This upcoming football season feels eerily like 1995.

[ScWildthing61]

Preseason optimism with several publications ranking us in the top 25, seeing #24 pop up quite a bit(was ranked #23 going into '95)

Veteran qb probably the best passer we've had since Taneyhill that year.

A defense that struggles to stop the run(198 yds a game is not good could be our undoing like it was that year)

A schedule that does us no favors(better be on our game or this season could go haywire quickly)

 

[Prestonyte]

Game 1 is key. Lose it and we're in the hole with some very steep stairs to climb!

 

[Lurker123]

Game 1 is key. Lose it and we're in the hole with some very steep stairs to climb!

Game 1 is even bigger with the schedule front loaded too.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Game 1 is even bigger with the schedule front loaded too.

Man, that first game just feels HUGE. I think we're being pretty reasonable about how significant it is, but then I talk to a buddy of mine who is a Clemson fan and he's confident we win by 21. His belief is that UNC has a really good QB and absolutely nothing else. But I also know how he operates...he'll say we should win by 21 so that if UNC wins, he can come back act gloat that we lost. So I'm not sure which way he's playing it this time.

It does feel like a bellwether game though. It feels like a win would set us up to have a potentially very good season, while a loss would make it an uphill battle to avoid a bad season.

 

[Big JC]

UNC is a typical ACC football team. They have a few good players but overall are around the Miss St. level of talent. If we can't beat them we will have a tough row to hoe for the rest of the season.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I don't recall specifically how I felt in 1995, but back then I was ruled by youthful optimism and would be convinced we were title contenders every year.

I dealt with a lot of heartbreak.

 

[Satchmo81]

95 season compared to now? No way! Better coaching staff now! Rattler is way better a QB than Taneyhill will ever be! Maye is a top tier QB. His line couldn’t block for him last year? He lost both WR. The Defense sucked and had the best starters transfer out! If we can stop the run, we will do to them what we did to UcheaT! Thump em good! I don’t think there’s a game we will not be in all year. We gotta stop the run and run the ball. Joyner is going to surprise us all!

 

[CockofEarle…]

Preseason optimism with several publications ranking us in the top 25, seeing #24 pop up quite a bit(was ranked #23 going into '95)

Veteran qb probably the best passer we've had since Taneyhill that year.

A defense that struggles to stop the run(198 yds a game is not good could be our undoing like it was that year)

A schedule that does us no favors(better be on our game or this season could go haywire quickly)

One could argue ‘73.

 

[GCJerryUSC]

I don't recall specifically how I felt in 1995, but back then I ruled by youthful optimism and would be convinced we were title contenders every year.

I dealt with a lot of heartbreak.

That covers my attitude for MOST of my GC fandom. I got tired of the heartbreak and do not despair about a loss as I did years ago. I started my mostly disappointing GC fan stuff in 1967 if you can believe that. Good ole Paul who could talk but couldn't coach. My wife used to laugh at me because I would get SO upset with a GC loss. Got tired of those upsets and they no longer bother me even a tenth as much.

BUT, hope springs eternal and I really like Shane.

Note:Was in seventh heaven with Frank No. 1.

 

[Big JC]

95 season compared to now? No way! Better coaching staff now! Rattler is way better a QB than Taneyhill will ever be! Maye is a top tier QB. His line couldn’t block for him last year? He lost both WR. The Defense sucked and had the best starters transfer out! If we can stop the run, we will do to them what we did to UcheaT! Thump em good! I don’t think there’s a game we will not be in all year. We gotta stop the run and run the ball. Joyner is going to surprise us all!

UNC is a typical ACC team not named clemson. They will have a couple good players who could play anywhere but the other 18 or so on the starting 22 will be pedestrian at best. A loss to UNC will mean a long, unhappy season for USC.

 

[18IsTheMan]

That covers my attitude for MOST of my GC fandom. I got tired of the heartbreak and do not despair about a loss as I did years ago. I started my mostly disappointing GC fan stuff in 1967 if you can believe that. Good ole Paul who could talk but couldn't coach. My wife used to laugh at me because I would get SO upset with a GC loss. Got tired of those upsets and they no longer bother me even a tenth as much.

BUT, hope springs eternal and I really like Shane.

Note:Was in seventh heaven with Frank No. 1.

Ha, yup, it seems every Gamecock fan goes through the same evolution, whether it started in the 60s or 80s or 90s. I used to be emotionally crushed after losses. As I got older, I wasn't crushed, but I could not help but lay in bed and replay the game over in my mind, imagining different outcomes. Now, if we're getting whipped in a game it's just "Oh, well, that figures."

But, yes, hope always springs eternal. No matter how crappy the previous season was or how many questions marks we have, there's always a part of me somewhere that still imagines us running the table.