More photos » by Richard Shiro - AP

10 days ago: South Carolina head coach Darrin Horn watches his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Clemson, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009, at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. Clemson defeated South carolina 72-61. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

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The Court 'Cocks just finished up a convincing 76-60 victory over a solid Richmond team. The Spiders played tough and led at the half, but we completely took over in the second half on the strength of improved shooting and toughness on the boards. Devan Downey led the way for us with 18 points, while Justin Harper led the Spiders with 15.

Here are my thoughts on the game:

• This was a solid win. Richmond is a talented, experience team that is projected to dance this year. They currently have nice wins over Mississippi State and Missouri. Dominating them like we did in the second half without two of our starters was impressive. If we can continue to play at this level, I have no doubt that we can win most of our remaining games before Dominique Archie returns, at which point we'll be ready to handle the SEC.
• We're definitely a second half team. That's not surprising, as our up-tempo style is designed to yield dividends as the opponent tires late in the game.
  
• We dominated the boards in this game, and that's part of what made the difference. We took a full 11 more FGA than Richmond, mostly due to all of our offensive boards. The big performers here were Sam Muldrow, Jhondre Jefferson, and Austin Steed. Jefferson, in particular, played quite well; his continued development is important for us as we stare down possibly being without Mike Holmes for the rest of the year.
• Ramon Galloway is really playing well. This guy is the surprise of the season so far for me. I knew he was good, but he's beginning to make me think he might be a star in the making. Along with Lakeem Jackson and Jefferson, he's got me thinking that this year's freshman class is going to be better than expected.
• Evaldas Baniulus, on the other hand, is not playing well. He's cold as ice from the field right now, and since he's always been a defensive liability, he's really not worth much to us for the time being. Hopefully he'll get it together and start shooting like he did last year.

Well, that's a wrap on this one. Next up is a road game at Wofford. The Terriers are a decent team this year, so hopefully we'll be ready for them. Go 'Cocks.

The SEC Power Poll is hosting an All-SEC poll. Here is a draft that reflects my first impressions--let me know what you think, and we may revise a bit if necessary.

Offense

QB: Ryan Mallett (Arkansas Razorbacks)

RB: Mark Ingram (Alabama Crimson Tide)

RB: Dexter McCluster (Ole Miss Rebels)

OG: Mike Johnson (Alabama Crimson Tide)

OG: Mike Pouncey (Florida Gators)

OT: Ciron Black (LSU Tigers)

OT: John Jerry (Ole Miss Rebels)

C: Maurkice Pouncey (Florida Gators)

TE: Aaron Hernandez (Florida Gators)

WR: A.J. Green (Georgia Bulldogs)

WR: Shay Hodge (Ole Miss Rebels)

Defense

DE: Cliff Matthews (South Carolina Gamecocks)

DE: Antonio Coleman (Auburn Tigers)

DT: Terrence Cody (Alabama Crimson Tide)

DT: Malcolm Sheppard (Arkansas Razorbacks)

LB: Eric Norwood (South Carolina Gamecocks)

LB: Rolando McClain (Alabama Crimson Tide)

LB: Rennie Curran (Georgia Bulldogs)

CB: Javier Arenas (Alabama Crimson Tide)

CB: Patrick Peterson (LSU Tigers)

S: Eric Berry (Tennessee Volunteers)

S: Joe Haden (Florida Gators)

Special Teams

PK: Blair Walsh (Georgia Bulldogs)

P: Drew Butler (Georgia Bulldogs)

RS: Javier Arenas (Alabama Crimson Tide)

You've got some explaining to do...

Many of these choices go without questions; nobody, for instance, will disagree with me about Mark Ingram, Rolando McClain, or Eric Berry. However, I do have a few bones to pick with conventional wisdom. Here's how I see such cases:

Ryan Mallett / Tim Tebow

As most people around here know, I'm a pretty big Tebow fan. The guy has had a great career, and although his sanctimonious, humble-but-really-not attitude can get to you sometimes, overall I don't have too many problems with him as a media phenomenon. It is what is. However, while I've been as guilty as anyone when it comes to giving Tebow confidence by inertia, I've come to believe it has to stop somewhere: Mallett was just better this year.

By the way, Ryan, if you're reading this, go to the NFL.

Dexter McCluster / Anthony Dixon

OK. I believe Anthony Dixon had a better year than McCluster at RB. However, I also believe that McCluster was one of the best and most valuable players in the SEC. I'm talking about on a par with Tebow, Ingram, you name it. So, I think we have to get him on the list somewhere. This is where I'm putting him. Unfortunately for him, McCluster was probably never used in the right way enough; this guy really was a minor Reggie-Bush-like talent.

Cliff Matthews / Carlos Dunlap

Dunlap is a jackass that showed his true colors when he signed with Florida instead of Sou...wait, when he drunkenly fell asleep at the wheel before the biggest SECCG ever. He failed his team. Despite his talent, that failure will always make him worse than Matthews in my mind.

Rennie Curran / Brandon Spikes

What can I say?  I know it's surprising to see an UGA player on the defensive first team, but I think Curran is a great player. That might have something to do with his success against USC, but whatever. If this guy had a halfway decent DC, he'd be the talk of the nation. Spikes is a great player, but he's also a cog in a machine to some degree.

Well, that's a wrap on this draft. Let me know what you think.

We still haven't heard official word that Eric Wolford is leaving, but I expect we'll get that tomorrow or Wednesday. There is a little talk this evening about Coach Spurrier trying to talk Wolford into staying and making him a counteroffer, so we can keep our fingers crossed that he might stay. However, I don't like our chances; it just seems that there's too much going against us on this one.

If Wolford does indeed leave, it'll be  time to think more about who our next line coach will be. In addition to Robbie Caldwell, who I mentioned yesterday, I'm hearing three other names that seem reasonable to me: Mississippi State's J. B. Grimes, Syracuse's Greg Adkins, and South Alabama's Mitch Rodrigue. This is all very preliminary at this point, especially considering that Wolford to YSU isn't official yet, but it's fun to wonder about, and since we don't have much else to talk about right now, let's take a closer look at these guys.

J. B. Grimes

Grimes last coached the line for Sylvester Croom's Mississippi State Bulldogs. Now, before you say "Wait a damn minute, didn't their offenses suck?", you should know that State was known for having a physical, effective line during Grimes's tenure. This line paved the way for many solid rushing seasons under Croom's watch; unfortunately, though, State tended to lack any semblance of a passing game during these years, leading to overall bad offenses. Prior to coaching for Croom, Grimes had solid tenures coaching for more successful programs at Arkansas, Virginia Tech, and Texas A & M.

The positives on Grimes are that he is a solid tutor of fundamentals and toughness. His State lines were known for playing hard and smart, and Grimes got the most out of a relatively untalented group. The negatives on Grimes are that he's a bit older than what I think we'd like. Grimes is supposedly a decent recruiter, but it's no mystery that what the recruits like about Wolford is that he's young and personable in addition to being a great, intense coach. Now, I'm sure Grimes is personable, as well, but there's something about youth that goes a long way in empathizing with high school guys. I'm not sure if Grimes still has that.

Greg Adkins

Adkins is currently the line coach at Syracuse, where his offense has had a pretty average year. However, what Adkins is known for is his tenure as Phil Fulmer's line coach at Tennessee, a position he held for six years. Adkins also coached at Georgia. Adkins helped coach many fine offenses at these schools and has placed many a great lineman in the NFL. He can be excused for the bad year at the 'Cuse.

Adkins is certainly known for being a good coach, but he's most famous for his recruiting prowess. He was a major player in Fulmer's recruiting machine at Tennessee, which means that he has the recruiting acumen to help us bring in players that can help compete and that he has pipelines to SEC prep talent.

Of course, maybe without those hostesses... (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Mitch Rodrigue

Rodrigue currently coaches the line at South Alabama, which just finished its inaugural year of football. Why woud we be going after a guy in a position like that? Well, before he went to USA, Rodrigue was a nationally recognized line coach for many years under Jeff Bower at Southern Mississippi, leaving that program when Bower was surprisingly let go last year. Rodrigue was known for loading the All-CUSA team with his linemen and for helping lead prolific offenses during these years.

Rodrigue's pluses, like Adkin's, mainly concern his recruiting prowess. He was known for bringing lots of talent to Hattiesburg during his time at USM. His minuses, though, are probably the other side of that coin. Recruiting for USM and for an SEC school are two different bags, and it would remain to be seen if Rodrigue was up to the task.

Summing Up

If Wolford goes, I would think we have a good chance at landing any of these guys. One thing all have in common is that each is a good coach that is in exile because they lost their old job along with an ousted head coach. That means that each would probably love a chance at the USC job. Each is also familiar with blocking schemes that in various ways would mesh with what Spurrier wants to do here at USC.

If I had my pick, I'd take Adkins. (Well, other than Wolford.) Adkins has had plenty of success as an SEC line coach, having coached in multiple SEC title games and major bowl games. He has a good pedigree: he has coached with offensive genius David Cutcliffe, and he learned to recruit under Philip Fulmer. Well. Maybe that last one isn't such a great thing, but anyways. Adkins looks like a good coach, so I hope we make a strong push for him or Vandy's Robbie Caldwell if Wolford doesn't pan out.

It appears that Eric Wolford will in all likelihood be named the new head coach at Youngstown State over the next couple of days. Multiple reliable outlets are reporting that this is done deal, and since it all makes sense to me, I'm going to choose to believe it. I say thanks to Coach Wolford for his time in Columbia and wish him luck. I would have loved to see him stick around and help us get to the next level, but I can't blame him for wanting a head coaching job close to home.

The two questions we now face are who our next line coach will be and how this will affect recruiting. As far as our next line coach goes, I expect you'll see us make another push for Vanderbilt's Robbie Caldwell. Caldwell--as we know--is one of the best line coaches around. He's a guy that consistently has good lines at Vanderbilt despite having to play with very few athletes that elite SEC schools would ever consider giving scholarships to. Caldwell, though, has close ties to Vandy coach Bobby Johnson. He's rebuffed us before, so we're going to have to do some convincing to get him to Columbia. I hope we make a strong push for him, but if we can't get him, I'm confident that Coach Spurrier will get us a good line coach, just like he did last year.

Recruiting, on the other hand, I'm a little worried about. Coach Wolford has been instrumental in getting verbal commitments from several high-profile prep linemen this year. Our coaching staff now faces the challenge of convincing these guys to stay with their verbals. For those that are truly committed to the program, that shouldn't be a huge problem. For others that had developed bonds with Coach Wolford, though, it might not be so easy. I'm especially worried about the highly touted Eric Mack, who has been a little equivocal about his commitment to us. You can bet opposing coaches will be in Mack's ear as quickly as possible trying to get him to back off his commitment. Hopefully our losing Wolford won't prompt Mack to reopen his recruitment. Marcus Lattimore is also now more of a question mark. My thinking before this was that Lattimore--even if he waited until National Signing Day to make it official--was 100% Gamecock. Now, though, I'm not so sure. Lattimore apparently had a good relationship with Wolford and liked his fit with Wolford's offensive philosophy. The good thing we still have going for us with Lattimore, of course, is that he's a born and bred Carolina guy and has several friends who are also planning on playing ball for us. That might not matter, though, is an elite program gets in his ear and makes a strong case.

In the end, we're going to need to make a good hire quickly, and that new coach is going to have to talk to these players and make them believe that he and Carolina are right for them. If we can do that, we can get out of this unscathed. If we drag our feet on the hire or make a poor choice, things could get ugly in what is a key recruiting year.

By now, you've surely heard that the Downtown Athletic Club awarded the Heisman trophy to Alabama tailback Mark Ingram, who narrowly beat out Stanford tailback Toby Gerhart for college football's most prestigious individual award. Well, the blogging community disagrees. As you'll remember, I participated in the blogger Heisman organized by The Blue Workhorse (TBW). TBW award goes to Gerhart instead of Ingram. In fact, Ingram finished third in TBW's tally, with Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh finishing second. Gerhart beat Suh by only one vote, making his margin even slimmer than the margin between Ingram and Gerhart for the official trophy.

Although I voted for Ingram, Suh, and Gerhart in that order from first to third (I also voted for C. J. Spiller as an honorable mention), the results of TBW's tally aren't all that surprising to me. A good bit of popular support has arisen among bloggers and other informed spectators for Gerhart and Suh over the past week. If anything, I'm surprised that Suh didn't win the blogger trophy, as he has, reasonably so, been the focal point of criticism of the Heisman regarding its bias towards skill-position players. Indeed, the more one thinks about it, the one one falls into line with this line of thinking. Suh had an absolutely unbelievable year for a defensive tackle. If ever a defensive player deserved the award, it was Suh. Unfortunately, I doubt you'll ever see a defensive tackle bring home the trophy in New York; a defensive back like Charles Woodsen that does something else like return kicks or runs the Wildcat can win it by combining stellar defensive play with some other statistical measure, but a big guy like Suh that doesn't have many opportunities to score TDs is just at too huge a disadvantage to sway a crowd of voters that believe jaw-dropping stats equal Heisman. It's really a minor miracle that Suh made it to New York this year in the first place; maybe we should take that, along with the fact that neither Tim Tebow nor Colt McCoy won the award, as evidence that the often embattled award is moving in a good, more credible direction.

A few other notables about TBW's outcomes:

• Like myself, the bloggers believed Clemson's C. J. Spiller was more deserving than Tebow or McCoy. The fact that the disappointing Tebow and McCoy got to go to New York in Spiller's stead shows that things might not have really changed all that much this year, at least in the sense that although most voters didn't vote for Tebow or McCoy to win the award, many did leave them on their ballots, seemingly out of inertia.
• Tebow finished with no first-place votes. It's really pretty shocking how far Tebow's stature has fallen over the course of this season. Basically no one outside of Gainesville, FL and Bristol, CT still believe in the power of the Almighty Tebow. He's still a great player, but the aura is gone.
  
• I'm really fairly surprised that Gerhart did so much better than Ingram in the blogger's minds. When you compare the stats and the defenses the two played against, I see little reason to believe that Gerhart had a better year. What am I missing?
• George Rogers is still the only player from a college in South Carolina to win the Heisman. Suck it, Clemson. (Unfortunately for them, Auburn fans have lost the right to make these kinds of jokes about their rival.)

Wow. Just wow. Tennessee is apparently now under investigation for even more violations.

Hamilton said in a telephone interview that the SEC was looking into the actions of a Tennessee recruiting intern, Steve Rubio, who flew to South Florida with Coach Lane Kiffin recently and visited the athletic powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale.

Under N.C.A.A. rules, Rubio, who graduated from Aquinas and volunteered there, is not allowed to recruit off the Tennessee campus. Hamilton said the concern was whether Rubio did recruiting work and contacted players while he was at the high school.

Maybe Lane should get back to work studying for that test he supposedly aced.

In all seriousness, this could get ugly for UT. They look like the very acme of lacking institutional control right now.

Rumors have been circling about USC offensive line coach Eric Wolford leaving to take the head coaching job at Youngstown State for about a week now. Those rumors are now heating up. YSU was reportedly gunning for Arizona assistant Mark Stoops, but Stoops has just taken a job as defensive coordinator at Florida State. Wolford is apparently YSU's second choice, so we can now commence sweating bullets as to whether this promising young coach will be taking off sometime this week.

I wouldn't blame Wolford too much for making this move. A head coaching job, even at Youngstown State, trumps being a position coach. Moreover, Wolford is a Youngstown native and might not mind heading back home. Finally, Youngstown is capable of good football and could be a stepping stone to bigger and better things for Wolford. On the other hand, if he sticks it out at Carolina and has more success, I suspect he might have better offers for his first head coaching gig a few years down the road. It's his choice.

Eric Norwood made Walter Camp first-team All American. The linebacking corp is all SEC guys: Norwood, Rolando McClain, and Brandon Spikes. There were another three SEC players at other defensive positions: Eric Berry, Terrence Cody, and Joe Haden. Anyone want to question the defensive integrity of the SEC now? Didn't think so. Now we can wait and see if Norwood makes the AP list.

Steve Spurrier and Randy Edsall Pre-Bowl Conference. A few interesting quotes from the coaches:

I think it's a great bowl, it's a great setting, and we're looking forward to it. We hope it can be a little colder than it is today. We kind of like that snow if they want to have some snow.

We'll pass, Coach Edsall. We don't do snow in the SEC, other than maybe at Kentucky. We do speed.

Stephen has improved a lot. He's improved tremendously from where he was last year. He's played about every snap the whole year, so he's durable, and he's improved a lot.

I suppose I hadn't thought about this until I saw it here, but we actually started the same quarterback each game this year. That's a first under Spurrier, and it's certainly a far cry from what we've seen the past three years. It's also notable how much Spurrier is gushing over Garcia. You can hear the confidence Spurrier has in his quarterback. Again, a first.

Last year, our team was decimated by early entrees to the NFL draft, losing three key players: Jared Cook, Captain Munnerlyn, and Emanuel Cook. This year, there's not much talk about the possibility of us taking a big hit due to early entrees. Should we be worried, or are we right to be confident? From where I'm standing, there are four players who could consider leaving early. In order of their status as prospects, those are Weslye Saunders, Chris Culliver, Cliff Matthews, and Clifton Geathers. Let's take a closer look.

Weslye Saunders

Saunders would almost certainly be drafted were he to declare. He is a prototypical NFL tight end: he's huge, is a good blocker, has nearly infallible hands, and is fast for his size. Most league still rely on sets that feature TEs, so Saunders wouldn't have to worry about finding a home for his skills.

The question is where he would go. He would have to compete with a number of highly touted ends, such as Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham and Arizona's Rob Gronkowski. At the very least, I think he would fall behind these two prospects and perhaps slightly further. That would probably mean third round or lower.

If Saunders stays, on the other hand, he could be a first round pick. Most projections I've seen call him the top TE prospect of the 2010 senior class. The difference, of course, between first and third round money is enough to give prospects some incentive to stay another year; a player can easily make up whatever he loses with another year in college by signing a first-round contract that will pay him a few times more than he would receive with a third-round contract.

The coaching staff believes that Saunders is the player most likely to declare. However, Saunders vows to return. Although one couldn't blame him too much for leaving, Saunders would be wise to follow his instincts and come back. Like Sidney Rice and Jared Cook before him, he'd probably be a first-day pick if he declares. However, as would have probably been the case for Sidney and Jared had they returned, if Saunders comes back and has a big year, he could go early first round.

Let's take a look at the other players after the jump.

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