There are many reasons we love college football. Perhaps the most applicable to this season, particularly within the SEC, is the fact that a few out-of-the-ordinary plays can result in a win for an unsuspecting underdog while putting other teams’ championship aspirations on the rocks.

Perhaps the most notable example was Ole Miss’ victory in Tuscaloosa over a turnover-prone Alabama team who has since cleaned that up and is now No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings, with countless other near-examples throughout the conference.

The Florida Gators have exceeded the pre-season expectations bestowed upon them more so than any other team in the SEC. They beat the mighty Ole Miss team who downed the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide. Florida controlled the entire game from start to finish and showcased the stable of five-star recruits they have been stockpiling for years.

However, that same Florida team was almost taken down by a Kentucky team who at the time was riding a giant wave of confidence but has since proven to be just a step above the Kentucky teams of old. The Gators were also only able to muster a measly nine points against none other than Vanderbilt while turning the ball over four times.

What we have learned is that Florida’s defense is terrific, one of the conference’s best, but its offense still has a ways to go. South Carolina has surprisingly rebounded from head coach Steve Spurrier’s surprise departure with a few gutsy performances, including a win over aforementioned Vandy, a one-score road loss to Texas A&M and a close loss this past Saturday on the road in Knoxville to a much deeper Tennessee team.

Shawn Elliott has the Gamecocks playing hard for their program with a level of passion that far exceeds that of their talent. If South Carolina continues to play with frenetic energy, they have the ability to get the loyal home crowd of Williams-Brice Stadium whipped into a frenzy with a few big plays from their defense early on.

Should Treon Harris become flustered by the Columbia fans, he is more than capable of relying too heavily on his legs rather than maintaining the focus and patience necessary to progress through all of his reads. Creating a few turnovers against a quarterback in Treon Harris who finally showed last Saturday against Vandy that he can make bad decisions when things get hectic could result in an insurmountable cascade of Gamecocks momentum.

Breaking fast out of the gate should benefit South Carolina in the game’s early stages, but after rattling the Gator’s cage and hopefully capitalizing on a few missteps, the Gamecocks must keep the ball in front of them defensively.

The age-old dilemma in college football is how to play cautiously without playing tense. If there is one team that has demonstrated the characteristics to do so, it is this year’s post-Spurrier USC squad.

Should the Gamecocks find themselves in a situation where they possess a lead at some point near halftime, look for them to drop their safeties just a smidge and start reading Harris’ eyes.