Bill Connelly: ‘Demise of Gamecocks was overstated’
50 Opinions, Day 26. Between now and the season-opener against North Carolina on Sept. 3, we will ask 50 people: “What do you think about the Gamecocks in 2015?” We’re counting down the days until kickoff. Today’s panelist is Bill Connelly, SBNation, Football Outsiders and Football Study Hall contributor:
“I think we might be overstating the Gamecocks' demise a little bit. It was disappointing, but South Carolina didn't go 3-9. (In fact, they were 18 points from 11-2.) Recruiting has maybe taken a hit or two because of Spurrier's retirement talk, but he's still signing top-20 classes. This should still be a top-40 team, and it could be even better if two or three freshmen or a redshirt freshmen are ready to play at an SEC level (and if one or two of the JUCO defensive ends he signed in February thrives). It might be a bit much to ask the Gamecocks to scale back up to the top 10 anytime soon, but they'll do all right.”
This story was originally published August 7, 2015 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Bill Connelly: ‘Demise of Gamecocks was overstated’."