Survive and Advance
Posted October 24th, 2009, 11:48 PM ET

For a long period of time on Saturday evening, I really thought South Carolina was going to find a way to lose to Vanderbilt again.

I enjoy going to Columbia too much and I didn't want to see the Cocks succumb to the Commodores for the third consecutive year.

But make no mistake about it, Southern Fried Football™ Probation was at stake in Columbia. You can't call yourself a football school and lose to Vandy three years in a row....especially when you were ranked in the Top 25 each contest.

The Cocks were uninspired, flat and apparently in the process of being schooled by the smart guys from Nashville, before a fourth quarter touchdown rescued South Carolina from not only a SEC upset, but a harsh ruling from the Southern Fried Football™ Board of Governors.

When I was texted early in the fourth quarter, and Vandy leading 10-7, I knew exactly who was contacting me. The BoG were watching and getting antsy.....and so was I.

The Southern Fried Football™ Tour has made more appearances in Columbia than any other stop in the 12 years of football road-tripping. South Carolina now has more appearances (23) than any other school on the Tour.

You can tell by the latest Babes pics on the website, that the Gamecocks and their fans know how to have a good time on gameday. It's always a party at South Carolina.

I didn't want to see Columbia and a Gamecock Tourstop eliminated for potentially years to come.....well, it almost happened.

Now that "SFF Probation" has been eliminated for the Cocks, they can get back to getting ready for the gas-pumping Lane Kiffin jokes this upcoming weekend. It's a big game for both SEC East teams.

While South Carolina skated by a nasty penalty, Duke is still the only team on Southern Fried Football™ Probation.

The only way the Blue Devils can get back in the good graces of the BoG and become eligible for the Southern Fried Football™ Tour is to become bowl eligible.....however long that might take.

The way David Cutcliffe's team is playing, that might be by the end of the year.

Congrats to Duke for their win over Maryland, which gives them their first consecutive conference wins since 1994....surely that has to count for something?

There is no doubt that they are playing better than all of their ACC Tobacco Road brethren....and that includes NC State, Wake and North Carolina.

We'll be heading to Switzerland this weekend for the Miami game....and I'm sure the Canes are still upset after being upset at home by Clemson (more on that forthcoming). The Deacs need some love after a couple of tough weekends....I don't think Miami will be in the mood.

The Tar Heels are fresh off a choke job at home against Florida State.

This week, Carolina tries again on Thursday night at Lane Stadium against the Hokies. If you thought Butch Davis looked over-matched against the Noles, you might look away when they check out Beamer's boys on Thursday.

If the Heels go down as expected, Butch Davis will be 16-17 during his tenure in Chapel Hill. Their next game.....at home against....you guessed it....Duke.

Man, Lane Kiffin had 'em nervous at the Capstone.

The Tennessee Vols almost shocked the Tide, but thanks to Mt. Cody, Bama remains unbeaten...barely.

So far, the Vols' signature win has been over Georgia. But given the Dawgs inability to tackle, that win is a little overshadowed because...well, Georgia appears to have slipped a few notches.

Tennessee has played much better this year than what I expected.....even though their record is about what I expected. But Saturday night is a huge game for Kiffin, the Vols and even their opponent (South Carolina).

It feels like a swing game for both programs....a real determiner to see which team is legit as possibly the second-best team in the SEC East. I know Georgia beat USC earlier, but the Dawgs and their fans are utterly disappointed with the season and the prospect of knowing that Florida looms this weekend, and that Georgia Tech is licking their chops to make it two in a row against their in-state rival.

Keep your eye on the scoreboard this weekend in Knoxville.....it's a big game.

While Kiffin looks for a really, really big win...another "first year coach" enjoyed his finest moment while shocking the ACC standings in the process.

Dabo Swinney and his Clemson Tigers followed up an impressive performance in dismantling Wake Forest, by going to South Florida and shocking the Top 10 Hurricanes.

The game marked the third game between the schools since Miami joined the ACC, and the third time the game went into overtime. It was also the third time the visiting team won the game.....go figure?

It was a great game with big plays, huge momentum swings and a finish that has Clemson fans starting to believe that maybe , just maybe, the Tigers are about to fulfill some of the big dreams and potential that has been looming in Death Valley for years.

It was, without a doubt, the biggest win in the Dabo Swinney Era....it was exactly the kind of win that Clemson fans wanted to see. For the first time in ages, the Tigers played big-time football in back-to-back weekends.