South Carolina and Florida are playing for third place in the SEC East on Saturday. Neither can finish second or higher. Neither can finish fifth or lower. On a tangible level, this game is not a big deal on a national scale.
However, there are some intangibles that make this game a very big deal for the Gamecocks at least. South Carolina entered Will Muschamp’s third season as head coach in an awkward spot – not quite ready to contend for the division title and in need of a positive marker of progress outside of that achievement.
Today’s game offers that.