You’ve been fully processed by College Football Entertainment Inc, Spurrier. Remember: the system (and all its perks) stays, and will always stay, in the designated areas of the country.

By RoaringChicken on 01.02.09 8:29 am

An excellent article GP and yes; it is hard to watch.

I, for one, have never hated Spurrier, even when he was coaching against us. I obviously didn’t pull for him, but I just have never been able to work up a “hate” against the man who brought us to the place we are today.

I accepted a scholarship to play for The University back in 1959. I have not only been through those troubling years of “Wait until next year,” I likely was a part of the problem, at least through ‘62. So I know first hand, what Steve brought to Florida.

There is nothing as empty, nothing as unfulfilling, as the phrase “Wait until next year,” particularly when there hasn’t been too many of those “next years.”

Spurrier made Florida into a football superpower and because of that, our many other athletic programs flourished as well.

In my opinion the OBC should have never left Florida. I think he knew that when he tried to come back. But alas…..

Unfortunately, it’s awfully difficult for an athlete to go out a loser. Sadder still, most athletes do. Why? Because they never learn that fundamental rule; “Quite while you’re ahead!”

By Bull Gator on 01.02.09 10:50 am

You are right son, that was brutal to watch. Reminded me of a close-up of SOS at the end of the UF game where he looked humiliated. You are right, he needs to get out. He is unable to get the job done, he should just admit it and hang up the visor. His QB play is just awful - that reflects on him, the QB coach. Unfortunately I think his pride may keep him in the game a little longer.

By Dad on 01.02.09 11:14 am

Good write-up, GP. You’re right; Spurrier looks like a broken man in that post-game. His eyes reveal a man that’s so ashamed of his performance that he can’t face his accusers.

I’ve been a big fan of Spurrier since he came to Columbia, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t have my doubts about his ability to take us to the next level. I say Spurrier should give himself and South Carolina one more year. If he can solve the myriad problems this team has and pick up eight or nine wins, he should stay. If not, he should pack it in and head for the golf course. One thing about Spurrier is that you know he’d like to go out on something like a high note. I hope he gets the chance to.

By gamecock man on 01.02.09 11:54 am

I’m torn… that man had more to do with influencing how I think and feel and even how I watch football then maybe any other except my own father and I want nothing more then to see him go out a winner. But watching this…this…abomination of an offense he has at USC and seeing it self destruct game after game and seeing how it hurts him a little more with every loss is just so painful.

By SC_Gator on 01.02.09 4:03 pm

The only win a Big 10 team has had in a bowl game this season to date.

But, my oh my, why this one?

By Vince Gagliano on 01.02.09 4:32 pm

We’d have taken just about any other Big Ten team.

Give us Penn State over USC.

I’d have been fine with Minnesota over Kansas.

Heck, maybe even Michigan State over Georgia would have been nice, or Ohio State over Texas on Monday.

But why Iowa over USC East?

(In entirely unrelated news, none of us at O&B will have to miss Coach O anymore. He’s joining Lane Kiffin at Tennessee.)

By Vince Gagliano on 01.02.09 4:38 pm

OBC should have never left, he would still be coaching up champions and winning ball games. This is what happens though when you think the world revolves around you.

He is a great coach, and he is doing what Lou Holtz did, squeezing shat out of a turd.

I really do not see him coming back for another year of torture.

By Aligator on 01.02.09 10:49 pm

SCREW UT!!

By Aligator on 01.02.09 10:50 pm

Let’s be honest…USC was never that goog this year, and Iowa was pretty solid and lost 4 very close games. This wasn’t the best year for the SEC teams anyway, so what did you expect?

South Carolina was outmatched and it showed… I don’t see his stint at USC working out.

By UFGatorDMD on 01.03.09 10:43 am

Vince
Funny to watch the Big 10 get punk’d every year, with the exception of this lone realatively even matchup(Iowa/SC)they are all playing against higher ranked (or rated) opponents once again. Big 10 teams are attractive enough to merit selections they don’t deserve. Bowls are about money, not matchups therefore lesser-qualified Big 10 teams are consistently pulled into bowls against better opponents simply because they’re a higher $$ draw. Contributes to their perceived weakness but makes me laugh they travel down here a month and a half after their season ends, spend their loot and get punk’d mostly. LOL

By Gatordone on 01.03.09 2:50 pm

Gatordone

It’s hard to believe the league was once known for its power running. It’s also hard to believe Michigan vs. Ohio State was once not only respectable, but “can’t miss” material.

On a side note, I consider the Ole Miss-Texas Tech a good omen for the good guys.

No, this isn’t because Texas Tech plays defense. That is, if you consider defense holding the fourth-best team in the league to a mere 47 points.

It’s because the gap, quantitatively and qualitatively, between Ole Miss and Florida is much bigger than between Texas Tech and Oklahoma. It was already pretty big even when DeMarco Murray was healthy.

And by the way, losing Murray is a bigger blow to OU than losing Percy Harvin was to UF, simply because Murray took more snaps than Harvin and was even more involved in that offense; UF could get away with giving Harvin fewer snaps because SEC coordinators had much more to worry about.

By Vince Gagliano on 01.03.09 7:28 pm

Vince
Good observations, I agree. Regarding Spurrier, I’d still be a lot happier if he was coaching the Gators instead of some Ohio coach and understand the feelings of previous posters to this thread. Regarding UM vs OSU, that game will return to “can’t miss” probably sooner than we think. The tradition and intensity of that rivalry is unmatched in college football. That part of the country is still the birthplace of football strategy, 14 of the last 18 national title game teams have head coaches from Ohio, Hell Ohio has 36 NCAA football schools, can you imagine if the best players went to only a few colleges there like here in the South? The industrial infrastructure of the South is changing and believe me you’ll see more parity soon enough.

By Gatordone on 01.03.09 9:18 pm

I think all the best players in Ohio already go to one school - Ohio State, which is the only major program in the state.

By skigator93 on 01.04.09 12:12 am

Trivia: Meyer was a defensive back at the University of Cincinnati.

Other notable sports personalities include Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin, Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis, and NBA Hall-of-Famer Oscar Robertson.

By Vince Gagliano on 01.04.09 8:41 am

Ski & Vince
Hilarious, but I was thinking like Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger (Miami OH) or his lineman James Harrison, Sweatervest couldn’t nab them and can barely beat instate schools. Giants Chase Blackburn is another off the top of de head. Now if your talking NBA Vince don’t forget Lebron James skipped OSU but considers himself a Buckeye even 4 from that freshman class that played our Gators skipped out of OSU for the NBA. Just saying all the “best players” don’t always go or stay, it takes shifty masterminds like Urban Meyer and Billy Donovan to mold superior teams that stay the course.

By Gatordone on 01.04.09 11:37 pm

GP you hit the nail on the head w/ this one. I’ve liked and respected the OBC since I was a kid. He did it all first at FL winning a Heisman and then a NC. I’ve always wished him success (except of course when he faces FL) but it’s hard watching his team play so miserably. I’ve never cared for Smelley throwing the ball and hope Garcia matures in the offseason but I concur have a winning season play and win in a halfway decent bowl and get carried off the field into the sunset. I never imagined the OBC turning into a Bowden or JoePa.

GO GATORS!!!

“4 DAYS PYLE!!!! 4 DAYS!!!”

By John on 01.05.09 2:22 pm

Gatordone

Even if LeBron played college ball in the first place, if anyone were to remotely believe that, who’s to stay that he goes to Ohio State?

What if he stayed and played ball for the hometown Akron Zips for a season? I’d think he’d do that sooner than go to Columbus.

By Vince Gagliano on 01.05.09 7:15 pm

Vince
With all due respect, it’s common knowledge Lebron has a thing for OSU having stated several times he “would have been a Buckeye”, in fact the teams jersey has a Lebron logo on it.. he’s on the sidelines at lot of Buckeye sporting events and hangs with the players when in town.
http://www.sportsline.com/spin/story/10737330

By Gatordone on 01.07.09 2:12 am

But seriously, think about it rationally for a second:

LeBron wears a Yankees cap and designs New York-themed sneakers, and boom! People have him signing with the Knicks/Nets in 2010.

So if he constantly hangs around Ohio State personalities, does that mean he’ll jump on the Buckeye train the first chance he gets? Who knows, although LBJ was actually a pretty good wide receiver in high school.

Even if he isn’t in Cleveland, would you consider a child of the 90’s who grew up rooting for Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and the Triplet triple champs Dallas Cowboys, well, not something of a bandwagoner?

Que sera sera. Until then, I think the King is most thrilled about having the best season of his career.

I’ll save the Ohio State stuff for when he’s contemplating life after retirement.

By Vince Gagliano on 01.07.09 8:54 pm