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Steve Parker Sports Editor a bit that should be reserved tor Notre Dame or the Washington Redskins, North Carolina State dropped Carolina by a 42-27 score and ended the Gamecocks' two-game winning streak and halted Carolina's possibilities of having a winning year. Saturday's loss doomed the Gamecocks to a losing cam paign, 5-6 at best with a 4-7 slate about the worst now imaginable. But USC's two big upsets and their recent struggle with the Wolfpack, which was much closer than the final score would indicate, has done much to salvage a season which started off so woefully-with the Gamecocks losing a school record first five games. Carolina should experience little difficulty in winning these next two weeks. Appalachian State, although it is enjoying a good season, and Wake Forest should present just minimal threats. Clemson, in the season finale, should pose much more of a threat. Playing at Death Valley, the Tigers should be slight favorites but Carolina certainly could win this bitter rivalry. Carolina's turnabout in mid-season, from one of the worst teams in college footbali which could be considered anybody's nsover to a team which found itself and proved capable of knocking off teams recognized as being "good' football teams, did much to make this season bearable. But more important, the mid-season turnabout could do much to help next year's football team. ' With hardly anyone now calling this season a total waste, the team's members have nothing to be ashamed of. Carolina has a solid team, not as good as was expected prior to the season but nonetheless solid. What caused USC to get off to such a horrible start is hard to say, but the talent the players now display would seem to indicate it was either a matter of con ditioning or coaching. But the players from this year's team can return next season and not consider themselves a band of "losers." Their mid season winning spurt will make next season's losses, of which there are bound to be some, regardless of who the next coach is, easier to take. And those losses will be less likely to revive memories of this current season than if Carolina had gone 1-10 or 2-9. And the mid-year turnabout could help the next squad in terms of recruiting. High school prep stars are more apt to come to a mediocre football team, such as Carolina's final record will indicate, than they would a losing team. And the new coach will be helped by Carolina's "decent" record. It is a lot easier to rebuild a middle-of-the-road team than it is to rebuild a losing squad. College football teams which hit rock bottom have a ten dency to stay there. Florida State suffered a winless cam paign, changed coaches but still discovered the attitude of losing lingered on and the team's losing streak now numbers 19. Wake Forest fell from the top group of the Atlantic Coast Conference a few years ago to the league's bottom, a position they now seem destined to occupy forever. Wake also is winless this year and has scored just 30 points to date. But powerful teams which suffer an off year have a way of bouncing right back. Good teams take a little more time but also come back. Losers don't rebound quite so quickly. Carolina is right in the middle. A good coach could take this year's players, enjoy a good recruiting year and make the team a strong football squad. Perhaps someday soon, a power. A really bad season this campaign might have made these optimistic visions a little harder to have. COPENHAGEN, DENMARK January 5 - 13' COST - $492.00 Air via Scandinavian Airlines .Roundtrip New York - Copenhagen First Class Hotel with Breakfast Full Day Tour of Sweden. DEPOSIT $100.00 DUE NOVEMBER 5 INFORMATION AND SIGN-UP RUSSELL HOUSE TRAVEL CENTER - 777-6460 UNIVERSITY UNION TRIPS AND EXPEDITIONS COMITEs-E Tennis team defends title ERRY'S n main RICHLANI TAKE OFF YOUR COAT AND RELAX... Choose from our outste collection of men's sw< to take you everywher want casual good look~ and comfort...turtle ne from $12, sleeveless fr cardigan from $20, cre $18, V-necks from $19 'ski looks' from $18. Studeni Carolina opens its defense of the USC fall Invitational Tefnis Team Championship Friday afternooq at 1 o'clock against Presbyterian College. , Before the three-day tournament concludes USC will play singles and doubles matches' against Clemson, Furman, ~Presbyterian and Jacksonville in the tund-robin event. Coach Ron Smarr's squad'will be fresh oif touratament action in Florida, where the Gamecocks have just finished competing in the Citrus Invftational tourney.. Carolina, which assembled a 25-9 record last year, defeated Clem son, Furman, Presbyterian and The Citadel for the USC tour nament title last year. Clemson, which fell to USC 6-3 in spring season play, was runnerup. USC played and defeated all of the teams in this year's tour nament field during the past spring season. But USC is missing two of its top players from last year in Bernard Fritz and Fabrice Paquet, two French players who left to turn professional. Smarr remains undaunted, however, because the best players from last year return MALL eaters; e you cks om $13, ~ws from and Charge Accannts -and the coach enjoyed a fairly good recruiting year. Andreas Hufschmid, a Swit zerland native, was the leading winner last year with a 28-6 mark. Jeff Kefalos, from West Virginia, won 26 matches last year while dropping seven. USC's opening match with Presbyterian will be played on the Physical Education courts. Clemson plays Furman on the varsity courts at the sane time. USC draws a first-round doubles bye. Second day action finds USC playing Furman on the varsity courts at 2 a.m. Jacksonville plays Clemson at the same time on e PE courts. Clemson and USC battle at 12:45 p.m. at the varsity courts. The day's only doubles action for USC finds the squad playing Presbyterian at 2:45 at the varsity courts. On Sunday USC's first action is at 12:30against Jacksonville at the PE courts, but the other schools start play at 9 a.m. with doubles. USC's team concludes its play with a pair of doubles matches against Clemson at 1:45 and Furman at 3:15. Both doubles events are on the varsity courts.