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The SEC East is a mess right now, but Florida still controls its own destiny despite the loss to Arkansas last week. The Gators can lock up the division on Saturday with a win over South Carolina and a Tennessee loss to Kentucky.

The first part of that equation seemed like it should be pretty simple a few weeks ago. The Gamecocks were 2-4 and looked like they were headed for another finish at the bottom of the division. A three-game winning streak and a new quarterback in Jake Bentley has South Carolina looking much more of a danger to the Gator. Throw in a backup quarterback starting this week for Florida and this game has some intrigue to it.

Viewing information

Date: Saturday, Nov. 12
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida

TV: CBS
Live stream (computer): CBSSports.com (Simulcast and All-22 feed)
Live stream (mobile): Download the CBS Sports App

Storylines

South Carolina: The story in this one is Will Muschamp's return to The Swamp for the first time since his firing in 2014. Muschamp spent a year in Auburn as defensive coordinator before taking over at South Carolina and he's done well in his first season; five wins is already an improvement on the Gamecocks' 2015 record.

Now, he has a chance to not only get bowl eligible but to do so against his former school, while seriously hurting the Gators' chances of winning the division in the process. Muschamp won't say it publicly, but he wants this win. He'll talk about how it's another game and about South Carolina and his players, but they're going to want this one a little extra for him too.

Florida: Can Florida find some offense? This defense kept the ship afloat for seven games, but as injuries pile up and the wear of the season takes its toll, the Gators' ship has started sinking. Now, Luke Del Rio is out and Austin Appleby will step into the starting quarterback spot for an offense that, with the exception of the Missouri game, has really struggled since the second half at Tennessee.

Florida's offense has to be better on Saturday in all facets of the game. It starts with the running game, which gained 12 yards on 14 carries against Arkansas, which was the culmination of a slow, steady decline in productivity against quality defense. South Carolina is the 89th ranked rush defense in the country. That should give Florida some hope, but if the Gators can't run it against this defense, it doesn't matter which quarterback is under center, there will be serious problems.

Players to watch

Jake Bentley, QB, South Carolina: To beat Florida, you must be able to throw the football effectively. In the Gators' two losses, Tennessee and Arkansas 52.5 percent of their passes combined, and averaged 281 yards through the air in those two games. In Florida's six wins, the Gators pass defense has allowed a 37.1 completion percentage and an average of 103.5 yards per game through the air.

Freshman quarterback Jake Bentley has completed 73 percent of his passes and averaged 207 passing yards per game and two passing touchdowns since taking over three weeks ago. He's also been fantastic taking care of the football as he's not thrown an interception in three games.

Florida's only touchdown against Arkansas a week ago was on a pick six, and few teams outside of Alabama do a better job turning turnovers directly into points than the Gators. If Bentley can take care of the ball and have some success moving the ball through the air, the Gamecocks can pull the upset in Will Muschamp's return.

Jordan Scarlett, RB, Florida: Scarlett is Florida's lead back in a pretty balanced rotation of three guys. He is also the most consistent of the bunch on a yards per carry average. His 4.93 yards per carry is second on the team and he's been over four yards per carry in all but two games this season. If Florida is running the football effectively against the Gamecocks, Scarlett is probably the one doing the consistent damage on the most carries. The Gators need that in this game to take pressure off of Appleby.

Matchup to watch

South Carolina's offensive line vs. Florida's pass rush: For Jake Bentley to have a good game and avoid turnovers, he needs help from his large friends on the offensive line. Florida's pass rush can help its secondary create turnovers by heating up Brantley and forcing him into making decisions faster than he wants. That can lead to quicker throws and there are few secondaries in the country that like to sit on underneath routes and jump them more than Florida's.

If Brantley is given time by the Gamecocks' offensive line, he can work his reads and make the smart choices. If Florida's defensive line wins the battle up front and he's under pressure regularly, that's a recipe for disaster for South Carolina.