Here is our look at Vandy football for the upcoming 2012 SEC football season. Pay attention to this one as this is our first SEC foe...

Coach: James Franklin (6-7), 2nd year

Team Nickname: Commodores

2011 recap: What seemed to be a "ho-hum" typical Vanderbilt hire turned out to be a coup of sorts for the beleaguered Commodores. When, at the time, high profile Gus Malzahn passed on the VU job, the Commodores turned to Maryland assistant James Franklin. Many were surprised to see the young, energetic, and outspoken Franklin jump start a long stagnant program to a 6-6 (fantastic by Vandy standards) record and a bowl bid (24-31 loss to Cincinnati).

Franklin got off to a fast start beating Elon and Connecticut at home. Ole Miss tripped to Nashville in week 3 and Franklin hung a 30-7 whipping on the Rebels in what ended up being a nightmare season in Oxford. Vandy would drop the next three to South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia though Franklin and Co still had plenty of fight for Georgia. After an emotional game against Georgia, which saw Vandy rally in the second half and having the ball with a chance to win at the buzzer, Franklin and Georgia's DC Todd Grantham got into a well-documented shouting match.  Vandy recovered to get to 4 wins by notching a W over Army and lost narrowly to both Arkansas and Florida. Vandy thumped Kentucky 38-8 before losing to Tennessee in overtime. The Commodores punched their bowl ticket with a 41-7 win over Wake Forest.  
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Today there are 16 days remaining until kickoff.

16th was South Carolina's rank in average home attendance last season.  Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium has an official capacity of 80,250.  The largest crowd that has seen a game there was 85,000 for Clemson in 2001.  Last season USC average 79,131 fans for each home game.  That number is slightly down from some yeras in which every game was sold out.  This is due in part to the economy and in part to the YES program.  Before the YES program there was constantly talk of stadium expansion.  Once prices for tickets were brought up to be more even with other conference fores, the demand more closely matches the supply.

Today we continue our conference wide preview and take a look at Florida, the longtime King of the East, a program searching for identity and direction under second year man Will Mushcamp.  The 2011 season will be briefly reviewed and a team by team break down of the schedule will be included along with a couple of keys to the season. Stats and returning starters come from Phil Steele.

2011 recap: 2011 saw rookie head coach Will Muschamp take over a program that was experiencing an abrupt fall from grace. 2006-2009 saw the Gators notch 13 wins three times. 2011 would not be as kind. Urban Meyer and his spread offense were gone, but the players he had recruited for it still remained. Former Patriots OC and Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis seemed to be a sure thing hire, but when senior John Brantley was injured against Alabama, any and all confidence the offense had was gone.

Florida opened the season against the usual suspects from the pay for play Sun Belt. Florida Atlantic and UAB could not compete with Florida athletically and the Gators headed into the traditional battle with Tennessee at 2-0. The Gators notched a 10 point win over the Vols but UF struggled running the football and scoring in the redzone; issues that would haunt this team for the rest of the season.
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A mere 17 days until kickoff for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

17 is the record for most rushing touchdowns in a season.  There have been plenty of great running backs (hint) who played at Carolina.  Some of them played on teams that scored often. 

Answer below the fold......

The South Carolina Gamecocks held their first scrimmage of 2012 yesterday and here are 12 things you did not hear from the scrimmage:

12. Spurrier throwing a straw hat...I know it was a weak start but the visor talk is played out.
11. Flea Flicker worked...come on, it is a glorified practice and those things you don't do.
10. Talk of Paul Ryan...yes, he was the talk of Saturday but not at this practice.
9.   The O Line is a concern...those days at USC are done. This O Line is SEC battle tested and ready.
8.  Will Miles be back...Kenny Miles will be back for 2012 so don't ask.
7.  Garcia throws a interception...that page has been turned but this is the first opening of fall camp without the embattled player in awhile and talk of him, blah, blah, blah.
6.  Clowney sacks everyone...gotta hold the beast back on his own as he was told not to kill anyone until game time.
5. Tyler Hull punts to Chapin...not yet but the legend is just beginning.
4.  Lattimore dominates...gotta hold the workhorse back so don't expect a lot of talk around him until the first game.
3. Talk of a QB controversary...yes, Andrew Clifford looked good as he connected on 6-of-9 passes for 122 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Whereas, Connor Shaw was 5-for-10 for 108 yards and Dylan Thompson was 4-of-10 for 52 yards. Please don't even think this is not the "Connor Shaw show" in 2012.
2. USC should throw it more...Ten different receivers caught passes, led by Shaq Roland, who hauled in four passes for 59 yards. Senior D.L. Moore added three receptions for 56 yards, while Jerrell Adams had a pair of catches for 66 yards. Go ahead and expect a lot of touches amongst the wide outs and no one person really getting the bulk of catches in 2012.
1. BCS championship...the Gamecocks know they have to win one game at a time and let things happen. This squad is solid and good things will occur but lots of football to play.

Today there are 18 days remaining until kickoff.

18 is the number of games South Carolina has won against Wofford.  The Gamecocks and Terriers have played 22 times, but usually the games are close.  Once again Wofford is on the schedule this season, and once again it is a mistake.  USC plays the Terriers and their triple option offense the week before Clemson.

The game provides nothing but downside and is a mistake in scheduling.  Wofford runs the triple option, which tends to minimize talent disparity.  It also slows the game down and creates closer scores.  It is unlike any offense Carolina faces the rest of the year and requires special preparation.  More than anything else, that offense gives Wofford a chance to ruin South Carolina's season.  Even if that doesn't happen, South Carolina has to focus their entire attention on the Terrier attack, which won't really translate to Clemson a week later.

If South Carolina wins, no one will be impressed.  If Carolina wins by 60, it will only be a footnote scrolling accross the bottom of the screen.  If it's close, USC looks weak.  If Wofford wins, it torpedoes the Gamecock season.  The game should never have been scheduled, and as long as they run the triple option and none of our regular opponents do, they shouldn't be scheduled.

Cadarious Sanders, who was listed number two on the depth chart at cornerback, has decided to take his talents to Murray State.

My first thought when I heard this over at TheBigSpur.com was - who? Then I remembered the time when he....well, let's be honest there are none of those as he only played in eight games in 2011 with just four tackles. Him leaving hurts depth but gives a chance to someone else to make their mark.

With the freshman talent coming in, this sophomore saw the writing on the wall. Good luck to him.

Today there are 19 days remaining until kickoff.

19 is the South Carolina record for touchdowns scored in a season.  Marcus Lattimore set the record in 2010.  It could have probably been even higher had he not gotten hurt and missed some games.  The record was helped by Coach Spurrier's determination to run the ball when facing short yardage and the fact that Lattimore was almost always in the game.  This season Lattimore may not be in the game quite as much as his freshman year, and the offense could be more balanced, both in run/pass ratio and distribution of carries amongst running backs.

Today we continue our conference wide preview and take a look at Kentucky.  The 2011 season will be briefly reviewed and a team by team break down of the schedule will be included along with a couple of keys to the season. Stats and returning starters come from Phil Steele.

Coach: Joker Phillips (11-14) 3rd season at Kentucky

Team: Kentucky Wildcats

2011 recap: 2011 was not a good year for Kentucky. After significant progress under Rich Brooks, Kentucky's win totals have dropped in Phillips' first two years. 2010 saw the Wildcats go 6-6 (thanks to an upset win against South Carolina) with a loss in the Compass Bowl. 2011 5-7 overall record left the Wildcats at home for the first time since 2005. Kentucky was able to gut-out OOC wins against two directional teams in Western Kentucky and Central Michigan. Week 3 against Louisville launched UK on a three game skid that wasn't stopped until the Wildcats trumped pay for play Jacksonville State. Phillips was able to split the next two games against Mississippi State and Ole Miss respectively.  

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Today there are 20 days until kickoff.

20 is the number of games South Carolina has played against Arkansas.  The Gamecocks and Razorbacks entered the conference at the same time and were selected as permanent opponents for each other.  Though there was not history of the teams playing prior to 1992, it made logistical sense for the conference to match them together.

For South Carolina fans, the game has never engendered much enthusiasm.  An opponent half way around the country hasn't really turned into a rival.  That attitude is reflected in the overall series record, which Arkansas leads 13-7.  Starting next season, South Carolina and Arkansas will no longer be permanent rivals.  Carolina will be matched with Texas A&M, and Arkansas will regularly play Missouri.  Texas A&M may not be an ideal geographic fit, but I believe few fans are going to pine for playing Arkansas more regularly.