NCAA college football season has finally arrived and there's no better way to kick off the action than a good old-fashioned rivalry between the University of South Carolina Gamecocks and the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Loaded with blue-chip prospects and a solid core, South Carolina begins their 2013 football campaign as the no.6 ranked team in the nation, just behind Georgia, Stanford, Oregon, Ohio State and Alabama.
Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier said playing against the Tar Heels will always be special to him because he was a part of the rivalry between Duke and North Carolina early in his coaching career.
Spurrier landed his first head coaching job at Duke in 1987, leading the Blue Devils to victories in all three meetings with their archrival. However, Spurrier decided to join Florida two years later and everything went downhill for Duke's football program. The Blue Devils went 2-21 against the Tar Heels since Spurrier's departure.
"Yeah, it is a little special when you are coaching against a team like" North Carolina, Spurrier told the Associated Press on Thursday.
After seven years of waiting, Spurrier will have another chance to beat North Carolina in Thursday's season opener, which will be the first match between the two teams since 2006.
South Carolina enters the showdown as the favorite, parading a formidable roster and a future NFL first-round pick and All-American defensive end in Jadeveon Clowney, who finished sixth in last year's Heisman Trophy balloting.
On the other hand, Larry Fedora is expected to employ a high-tempo offense with quarterback Bryn Reener running the show. Reener has already thrown 54 touchdowns in the past two seasons, making him the only signal-caller in Tar Heels' history to record at least 20 touchdowns in multiple seasons.
Meanwhile, the USC Trojans are all set to open their season as well, though earning their first win will not be easy at all. Head coach Lane Kiffin's Trojans will take on the University of Hawaii at Aloha Stadium on Thursday.
Ranked 24th in the nation, the Trojans are powered by Max Wittek and Cody Kessler while tailback Silas Redd is expected to make a big leap this season.
Hawaii, meanwhile, will have senior quarterback Sean Schroeder as their main guy. Schroeder returns for his senior season after throwing 1,878 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2012.
T.V Schedule, Live Stream & Score
T.V coverage of the South Carolina vs. North Carolina game will begin at 6 p.m EST on ESPN while live streaming is available on Watch ESPN.
T.V Coverage USC vs. Hawaii showdown will begin at 11 p.m EST on CBS Sports Network.
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