GAME OF THE NIGHT: N.C. STATE AT SOUTH CAROLINA

At long last, football is back.We’ve waited several long months, but the college football season finally begins tonight. It’s not a great slate of games, but the big one is North Carolina State at South Carolina, at 8 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.What I’m most looking forward to seeing is whether Gamecocks quarterback Tommy Beecher can be effective in Steve Spurrier’s offense. Spurrier isn’t boasting this year, perhaps because he knows that as he heads into his fourth season at South Carolina, he really hasn’t made any progress at all. The Gamecocks have gone from 7-5 to 8-5 to 6-6, and if Beecher doesn’t have a surprisingly strong season, that’s right around the range to expect from them again this year.But I do think they’re going to beat the Wolfpack tonight. Redshirt freshman Russell Wilson will start at quarterback after winning a wide-open battle in the off-season, and I’m just not sure he’s ready to go on the road in a raucous environment and put together a winning performance.Coach Tom O’Brien sounds like a man who might give his quarterback a quick hook:"Obviously he did things well enough that we think he’s the guy we have to have under center to win the football game right now,” O’Brien said this week. “It’s just a situation where we need what he brings to the table right now."When your coach emphasizes “right now” as he describes your status as the starter, that’s not a good sign. Look for South Carolina’s defense to make it a long night for Wilson.