The 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl was quite a strange game. Florida State pulled out a 26-17 win, yet I can't decide if the final score should have been closer or farther apart. It was a defensive battle throughout that saw multiple star players go down with injuries. Freshman running back Marcus Lattimore left the game with a concussion under three minutes into the contest and Christian Ponder was not far behind. The Gamecocks were kept in the game by a strong defense, but their offense couldn't do enough to let them leave the field with a win. There was, however, much to be learned from the game. Read on to find out what. Begin Slideshow

The last bowl game of the calendar year kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 31 in Atlanta when Florida State (9-4) and South Carolina (9-4) meet in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.
The two teams have no recent history playing each other (the last time they met was in 1991) but there is somewhat of a rivalry story here. When South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier was at Florida, his bitter rivalry with Florida State may have been the best in the country.
Random bit of trivia: because both teams lost their conference championship games, this is the only game of the year in which both teams have already played 13 games. Both of these teams were beaten badly in their last game, so there is a chance that they won’t be as motivated for this game as they could be.
Florida State has many issues, but one of the biggest is at quarterback. Christian Ponder is an elite quarterback when he’s healthy, but he missed the game against the Hokies with elbow issues. He’s better now and is expected to play. He’s also going to be hungry to prove to NFL scouts that he’s worth a high pick in the NFL draft and a fat contract.
No matter who is under center, the key to success is getting the running game working again; they averaged more than 175 yards a game on the season, but managed just 53 against Virginia Tech. It won’t be easy for them; South Carolina’s defense was the best in the SEC against the run, and the most capable of roughing up opposing quarterbacks.
Stephen Garcia of South Carolina is a nice player as well, but South Carolina’s offensive story definitely centers around super-frosh running back Marcus Lattimore. He was second in the SEC in rushing behind only Cam Newton, and was the spark when South Carolina succeeded. Florida State has a vulnerable run defense, so if Lattimore has a good day then South Carolina could be in good shape.
South Carolina’s offensive success will depend upon which Florida State defense shows up—the one that allowed just 36 points combined in the last three regular season games, or the one that looked totally hopeless as it was torched by Virginia Tech.
 
Chick-Fil-A Bowl Odds: Florida State vs. South Carolina
South Carolina is favored by three points here, according to college football bowl point spreads. Betting action is heavily tilted towards South Carolina—more than three quarters of bets placed have been on them—so it could move higher. The total opened at 54, and now seems stable at 54.5.
 
Florida State vs. South Carolina Betting Trends
The over is 16-5 in Florida State’s last 21 games as an underdog, and 8-2 in their last 10 neutral site games. South Carolina has gone over in eight of their last 11 overall.
Florida State is 8-1-1 ATS in their last 10 neutral site games, and 5-0-1 ATS in their last six bowl games. They are just 2-5 ATS in their last seven overall, and 1-3-1 ATS in their last five against the SC.
South Carolina is 6-1 ATS in their last seven non-conference games, and 5-1 ATS in their last six against the ACC. They are 3-1 ATS in their last four games.
 
Chick-Fil-A Bowl Predictions and Betting Picks
I have to go with Florida State here, and it all comes down to the coaches. Steve Spurrier has not been particularly impressive in bowl games while at South Carolina. Last year, his team got outclassed by UConn, and didn’t look like they were prepared, or that they even cared.
Jimbo Fisher is leading his team into his first bowl game, and he is building some solid momentum for the program. He’s going to be hungry to make a strong first impression, and he has the talent to make it happen.
His team will be better prepared and hungrier. That’s what I like to look for in underdogs, so I’ll wait until kickoff and take the best price I can on the Seminoles.Read more South Carolina Football news on BleacherReport.com

Florida State and South Carolina have one major theme in common: They both failed to win their conference championship game, although South Carolina was blown out where as Florida State gave a pretty good fighting effort without their leader Christian Ponder.
Now the two are set to face off in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl this Friday night. South Carolina brings along with them a powerful rushing attack led by true freshman Marcus Lattimore to go along with an experienced quarterback in Stephan Garcia and a monster at wide receiver in Alshon Jeffrey. Jeffrey set new team records this year with receptions (79) and yards (1,387).
The offense for the Gamecocks can be inconsistent at times and all fingers point back to Garcia. Steve Spurrier has not found a real quarterback for his system, but thus far Garcia has given him the best option. The offense can rely on a stout defense that allowed only 107 yards on the ground, which led the SEC in that category.
Florida State, on the other hand, had a great bounce back season from their 7-6 season a year ago. The finished the year with a 9-4 record, but finished with a loss in the ACC Championship game. They were without their quarterback Christian Ponder. In his place was the highly touted back-up EJ Manuel. Manuel played extensive time a year ago when Ponder went down with a shoulder injury, he may have to step up to the plate again against South Carolina.
In the backfield for FSU are three experienced tailbacks. Jermain Thomas, Chris Thompson and Ty Jones all helped FSU average 167.8 yards rushing this season. They will have to come up big against the great rush defense that South Carolina has.
Florida State's defense also provided a lot of surprises this year. They led the nation in sacks with 46 and allowed opponents to just 19 points. They will need to come up big against South Carolina's rushing attack, but cornerback Greg Reid will have the task of covering Jeffrey which is a mismatch given that Reid is 5'8 and Jeffrey is 6'4.
The Gamecocks return to the Georgia Dome where they were last seen being dismantled by Auburn. They will get a chance to win in the Dome against Florida State. They match-up gives Spurrier another chance to defeat his nemesis, only this time he will be going against Jimbo Fisher and not Bobby Bowden.Read more South Carolina Football news on BleacherReport.com

Florida State and South Carolina have one major theme in common: They both failed to win their conference championship game, although South Carolina was blown out where as Florida State gave a pretty good fighting effort without their leader Christian Ponder.
Now the two are set to face off in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl this Friday night. South Carolina brings along with them a powerful rushing attack led by true freshman Marcus Lattimore to go along with an experienced quarterback in Stephan Garcia and a monster at wide receiver in Alshon Jeffrey. Jeffrey set new team records this year with receptions (79) and yards (1,387).
The offense for the Gamecocks can be inconsistent at times and all fingers point back to Garcia. Steve Spurrier has not found a real quarterback for his system, but thus far Garcia has given him the best option. The offense can rely on a stout defense that allowed only 107 yards on the ground, which led the SEC in that category.
Florida State, on the other hand, had a great bounce back season from their 7-6 season a year ago. The finished the year with a 9-4 record, but finished with a loss in the ACC Championship game. They were without their quarterback Christian Ponder. In his place was the highly touted back-up EJ Manuel. Manuel played extensive time a year ago when Ponder went down with a shoulder injury, he may have to step up to the plate again against South Carolina.
In the backfield for FSU are three experienced tailbacks. Jermain Thomas, Chris Thompson and Ty Jones all helped FSU average 167.8 yards rushing this season. They will have to come up big against the great rush defense that South Carolina has.
Florida State's defense also provided a lot of surprises this year. They led the nation in sacks with 46 and allowed opponents to just 19 points. They will need to come up big against South Carolina's rushing attack, but cornerback Greg Reid will have the task of covering Jeffrey which is a mismatch given that Reid is 5'8 and Jeffrey is 6'4.
The Gamecocks return to the Georgia Dome where they were last seen being dismantled by Auburn. They will get a chance to win in the Dome against Florida State. They match-up gives Spurrier another chance to defeat his nemesis, only this time he will be going against Jimbo Fisher and not Bobby Bowden.Read more South Carolina Football news on BleacherReport.com

Conference expansion is coming for the third time since the 1990's, and insiders and fans expect it to be the biggest move in history for the Bowl Championship Subdivision of College Football.
Nobody knows when it is coming, but Big 10 Bosses have hired a financial firm that will help determine the deciding factors that could choose the best fit universities to expand the Big 10 to twelve teams or beyond.
If enough dominoes fall, then AD Eric Hyman must choose the fate of the city favorite college of Columbia, South Carolina. What will he decide? To make up my mind, let’s look at some history.
As early as 1922, the Gamecocks joined the Southern Conference , which formed from the roots of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association . A meeting was held on February 25, 1921 in Atlanta, Georgia. 14 member schools split from the SIAA in 1921, while USC joined the conference in 1922.
23 member schools made up the conference from 1922-1953. 13 members split from the SOCON in 1933, forming the SEC. In 1953, South Carolina Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Wake Forest formed the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Gamecocks would not accomplish much in the ACC from a football standpoint, only winning two ACC Championships. The 1969 Carolina squad went 7-4 and was undefeated in conference play. The 1971 ACC title was taken away due to an ineligible player. The Gamecocks almost were invited to the Orange Bowl in 1956, but the bid did not come. Overall, the Gamecocks were mediocre at best.
In basketball, South Carolina was another story. Coach Frank McGuire led the Gamecock Ballers to an undefeated 1970 ACC season, along with an ACC Tournament Championship in 71'. Carolina qualified for three straight Sweet 16 appearances from 71-73.'
Hostility of road crowds on "Tobacco Road" in North Carolina and unfair economic treatment prompted South Carolina to become an Independent after 1971.
While operating as an independent in earlier years, the Gamecocks would see Jim Carlen and Joe Morrison reach new heights.
The Gamecocks reached six bowl games and saw six teams with eight wins or more. South Carolina finished 1984 10-2 and ranked 11th in the nation. Joe's teams were called "Fire Ants and Black Magic" due to the swarming defense wearing black jerseys
Coach Morrison died in 1989 and so did the Gamecocks.
After many tough seasons as an independent, the Gamecocks joined the SEC in 1991. Although it is a challenging conference, South Carolina has fielded a consistent football program under Brad Scott, Lou Holtz, and Steve Spurrier.
 
 
ACC-Pros
·         The South Carolina Gamecocks are from the roots of the ACC, with natural rivals such as arch-rival Clemson and former nemesis North Carolina.
·          The Gamecocks would have a better shot at playing in the conference championship game in a weaker conference.
·          The ACC Championship Game is in Charlotte, which is in close proximity to Columbia.
ACC-Cons
·         Basketball would be a tough shot in the ACC. Making the NCAA Tournament would be harder with teams such as North Carolina and Duke crowding the standings.
·         The Gamecocks could gradually become worse- they did not do much in the ACC in those days.
·         Football is not as seriously taken in the ACC. South Carolina would be looked down upon by former SEC rivals.
·         South Carolina could lose money and recruits by re-joining the ACC to fellow SEC rivals.
·         It is a step down- Clemson dreams of joining the SEC one day.
SEC-Pros
·         South Carolina is pulling in millions of dollars in the SEC.
·         It's South Carolina's identity- The Gamecocks have been playing in the SEC for 18 years
·         The Gamecocks' natural rivals are Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee- not North Carolina or Duke
·         South Carolina runs circles around Clemson in revenue- by millions
·         Steve Spurrier is an SEC man. He wants an SEC Championship with the Gamecocks before he retires.
·         The recruits came to be winners in the SEC
·         Better bowl games
·         More fanfare in the SEC
·         Tougher schedules bring more BCS Bids
SEC-Cons
·         It would be interesting to play in the same conference as Clemson, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Miami, or North Carolina-all good football teams
 
Prediction: The Gamecocks will stay in the SEC
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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