South Carolina @ Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 16, 2013 ) Florida 14, South Carolina 19

Steve Spurrier will walk into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for perhaps the final time as a college football coach on Saturday, when South Carolina meets Florida. But while rumors continue to swirl about his potential retirement, the Gamecocks coach - who won a national title on the Florida sidelines and a Heisman Trophy as a Gators quarterback - doesn’t want to talk about the future, rather how to get his team out of what seems like a season-long funk. That’s typical of Spurrier, who traditionally downplays his homecomings at Florida Field, yet even he might get swept up in the emotions of what could be an historical day.

Florida’s Will Muschamp, the Gators’ third full-time coach since Spurrier left in 2002, has problems of his own. He, too, has had to listen to rumors about his future, but his resurgent team - on the verge of its first three-game winning streak since last October - seems inspired by the turmoil and is just one win from clinching bowl eligibility. Florida still has an outside shot at the SEC East title and a berth in the conference title game, but what’s more important is that Muschamp continues to build momentum and gets the Gators back to a bowl after a 4-8 season in 2013 and a 3-3 start this year.

TV: Noon ET, SEC Network. LINE: Florida -5.

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA (4-5, 2-5 SEC): A bye week, and some extra time to prepare for the Gators, could prove to be the perfect elixir for a Gamecocks team that has lost four of its last five games. South Carolina has allowed an average of 44 points in its last three losses and is 1-2 on the road this season. But offensively, with quarterback Dylan Thompson (2,588 yards, 22 touchdowns) and running back Mike Davis (819, eight) leading the way, the Gamecocks still can compete and have averaged 39 points in their last four games.

ABOUT FLORIDA (5-3, 4-3): Treon Harris isn’t producing gaudy numbers, but the ballyhooed freshman is 2-0 as a starting quarterback and at the epicenter of the Gators’ resurgence. Florida was down and out after a 42-13 homecoming loss to Missouri, but Harris calmly and confidently engineered wins over Georgia (38-20) and Vanderbilt (34-10), igniting an offense that already had a dynamic 1-2 punch at running back. Expect another heaping dose of Matt Jones (130 carries, 698 yards, five touchdowns) and Kelvin Taylor (82, 452, five) as the Gators shoot for just their third home win of the season.


EXTRA POINTS

1. South Carolina defeated Florida 19-14 in Columbia, S.C., last season, but the Gators lead the all-time series 24-7-3 - including a 13-1 record in Gainesville, Fla.

2. After 15 turnovers in a four-game stretch ending with the loss to Missouri, Florida has just one in its last two contests.

3. South Carolina, which has recruited heavily in Florida during the Spurrier era, has 17 players from the Sunshine State on its roster.

PREDICTION: Florida 23, South Carolina 20.