USC Gives Clemson Company at “Depression Central”

It’s the 5th day of September and the long faces stretch from the Upstate to the Midlands, from the Pee Dee to the Lowcountry (and don’t forget the CSRA) in South Carolina. It’s Gamecock fans joining their “good friends” from Clemson at Depression Central.

Was football season supposed to be like this?

Clemson pummeled by Alabama in their opening game. USC losing to Vanderbilt for the second year in a row with Steve Spurrier as the head coach.

Tommy Bowden says he’s called other head coaches (including the Crimson Tide’s Nick Saban) on how he can get his Tigers turned around.

And in Nashville we get this quote from ESPN.com: “We were ready to play. We just got our tails kicked,“ said Spurrier. “I’m sure those Vanderbilt players are wondering what kind of excuse the South Carolina guys have now. We don’t have any excuses. They just beat us.“

Aren’t these head coaches making around four million dollars combined this season?

Again as I said to Clemson fans on Monday, I’ll advise to USC fans: don’t panic.

(Why do I suddenly feel like Kevin Bacon addressing the running masses - “stay calm, all is well” - in the final scene of Animal House?)

South Carolina can wipe out this stain very quickly. Georgia comes into Columbia on September 13 and CBS-TV cameras will be there. If you believe the Gamecocks have zero chance against the Dawgs, I list the following results from the series in recent seasons:

2007: Won 16-12
2006: Lost 18-0
2005: Lost 17-15
2004: Lost 20-16

So unlike Clemson, USC can climb back on the horse and put this game in the rearview mirror.

The Tigers must wait until a trip to Wake Forest in October to score a big victory after what should be four consecutive wins in Death Valley.

And look, it’s not all that bad for Tiger and Gamecock fans: has anyone actually asked the words “when does basketball season start?“