolina's football team got this much love from the media? Answer: never. You don't get hype unless you have talent and a shot at success. So maybe, just maybe, they realize what Columbia, South Carolina realizes: we have a damn good football team.
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