This week’s contributor is the appropriately-named sports editor of The Daily Gamecock, Chris Cox. And no, that is not a pseudonym or an imaginary writer — we even included his mug shot to prove it.

He was kind enough to take a few minutes out of his day to give Georgia fans a dose of South Carolina’s pregame mentality entering Saturday’s showdown — helping us cover everything from the buzz about the program around Columbia, S.C., to suspensions to his prediction on the game.

Even for a South Carolina fan, Cox turned out to be a good guy after all. Some of his answers may even surprise you.

Q: Following the dominant performance over Southern Miss, what is the general feeling about the team around campus?

A: It’s been an exciting week on campus if for no other reason than USC fans actually think their Gamecocks have a chance this weekend.

For the first time in what seems like decades, South Carolina finally did what it was supposed to do last week: blow out an inferior opponent. Those game have been few and far between in Columbia, especially since Steve Spurrier has arrived.

With the Gamecocks now hosting a team entering with a true freshman under center, South Carolina finally thinks it has what it takes to take down the Bulldogs and pave the way to a potential SEC Eastern Division title.

Q: Do you feel injuries/NCAA investigations will have a significant impact on the game’s outcome for either team?

A: It’s doubtful. Steve Spurrier hinted during his weekly media sit down that offensive tackle Jarriel King and cornerback Chris Culliver would both be cleared to play for South Carolina.

Despite that, linebacker Shaq Wilson isn’t expected to play for the second straight week after suffering a major hamstring injury during USC’s first fall practice.

Outside of those three, USC should be close to full strength for Saturday’s tilt. Associate Head Coach for Defense Ellis Johnson would love to have Wilson back if he had his choice between he and Culliver as the front seven are expected to be the catalyst as Carolina hopes to knock off Georgia for the first time since 2007.

Is there a concensus opinion on campus pertaining to Steve Spurrier’s job security?

In a word, no.

Despite what the numbers may say, Steve Spurrier has statistically been one of the most successful coaches in this program’s mired history. While that isn’t satisfying the fan base or Spurrier himself, the fact of the matter is he’s still seen his share of success.

He’s beaten each of the “big three” in the Eastern Division (Florida in 2005, Georgia in 2007, and Tennessee in 2005 and 2008). Additionally, he’s nabbed two wins over rival Clemson to go along with two wins over Ole Miss while the Rebels occupied the Top 25 polls. The postseason success hasn’t been there save an eight-point win over Houston in the Liberty Bowl, but he’s done enough to appease the fan base in Columbia. How long that lasts remains to be seen, however.

Q: How do you feel Stephen Garcia is prepared/ready for this upcoming game against a defense he has not faced before?

A: Absolutely.

While he hasn’t made the smartest decisions in his time as South Carolina’s starting quarterback, he’s certainly seen his fair share of success. That includes an impressive performance over Georgia last season in Athens.

And while the Bulldogs may have a new coach calling the shots in addition to a new scheme, Garcia and his coaching staff feel confident he’ll be prepared to go up against one of the more physical defenses in the league.

He’ll have help, too.

For the first time since Spurrier’s arrived, the Gamecocks have a solid tailback in freshman Marcus Lattimore and a speedster in Z receiver Ace Sanders.

Game prediction and why.

The fan base in Columbia certainly thinks the Gamecocks can finally grab that elusive victory over the Bulldogs, but I’m not feeling it.

As impressive as the offense was against Southern Mississippi last Thursday, the opposition changes drastically against a talented Georgia defense. On the other side of the ball, USC’s defense gave up over 400 yards to the Golden Eagles offense and struggled to get off the field on third down.

They may be able to rattle Aaron Murray, but Georgia’s ground attack will be the difference as Georgia ekes out a 17-10 win in Columbia.