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Southern Exposure: SEC Title game - Auburn vs. South Carolina

December 3, 2010  |  By Benjamin Miraski

So Auburn got to breathe a sigh of relief Wednesday. The NCAA ruled that Cam Newton could play in the SEC Championship game.

Not a bad deal considering they basically in the same statement convicted his father of wrongdoing. Sure, they didn’t outright say that the elder Newton was going to be in trouble, but there is little doubt left that the NCAA will come down hard on the dad.

Without Newton, the Tigers were toast. There would be no one on the sidelines who could step up and perform as well as Newton and save them from a defeat in the SEC title game without the explosive do-everything quarterback.

Before we look at this game let’s take a stroll around the league for a little fun.

To start, how is it that everyone is just starting to catch on to this whole “John Brantley can’t run the Florida offense” idea?

This is something that should have been obvious a long time ago. The Gators are not built for quarterbacks like Chris Leak any longer. I believe that was something this column warned Gator fans about back in September.

Anyone who has watched the SEC at all over the past few years could see that after one game.

And second, here is a great mash-up of all the great Derek Dooley moments from the past year. The Tennessee Volunteers might not have been very entertaining to watch this season, but their coach can sure put on a show.

Ok, and with that to the game.

Auburn vs. South Carolina (+4.5) at the Georgia Dome - In case you missed it, last time these two teams met, South Carolina almost upset the Tigers at Auburn. An eight-point squeaker of a win served to announce Newton’s arrival on the big stage. Three rushing touchdowns and two passing TDs immediately had him listed on Heisman lists and Auburn started to climb quickly in the rankings.

The Tigers were No. 17 at the time of the first game. Now their entire season depends on if they can repeat their performance at No. 2.

The first contest could be analyzed as a microcosm of the Tigers’ season. Just think of all the games they were down, how many times they had to make up deficits because their defense took either half a game or the whole four quarters to remember that it was OK to hit the opposing team.

Auburn won’t be able to stop anyone for long. At least that is one thing we have learned this season.

But can South Carolina hold down Cam Newton for an entire game? It is something that no one, not even the Gamecocks could do for 60 minutes this season.

Every team has failed to contain the quarterback.

Perhaps the South Carolina coaches should show the team a video of the Bears containing Philadelphia’s Michael Vick on Sunday. Perhaps they should show them a tape of how Mississippi once shut down the last mobile great in the SEC, Tim Tebow.

Or perhaps they should just turn the team loose. The players all know what is on the line Saturday. South Carolina will have its best chance to play in the Sugar Bowl ever.

That’s 15 bowl games, including four under Spurrier, and no Sugar Bowls. Think that the Gamecocks won’t be hungry for this one? Steve Spurrier knows what it is like to be in New Orleans on New Year’s Day (and after in the BCS era).

But no matter how well South Carolina plays, it is hard to believe that they can overcome the drive to play in the national title game.

This one will be close, as almost all of the Tiger wins against top opponents have been this season.

But the key here is that Auburn still wins it. Only not by enough to cover. Take the Gamecocks and the 4.5.

Southern Exposure went 6-2 last week to improve to 45-39-1 on the season.

Posted December 3, 2010 8:00 AM

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