Editor’s Note: The Arkansas Razorbacks will face one of the toughest football schedules in the nation in 2008. The sports staff of the Northwest Arkansas Times ranked Arkansas ’ 12 upcoming games from least important to most important based on fan fervor, storylines and the effect a win or loss would have on the Razorbacks ’ season. This is the Hogs ’ seventh most important game and part 6 of a 12-part series profiling the Razorbacks ’ 2008 opponents. BY BRANDON MARCELLO

Northwest Arkansas Times In the preseason in 2007, talk of an SEC championship flooded Columbia, S. C. The South Carolina Gamecocks were the sleeper pick to win the SEC East and, at first, it seemed that pick could come true. What followed was a 6-1 record to start the season and a No. 6 ranking in the national polls. But as quickly as Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina team rose in the rankings, they fell just as fast. The Gamecocks dropped their last five games to finish the season 6-6 and were embarrassed along the way by the Razorbacks, 48-36, in Fayetteville. Two-time Heisman runner-up Darren McFadden rushed for an SEC recordtying 321 yards as the Hogs amassed 542 yards on the ground. The lone bright spots for the Gamecocks in that game — quarterback Blake Mitchell and tailback Cory Boyd — are gone this season. Expectations aren’t as high in South Carolina this preseason, but quiet optimism might be the underlying theme for a team that still returns 16 starters in Spurrier’s fourth season.

OFFENSE The hottest stor y in Gamecock Land may have been the rumors of Spurrier giving up his offensive coordinator duties to his son, Steve Spurrier Jr. The story spread like wildfire last month, but the Ol ’ Ball Coach squashed those reports and explained that he would still have a lot of say in the play-by-play duties at offensive coordinator.

What is true, though, is that Spurrier has had a hard time finding a reliable quarterback in his three seasons at South Carolina. Last season, Chris Smelley and Mitchell split time under center in the high-octane offense. Both were reliable at times, but Mitchell has since graduated. Smelley went 4-2 as starter and will return to battle for the starting spot in two-a-days.

The offensive line, however, has always been a problem for the Gamecocks under Spurrier. South Carolina allowed 31 sacks last season, which ranked 11 th among SEC teams.

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Junior Tommy Beecher may help with offensive line troubles with his mobility, but he’ll have to battle Smelley in fall drills for the starting spot. Beecher did not participate in spring drills and Spurrier refused to name a starter after spring practices.

“... At some point, one of the quarterbacks has to really show a strong commitment level to really want to be good, ” Spurrier said after the program’s April spring game. “ Right now, I don’t think that any quarterback that we have here knows what really playing well is all about. ”

Smelley passed for 1, 176 yards and 9 touchdowns last season, but struggled in the team’s intrasquad game in April with 5 interceptions.

Whoever the quarterback is will have wide receiver Kenny McKinley to look for down the field. McKinley compiled 968 yards and 9 touchdowns on a schoolrecord 77 catches last season and has a good shot at breaking every South Carolina receiving record this season. He didn’t participate in the Gamecocks ’ spring game, but is expected to return in time for fall practices.

Dion Lecorn will also return at receiver as the Gamecocks look for more consistency from their offensive line, which returns three starters.

Senior tailback Mike Davis, who rushed for 518 yards and 5 touchdowns last season, will probably get the go-ahead at tailback in replacement of Boyd. The running game was ranked No. 101 in the nation last season with an average of 113. 7 yards per game, while the passing offense ranked No. 37 at 258. 2 yards per game.

DEFENSE Ten starters return on a defense that ranked 39 th in the nation last year in points allowed. New defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, who was hired by Arkansas in January only to leave the Razorbacks later that month for the Gamecocks, will handle play-calling duties. Strong safety Emanuel Cook highlights the crew. The junior is the team’s leading returning tackler with 92 stops and 8. 4 sacks. Everyone in the secondary that ranked No. 4 in the nation last year in pass defense (168. 8 yards per game ) returns as well. Jasper Brinkley, who returns after a knee injury, will clog up the middle at linebacker. The senior was an All-SEC selection in 2006 after a 107-tackle season. The rushing defense was atrocious in 2007. The defense allowed 209. 3 yards a game and ranked 110 th nationally. The Gamecocks also gave up 542 yards on the ground against the Razorbacks in a 48-36 trouncing.

• • • The difference-maker: Quarterback play has almost always been important in this matchup with Spurrier. Last year was an anomaly as Darren McFadden went nuts on the ground with 321 yards, but the winner of this contest has almost always had the better play at quarterback. Casey Dick’s long touchdown pass to Marcus Monk as time expired in the first half of the 2006 game in Columbia, S. C. proves that.

The deal-maker: Arkansas’ most winnable back-toback SEC games start with this one. A trip to Mississippi State follows after a bye week. A road win at South Carolina would prove to be important for the Razorbacks, who must face LSU later if they want a shot at a winning record in the month of November. This game has also been important toward bowl eligibility for the Gamecocks.

The deal-breaker: With three games remaining in the season, early losses in two of the toughest schedules in the nation could prove to be too powerful to overcome for South Carolina and Arkansas. Additionally, the Gamecocks lost their last five games last season and the build-up the week of this game on the Razorbacks’ end was not too important.