Marcus Lattimore Injury: South Carolina Will Still Win SEC West Without Star RB

Never fear, South Carolina fans, your beloved Gamecocks will win the SEC East even if Marcus Lattimore has to sit out while his left knee heals up.

Lattimore suffered the setback in the fourth quarter of No. 15 USC's 14-12 road win at Mississippi State on Saturday. The sensational sophomore hadn't exactly torn up the turf to that point, with just 39 yards rushing on 17 carries to go along with three catches for 29 yards. Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said after the game that Lattimore's knee had been sprained, though the extent of the injury remains a mystery.

Assuming the tear is not a complete one, Lattimore should be able to return in time to play again this season. He'll have an extra week to rest and heal before the Gamecocks get back to business on the field at Tennessee on Oct. 29. Even if Lattimore isn't ready to go by then, South Carolina shouldn't have too much trouble dispatching a Volunteers team that will be without its own injured star, quarterback Tyler Bray.

The Ol' Ball Coach will certainly hope to have Lattimore back in the lineup by the time South Carolina travels to Fayetteville to take on No. 10 Arkansas on Nov. 5. Otherwise, the task will fall solely on the arm of quarterback Connor Shaw to keep the 'Cocks competitive against the Razorbacks.

Even if the Gamecocks suffer their second defeat of the season to the Hogs, they should still have a pretty good beat on a berth in the SEC Championship Game, assuming they don't run into too much resistance against a QB-starved Florida team.

Granted, the 'Cocks would need some help from Georgia in that event, though the Bulldogs seem likely to lose at least once between the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party and a home game against No. 24 Auburn. The Gamecocks would win the East if they finished with the same record as the Dawgs by virtue of USC's 45-42 win between the hedges in Week 2.

Ultimately, any injury sustained by Lattimore is far from fatal to South Carolina's chances of success this season. The SEC East is weak enough that the Gamecocks should be able to survive atop the heap even without their terrific tailback.

Even if Lattimore doesn't return in time to play in the SEC Championship Game, it's not as though USC's chances of beating LSU or Alabama would be any worse, seeing as how those two are clearly the two most dominant teams in college football this season.

So, don't fret, Columbians, because your team is destined for the same result, with or without Marcus Lattimore: a stern whoopin' at the Georgia Dome on December 3rd.