by Pete Fiutak

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After a rough collapse over the second half of last year, losing the final five games, the pressure is on Spurrier to finally show off some of the magic that made him such a legend in the first place. On the plus side, this should be his best Gamecock team yet by far.

If everyone stays healthy (not a given considering this was a major problem last season), this could be a sleeper in the SEC race with solid replacements for the losses on offense and a loaded defense helped by LB Jasper Brinkley, who chose to return for his senior year after suffering a knee injury that cost him all of last year.

And now Spurrier has to be Spurrier.

There's already talk about retirement, at least by the media. While Spurrier says he'll be around for a while, the play-calling duties have been delegated to Steve Spurrier Jr., the equivalent of hearing Frank Sinatra Jr. sing "My Way," and there's a general sense that if it doesn't start happening now, the Spurrier era could start to go down as a big disappointment.

The recruiting has been strong, but it hasn't been as good as other SEC teams. The margin for error is lower at South Carolina, every one who is supposed to produce, needs to, but the biggest key will be to get everything settled.

There can't be the normal game of musical quarterbacks that Spurrier normally likes to play, but on the flip side, someone has to step up and take the job. The offensive line has to stay healthy, and there has to be the same starting lineup from one game to the next. A No. 2 wide receiver has to show up, more of a pass rush has to come from the D line, the run defense has to be better and the moves around the defensive front seven need to work.

Even if everything goes USC's way and all the questions are answered, will it be enough to beat the Floridas and Georgias of the SEC world? Gamecock fans would like to find out.

What to watch for on offense: The quarterbacks. What would a Spurrier-led team be without a quarterback controversy? And the Gamecocks have a doozy. Tommy Beecher is the safe, steady option coming out of spring ball, but almost no one believes he'll be the sure-thing starter come Opening Day. Chris Smelley has the talent, but he can't produce on a regular basis. Stephen Garcia is the best of the three options, but he can't stay out of off-the-field trouble. True freshman Aramis Hillary might get a shot at a little time to throw his athleticism into the mix, while excellent recruit Reid McCollum will redshirt. Get all that?

What to watch for on defense: The swap. Eric Norwood turned into a whale of an all-around defensive end last season, finishing second on the team in tackles while growing into an elite pass rusher. Now he'll move to linebacker, while Cliff Matthews, an outside linebacker last season, will move to the end. Potentially a special pass rusher, Matthews should shine in the new role, while Norwood will have more room to move on the weakside.

The team will be far better if ... it stays healthy. The defense lost heart-and-soul LB Jasper Brinkley to a knee injury, everyone in the secondary was (or is) banged up, and the O line struggled to have the same starting lineup two weeks in a row. There is enough next-level caliber talent to build around, and good speed and athleticism in most spots to battle with anyone in the SEC. But if there's an injury problem again, things could go into the tank like they did last year.

The Schedule: The Gamecocks had better win early or it could be an ugly year with a brutal finishing kick. It's very possible LSU, Tennessee, Florida and Clemson will all be in the top 10 at some point, with LSU and the Gators likely to hang around the top five for most of the season, and USC gets all four of those teams, along with Arkansas, in the final five games. Outside of the trip to The Swamp, the SEC road slate is a relative breeze, going to Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Kentucky, but taking advantage of the home game against Georgia is a must.

Kenny Mckinley is a key component to the South Carolina passing game. (Grant Halverson / Getty Images)

Best Offensive Player: Senior WR Kenny McKinley. Woe to the receiving corps if McKinley goes down. He caught 77 passes for 968 yards and nine touchdowns last year, which were 50 more catches, 653 more yards and six more touchdowns than any other wide receiver. There are some good options to help the cause, but McKinley is the star the offense will need to work around.

Best Defensive Player: Senior LB Jasper Brinkley. Coming off the knee injury, the jury is still out on whether or not he can be the same sort of big-time All-America playmaker. Even so, a banged up, lesser Brinkley would still be one of the SEC's better linebackers. CB Captain Munnerlyn, LB Eric Norwood and DT Ladi Ajiboye will all be in the mix for First Team All-SEC honors, too.

Key player to a successful season: Junior QB Tommy Beecher ... or Smelley, or Garcia, or Hillary. No team coached by Steve Spurrier should be 71st in the nation in passing efficiency. The offense needs a leader and someone to be the steady hand through the rough SEC waters, and he can't be constantly looking over his shoulder. Good luck with that.

The season will be a success if ... the Gamecocks win nine games. They won eight in 2006, and now they have to show that things are moving forward under Spurrier. It'll take a few upsets to get to nine wins and no slip-ups, but if everyone healthy, the team is good enough to beat Georgia or Tennessee at home. It's time to make a statement, and nine wins would do it.

Key game: Sept. 13 vs. Georgia. Beating the Dawgs between the hedges last year was nice, and it led to a nice 6-1 start and plenty of excitement before the bottom dropped out, but winning this year would be even bigger. After starting out with N.C. State and at Vanderbilt, there's a realistic chance to start out 7-0 if USC can pull off a second straight win over Mark Richt's boys. And then comes the home game against LSU to kick off a brutal second half of the year.

Offense

Steve Spurrier Jr. will call the plays and run the offense. Really. He needs the line to come through with a far better and far healthier year so everyone else can work. The big issue is the quarterback situation with Tommy Beecher, Chris Smelley and troubled, suspended Stephen Garcia all being considered for the job, and it won't be settled until the fall. Kenny McKinley might be the SEC's best receiver, and Jared Cook is growing into a top tight end and a key No. 2 target. Mike Davis and Brian Maddox aren't speed backs, but they'll be productive if the line is better.

Tommy Beecher might be the best option under center for Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks in '08. (Grant Halverson / Getty Images)

Quarterbacks: The quarterbacks under Steve Spurrier are always in the spotlight, and now it's the case more than ever with several players vying for time. If one could step up and consistently produce and be a steady leader, the job is his. Now, who's that going to be? Beecher is the safe choice, Smelley is the one the team is waiting on, Garcia is the best player right now if he's on the team and Aramis Hillary is a dangerous emergency option. There might not be a Blake Mitchell to rely on anymore in a pinch, but Smelley and Beecher have seen enough time to start, while Garcia and Hillary might be even better prospects. The passing game was third in the SEC, averaging 258 yards per game, but it was hit or miss on when it came through and it was rarely efficient. With all the turmoil, things might not be better right away.

Running Backs: The running game was the worst in the SEC because the line stunk. Allowing 31 sacks didn't help the cause, but the average production from the backs didn't help. Davis, Maddox and Eric Baker are fine, and Taylor Rank and Bobby Wallace can step in if desperately needed. South Carolina can't win if it has to rely on the ground game. Davis and Maddox aren't going to bust off any home runs, but they're the type of backs who always gain positive yards and always keep working for the extra few inches. They can power it a bit. Baker is the one who brings the wheels, but if he's not ready or if he redshirts, secondaries won't have to worry about coming up with many tackles.

Receivers: The receiving corps has to make everyone better. McKinley is the team's most dangerous weapon, while TE Jared Cook is about to become a major star. With size, speed and decent experience across the board, this has to be a group that makes it easy on the quarterback, whoever that is, and opens things up for the ground game. This is a big, physical group that can block and isn't going to get shoved around. McKinley, at 6-foot and 182 pounds, is the smallest player who'll be a regular in the rotation. The team's second-leading receiver last season was RB Cory Boyd. No. 3 was Cook. The chances will be there for someone like Dion LeCorn and Moe Brown to become bigger factors, but first they have to actually do it.

Offensive Line: The line has been a major problem under Spurrier, and now the hope is for experience to turn into production. Thanks to injuries and inefficiency, the line played several difference combinations throughout last year. Now there's a ton of returning experience, several versatile players who can move around, and the overall potential to be much tighter. The tackles should be better if Hutch Eckerson is as good as he was this spring and if Jamon Meredith can keep his focus. The interior has size and potential with Lemuel Jeanpierre and Heath Batchelor two good ones to build around. This won't be a great line, but it could be just good enough to get by.

Defense

A major disappointment last year thanks to a slew of injury problems, the D is loaded and could be among the best in the SEC if everyone can stay on the field. The biggest boost is the return of LB Jasper Brinkley after suffering a knee injury, while the linebacking corps will undergo a bit of a change with end Eric Norwood swapping spots with LB Cliff Matthews. There's plenty of star power with Brinkley, Norwood, CB Captain Munnerlyn, SS Emanuel Cook and DT Ladi Ajiboye all certain to earn all-star honors, and now someone has to stop the run. USC finished first in the SEC in pass defense, but that's partly because everyone pounded the ball. That should change with massive size in the front seven and most of the key parts healthy again.

Defensive Line: After the Gamecocks allowed 147 rushing yards per game in 2007, things got even worse, allowing 209 yards per game while struggling to generate any consistent pressure. That should change with the expected emergence of sophomores Ajiboye and Matthews, and with good depth and huge size, the overall production should be far better. If this isn't the most improved lines in the SEC, it'll be second. The last few recruiting classes were loaded with good linemen, and while they haven't all panned out for a variety of reasons, there's talent up front. Size-wise, few in the SEC are bigger with the potential for four tackle-sized players to man the front wall and any time.

After suffering a knee injury last season, LB Jasper Brinkley looks to be a difference-maker on defense for South Carolina. (Doug Benc / Getty Images)

Linebackers: This will certainly be an interesting mix of talents. If Brinkley is close to being Brinkley again, the linebacking corps automatically becomes one of the SEC's best. Norwood has to prove he can handle the move to linebacker, a position he hasn't played since high school, while Gerrod Sinclair could be a breakout performer. The backups are solid, but the hope is that they're not needed like they were last year. Staying healthy is a must. It didn't matter much last year considering the Gamecocks led the SEC in pass defense, but the linebackers are mostly run stoppers going into this year. It's not that they can't run, it's that they're not the best in pass coverage.

Secondary: As long as everyone stays healthy, this will be one of the nation's most productive secondaries. It's the real deal with Captain Munnerlyn, Carlos Thomas and Emanuel Cook all good enough to see time in an NFL camp in the near future, while the reserves are promising with Akeem Auguste and Mark Barnes future stars of the SEC. More interceptions would be nice after coming up with just 14 last year as a team, but they should come. Yeah, Carolina was No. 1 in the SEC and fourth in the nation against the pass, but that's partly because everyone ran the ball on the Gamecocks. Tim Tebow was able to throw without a problem, and Matthew Stafford, Andre Woodson, Cullen Harper and Erik Ainge all threw for over 200 yards. Staying healthy is a must, and that's not a given considering the injury issues across the board from Munnerlyn's foot to Cook's knee to Barnes' shoulder.

Special Teams: Senior Ryan Succop is one of the nation's best placekickers, hitting 27 of 37 field goals over the last two years, with one miss hitting the upright and his four misses last year all coming from behind 40 yards. He's a big-legged all-star who hit a 55-yard bomb two years ago, and he also worked as the team's punter, averaging 41.6 yards per kick while putting 15 inside the 20. Sophomore Spencer Lanning could help out a bit on the punting duties. CB Captain Munnerlyn is a strong punt returner, averaging a nice 9.2 yards per try, while FS Chris Culliver averaged 23.8 yards per kickoff return.