Overzealous Predictions

This week the biggest game of the NCAA football season will be on television. Live from Columbia, on FOX, the Florida Gators mount an assault on the South Carolina Gamecocks. Now that people know the "USC" in California is just an imposter, they are taking notice of this new SEC East powerhouse, which in its first year of rebirth, already has a chance to tie for 1st in the SEC East. This remarkable turn of events was caused by ONE man:

STEVE SPURRIER.

But don't take my word for it. In fact, please read this excerpt on the subject from one of the state's premiere columnists:

But all of us also know that it's really never been about how good Urban Meyer can be. It's always been about whether or not he can be better than the guy who will always define this program -- Stephen Orr Spurrier.

That is why this Saturday's road game against South Carolina isn't just a big test.

It's Urban Meyer's first-semester final exam.

Even if he turns your stomach, you still can't turn him off. He titillates and fascinates, cajoling and compelling our attention. What Spurrier's done at South Carolina has been this season's most intriguing story in the SEC, perhaps even in all of college football.

Spurrier has the South Carolina Gamecocks at 6-3, which is only one game behind Urban Meyer's 7-2 record at UF. And if USC wins this Saturday, then the records are identical, both overall and in the SEC.

But comparing USC to UF isn't fair. Not when you look at the talent. Comparing USC's talent to UF's talent is like comparing a Kia to a Cadillac.

So here's a better comparison, a better gauge.

54-17.

You know what that is?

That's the score Florida went on the road and beat South Carolina by back in 2001, when Steve Spurrier last coached the Gators. I have a question. Do you think UF will come anywhere near beating the Gamecocks by 37 points this Saturday?

(The columnist respectfully pauses here to allow room for a laugh track.)

The larger question, the real question, of course, is whether the Gators will win at all? If they don't, think of the weeping and gnashing of the teeth in Gator Nation. Because, if Urban Meyer can't beat Steve Spurrier now, when South Carolina has little, if any, talent to speak of, then what does that bode for the future?

With this in mind, Overzealous Prosecutors welcomes your predictions on the game. If you comment them I will put them in the edited version of this post. As of right now, they stand:

Disco: USC wins 38-21
Admiral: USC wins 34-17
Curtis Riddle: USC wins 23-17
ButchDavis: UF wins 41-20
Mike Brown: UF wins 24-17
TheGreatOne: UF wins 28-10
Brian Reves: UF wins 35-17
Scotty Reynolds: UF wins 27-24