I know this will likely fall apart into senseless bickering very soon, but I would like to at least TRY to seriously compare the two since I think they essentially have the same strengths and weaknesses and are very difficult to separate because of it, especially an early season match up.

I will go over an UGA predicted depth chart, if a USCe fan can do the same for the Gamecocks. I will also put my opinion of which team have the stronger position grouping, and again will wait to see if the Gamecocks agree or disagree.

QB: Mason - Can he get the job done? Sure. Will he get the job done? I honestly think watching Mason play this year is going to make UGA fans who agged on Murray for years realize just how good he was. If Mason goes down, I tend to think you will see a QB rotation of both Bauta and Ramsey just because they both bring different things to the table.

Comparison with USCe: DRAW. I think Thompson has a lot of questions to answer as well. I would have said ADV USCe had Mason not gotten those two starts late last year. Both these guys have the problem that the previous QBs on their teams literally WILLED their teams to both victories and comebacks. We will see how much the offenses of the respective teams will believe in the new starters.

RBs: Gurley is feeling his oats this preseason and Marshall is apparently looking great and not hesitant at all on the bum knee. The two start freshmen are looking like what star Freshmen RBs usually look like. FBs are a big question mark right now because it sounds like concussion issues may end up derailing the starting FB, Hall's football career early. However, it also sounds like a lot of the TEs are cross training at FB which could mean the offense can switch from multiple TE sets and I formation sets on the fly which would be pretty cool.

Comparison with USCe: ADV UGA due to talented depth and not having to account for Shaw scrambling/run-option. I have all the respect in the world for Mike Davis. He is a beast. I just think the talent drops off a bit more steeply at USCe than at UGA behind RB1. It is always hard to defend the QB in a run option, but I think Thompson will be easier to track down than Shaw was.

WR/TE: Injuries will dictate how the teams compare, but at this point, I definitely would not expect to see JSW due to suspension, even if he could go on the knee. Mitchell may or may not be ready after the knee scope. It depends on which rumor one chooses to believe. Conley has been practicing in green, but as long as he is practicing, then I am not too worried about him. Bennett has been good to go so far. Others have been injured some, but none of them sound particularly serious. TEs: Rome is sometimes iffy on the foot that had surgery, Davis has been in green. I think depth is not as great as it has been in the past, but Blazevich and Hicks have been doing well apparently (and as I mentioned above, I sort of love the wrinkle of the TE/FB combo)

Comparison: likely a Draw, but depending on if Mitchell can or can't play, could be advantage USCe. I would likely give both WR/TE corps advantage over the other's secondary.

OL: For once, UGA has very good depth. We will see how good the top end is.

Comparison: likely ADV USCe between the two OLs.

Front 7: DL: UGA is very talented and very deep along the DL. Pretty much everyone is the three-deep has had significant game experience.
OLB: I think you will be hard-pressed to find a more talented corps than UGA's this year. Bellamy will still be suspended, but this group easily goes 3 deep in talent.
ILB: Again, at the top end, UGA has two guys that know what they are doing out there. Wilson hasn't been practicing (likely due to a concussion), but that has only helped get the younger guys some valuable reps, and as long as Wilson can get back in time to keep his conditioning intact, he will be fine. There is less depth behind those two, but Reggie Carter and Tim Kimbrough have been able to take advantage of the extra reps.

Comparison: ADV UGA I know that USCe will be better at the LBer position due to the youth from last year and that even though they lose Clowney and Quarles, they still have a strong DL, but (and I will fully admit that this may be homerish of me) I think UGA's front seven is the best in the conference when combining talent, depth, and experience.

Secondary: Honestly, I know that Swann will start ( as long as he is healthy), and that is about it. I do tend to think they will be better than last year, but that is mainly because I don't see how they could be worse. They could still be just as bad, however. They will certainly be inexperienced again.

Comparison: DRAW, just because there is so much up in the air for both teams- easily the weakest link of both teams. I have been hearing that USCe is likely to start/play 3 freshmen out of the four positions. Please correct me if that is wrong.

So while I could see this game coming down to big plays in the passing game, I think the pass rushes will help protect both of the shaky secondaries.

It may very well be as simple as home field advantage will get the nod, but if Gurley and company are dealing then UGA may be able to keep the crowd out of it.