Georgia Provides Ultimate Measuring Stick For South Carolina

South Carolina football gets a monumental test this weekend when they take on the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs.

The Georgia Bulldogs are fresh off a national title and have dominated every opponent not named Alabama for the past two seasons. Meanwhile, South Carolina is overhauling their football team, attempting a rebuild from top to bottom.

Head coach Shane Beamer appears to be making progress. The Gamecocks played Arkansas competitively last week and bring high energy on every snap. Furthermore, they are hot on the recruiting trail, a new development for a program that was uninspired a few short years ago.

South Carolina has done everything right in their rebuild up to this point. They are building a winning atmosphere, have a strong fanbase, and bring in top talent. Some say they are ahead of schedule. After all, their program was attractive enough for the uber-talented quarterback Spencer Rattler to transfer in after growing up on the west coast his entire life.

While all these points are valid, they are still a ways away from accomplishing their goals. To be the best, you must beat the best, and they proved over the weekend they aren't quite at that level.

If the Gamecocks struggled against the Razorbacks, it's reasonable to assume Georgia should win comfortably. The Bulldogs are incredibly well-coached, dominating both sides of the line of scrimmage. Their offense is much improved, as quarterback Stetson Bennett appears to be a legitimate Heisman contender and has a litany of weapons at his disposal.

Georgia's Impact On South Carolina Football

Why is this a big game for South Carolina if all those things are true? While they may be underdogs, they have a shot at beating Kentucky, Florida, Auburn, and Arkansas. The talent disparity should be too much to overcome against Georgia, but that doesn't diminish how important this game is.

Currently, Georgia and Alabama are the measuring sticks in college football. They are the standard because you must take one or both out if you want to win a national title. Both programs are here to stay and continue to improve year after year.

An old saying helps with the context here: you learn more about yourself in failure than in success. The reality is that South Carolina probably loses on Saturday, and things may get ugly. However, fans get to see precisely how close they are to college football's best, an opportunity most programs don't get.

If the Gamecocks come out and play with their hair on fire, then that is a win. Many teams are visibly afraid of Georgia, backing away from the challenge because of the aggressive nature the Bulldogs play with. The best teams aren't scared of any challenge, even if they should be.

The Gamecocks should look like they believe they can win on Saturday because, in a few years, they may be able to. Talent disparity can close over time if recruits see that players are working hard and focused on winning. Teams can always acquire talent, but they need to build culture first.

You Might Also Like:

• South Carolina Finds Unheralded Star In Nick Emmanwori
• Two Key Gamecocks Out For The Year
• NFL Week One: Gamecocks In The League

Join the community:

Follow Evan Crowell on Twitter: @EvanVCrowell

Follow Andrew Lyon on Twitter: @ALyon_SC

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @GamecocksDigest & follow us on Twitter at @GamecocksDigest.