South Carolina Gamecocks vs. UCF Knights Preview: Will the Real Gamecocks Please Show Up?

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Central Florida Knights, 12 p.m. ET, ABC

After three games that have largely seen South Carolina win the games I thought they would win and lose the game I thought they would lose, I'm still a little perplexed by this team. Not because I don't know what this team is capable of, but because I don't feel like I've seen this team play a complete game yet. And they might not be able to coast to a win in Orlando.

Consider this: South Carolina had a 17-0 lead against UNC after the first quarter. They won 27-10. The Gamecocks allowed Georgia to score 17 unanswered points during one stretch of their game against the Dawgs and 10 unanswered points at another time. And they led Vanderbilt 28-0 in a game that South Carolina ended up winning 35-25. The Gamecocks might not have been taking large chunks of those games off, but the play was at the very least uneven.

And while Central Florida might not exactly be on the verge of a BCS title run, the Golden Knights have looked solid so far. They thrashed Akron and FIU by a combined 76-7 score, like a good American Athletic Conference team should. Then they went to State College and defeated Penn State by three. This might be the most challenging game on the schedule for the Knights -- save perhaps the trip to Louisville -- but UCF seems more than ready for the challenge. They put a scare into the Gamecocks but end up a bit short.

South Carolina 32, UCF 23