Game Breakdown: Gamecocks vs. Gators

Notes on the game...

Kick-off: 12:10 EST
Weather: 68 and sunny
Line: Florida by 4.5

Prediction:
Everybody loves the Spurrier angle. That the Ball Coach can muster his troops and topple his former employer and Alma Mater, is a story that every sports writer in America would love to pen for Sunday's column.

That being said, Florida has more talent. They have better athletes and they are absolutely playing for something (and SEC East title). The Gamecocks are playing for bowl position and for Spurrier's ego.

This season, USC's most impressive win was over Central Florida (who will probably win C-USA) in the first game. They were drilled by Alabama and Auburn, while losing a tight game to Georgia. To their credit they did win two close games on the road but while the Tennessee performance was solid, the Arkansas one was not. The Hogs are brutal and that game was closer than it should have been.

It's hard to believe that USC wins this game. Despite all the intangibles Florida should pull this out by 10.

But they won't. Chris Leak is streaky and the road has not been kind to him. This tilt just has a "feel" to it and that feeling is a USC win by 3.

Freeloader Rewind: Year's in Review

As we hit year 5 I have put together a synopsis of freeloader's trips past. Enjoy.

Year 4: Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh - Ty's Last Stand...

Outcome: Pitt takes out the Pope's team with 1 tick left.

Highlight 1: Pep Rally - Pretty cool experience that any college football fan would appreciate. Props to the kids who brought the mounted moose head to the festivities.

Highlight 2: Mrs. Robinson - Watching some poor schmo younger than me being hit on by a woman old enough to be his mom (and him going for it) was quite a site to see. That thing had Fox Special written all over it. No word on whether or not he ended up on a milk carton.

Overrated Moment: The fact that no restaurant, bar, tavern, etc did not open before noon on a GAMEDAY was completely uncalled for. Somebody open a Damon's or a Champps in this town, please.

Freeloader Special: Thanks to the good folks at Anthony Travel we were able schlep free drinks and food in the shadow of the stadium. The author did his part by almost eating an entire plate of chicken fingers.

Year 3: Georgia vs. Auburn - Tommy's (almost) Last Stand

Outcome: Georgia, behind Odell Thurman's 100 yard INT return, waxes an underperforming Auburn club.

Highlight 1: The Bars - An outstanding collection of bars and taverns all within walking distance. Personal favorite was The Village Idiot (how could you not love that name).

Highlight 2: Mitch - Having Trey's friend Mitch along was like knowing the secret handshake at a Fremason convention. Not only did we score primo tailgating spots (near all the hot mother/daughter combos), he also provided all the implements and food to keep us raring to go. All this despite those heinous red pants he wore.

Highlight 3: The Bobby Petrino Affair - After Auburn's crushing loss, the AD and a big shot booster made track to Louisville to try to secretly woo Bobby Petrino to The Plains. Word ended up leaking out and Tuberville (under fire) actually came out the good guy. In the end the AD lost his job and Petrino lost some face.

Overrated Moment: The Varsity - Judging by the reviews and the line you would have thought this place was the world's greatest burger joint. What a letdown. The burgers were the size of a silver dollar. Lame.

Freeloader Special: It wasn't free but the rate we paid at the hotel (located within walking distance to everything) was so worth it.

Year 2: Tennessee vs. Alabama (Knoxville) - Orange Crushed

Outcome: As predicted by the author (and agreed by ESPN analyst Mike Gottfried) Alabama rolled the Vols in a rainy night in Knoxville.

Highlight 1: The Media Dinner - Located in what apppeared to be an abandoned mine shaft we sat with the ESPN crew. We listened to Ron Franklin complain about the length of games, shared game insights with Gottfried and watched the late Adrian Karsten destroy a perfectly good steak (and get mad when I asked what it was like playing for Denny Green).

Highlight 2: The Iowa Game - Sprinting to the bar so we could get there for the Iowa/Michigan game (and to make sure we had enough beer in us before the game started in 8 hours) we witnessed a historic moment. Iowa slapped Michigan and my brother and I got to chant Rose Bowl, over and over with the orange clad faithful wondering what the hell we were doing there.

Overrated: Tennessee's Campus - Hilly, yet ugly, I expected more from the state's flagship institution.

Freeloader Special: Tie between the Media Dinner and Press Box passes - I already wrote about the media dinner so I'll add in a note on the press box. Not only did we get to sit inside on a rainy night, we also got free food and a chance to sit with the bowl scouts from the Music City Bowl.

Year 1: Tennessee vs. Alabama (Tuscaloosa)
The author did not attend so he has little to write except the two highlights must have been the rib joint and Talley refusing to meet Ken Stabler because he played for the freakin' Raiders.

Freeloaders Tour V: T-minus 5 days

We're five days away from convenining Freeloaders Tour V and it will no doubt be an exciting adventure. This year's tour stops in Columbia, South Carolia where Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks take on his Alma Mater (the old boys from Florida).

Team Update - Florida:
The Gators got a scare from pesky Vanderbilt (how they lost to Middle Freakin' Tennessee State I'll never know) but pulled it out in double OT. The Gators are now in the driver's seat for the SEC East title. A win over South Carolina (and Georgia losing one of its final 2 games) will put the Gators in Atlanta.

Team Update - South Carolina:
The Gamecocks defeated woeful Arkansas 14 - 10 at the Pig Pen. South Carolina is now bowl eligible in Steve Spurrier's first season in Columbia. South Carolina has in-state rival Clemson after the Florida tilt and is playing to improve their bowl status (and to help Spurrier shove it up you know where on Florida AD Jeremy Foley).

The game kicks off at 12:10 EST and should be quite a barnburner...

Welcome to Freeloaders Across America

Welcome to the official website of the Freeloaders Across America Tour. The FAA Tour is a yearly excursion to one of college football's great meccas. The Tour group consists of 5 members and is embarking on it's next trip on November 11th. The site: Columbia, South Carolina for the South Carolina/Florida game. Yes, the FAA group will be seeing Darth Visor (Steve Spurrier) taking on his Alma Mater led by the boy genius Urban Meyer. Should be quite a tilt. Check back for updates on the game or see other posts on previous freeloader trips.

Note the picture from Freeloader's Tour III: The Georgia/Auburn Game

Hawk.