In the second week of the 2018 season, two of the expected top teams in the SEC East will face off when South Carolina welcomes Georgia to Williams-Brice Stadium for the conference opener for both programs.

The Bulldogs, who won the SEC championship last season, will likely be the favorite heading into the matchup. However, the Gamecocks are a program on the rise after winning nine games last year. USA TODAY Sports handicapper Danny Sheridan suggests the line could be as high as 14 in favor of the Dawgs.

Either way, the game has the potential to be a good one, and that’s what South Carolina coach Will Muschamp is expecting.

“It will be hot. I can assure you of that,” Muschamp said at SEC Media Days in Atlanta on Thursday. “Again, we need to have a great training camp to focus in on that, to focus on winning every day, to improve. And you either get better or worse, and that’s really our focus right now. Certainly, we know that game is looming. But the winner or loser of that game is not going to determine the East. There’s a lot of football to be played after that game, regardless of the circumstances and the outcome of the game.”

While Muschamp is likely right about the game not deciding the division race, it would certainly be a huge boost if the Gamecocks could knock off the reigning conference champions, who also made the College Football Playoff and played for the national championship last season.

“I’ve got tremendous respect for [Georgia coach] Kirby [Smart] and his staff,” Muschamp said. “They had a complete football team last year. Offensively, defensively and special teams, they were tough in all three areas, they were well coached and they had good players, and they’ve continued to recruit at a high level.”

Georgia leads the all-time series against South Carolina, 50-18-2. The Bulldogs have won the previous three matchups. The Gamecocks last earned a victory in 2014.