By Matt Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com

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Traits such as toughness, grit and selflessness arent just idealistic attributes to Shaw; they are the embodiment of who he is.

As the South Carolina Gamecocks (10-2, 6-2) prepare to take on No. 19 Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, most college football fans are focused less on the matchup between top 25 teams than they are on their final opportunity to see Jadeveon Clowney play his final collegiate snaps.

A freak of nature from a physical standpoint, there has been little that opponents have been able to do to slow down Clowney during his career in Columbia. Facing almost constant double- and triple-teams during his final two seasons of competition, Clowney still managed to register 24 career sacks, with one game remaining in a Gamecocks jersey. That total ranks him third on the schools all-time sacks list behind Andrew Provence (26) and Eric Norwood (29).

A sure-fire first round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Clowney will undoubtedly go down as the greatest defensive end to ever don the garnet and black.

But Clowney is not the only player on this Gamecocks team who will go down as the greatest player at his position in the history of the program.

Playing in a rare era of SEC football when exceptional quarterback play seemingly trumps teams rushing attacks, South Carolinas Connor Shaw has spent much of his tenure in Columbia living in the shadows of fellow conference signal callers. During his time on campus, Shaw has watched as Texas A&Ms Johnny Manziel became the first freshman in history to win the Heisman Trophy, Georgias Aaron Murray dismantled the SEC record books and Alabamas A.J. McCarron led the Crimson Tide to two national championships.

In the meantime, all Shaw has done is transform into the undeniable catalyst for the Gamecocks during the most successful stint in program history.

A true dual-threat quarterback, Shaw will finish his career in Columbia ranked in the top five for career passing yards, and as the leading rusher in program history from the quarterback position. In fact, Shaw will almost certainly end his career in the top 20 of the schools all-time rushing list (he needs just 17 yards against the Badgers to pass Spencer Clark at No. 20).

Shaw has also developed into the master of efficiency for the Gamecocks. Despite attempting over 600 fewer passes than the schools all-time leading passer, Todd Ellis, Shaw will finish his career with the second-most touchdown passes in South Carolina history. Of course, that isnt even taking into account the 16 rushing touchdowns to his credit heading into his final contest.

He also is poised to go down as the programs all-time leader in career completion percentage by a comfortable margin. The current leader in the category is Blake Mitchell, who completed 60.7 percent of his career attempts. With his one game remaining, Shaw is amazingly completing 64.7 of his career attempts as a Gamecock.

But none of those statistical accomplishments truly measure Shaws greatest attributes on the gridiron.

For all of Shaws characteristics which can be tangibly measured, they simply pale in comparison to his ability to lead his football team to victory.

In all three of Shaws seasons as the South Carolina starting quarterback the Gamecocks won ten or more games, a feat which had never even come close to being accomplished in program history.

In total, Shaw is 26-5 as a starter for the Gamecocks, giving him the most wins for a quarterback in school history. His 83.9 career winning percentage is also first in program history by a wide margin.

And if that wasnt enough, Shaw was also deadly effective in taking care of business at Williams-Brice stadium, never losing a career start at his home field (17-0).

Shaw was also able to accomplish all of these feats despite battling frequent injuries during his career due to his physical and fearless style of play. Rarely at 100 percent health during the 2013 regular season, Shaw still managed to finish his senior campaign with 2,135 yards passing, 21 touchdowns and just one interception.

Despite those tremendous feats, Shaw was never included as a member of the conferences All-SEC team at the conclusion of the season. As only Shaw could do, however, he always shrugged off his lack of personal accolades, instead choosing to bask in the success of his team.

Shaws national perception was unquestionably hurt by the era and the system in which he played, but that does not take away from the fact that he will go down as one of the most underrated players in college football history.

As a society, we frequently judge success at the quarterback position solely by individual stats and NFL potential. What we often fail to realize, however, is that the primary objective of a quarterback is not to complete passes and show off his arm strength, but rather to lead his team and put it position to win football games.

Traits such as toughness, grit and selflessness arent just idealistic attributes to Shaw; they are the embodiment of who he is. They are the defining qualities which make him the best quarterback to ever step under center in Columbia.

So as you prepare to watch the Gamecocks take on Wisconsin on New Years Day, take some time to appreciate the accomplishments and the skill of Connor Shaw.

Players with his attributes are unfortunately a dying breed in the current era of college football. As such, we must value every moment we are able to spend watching players who excite us not with their physical tools, but with their sheer will to win.