FITS Poll: Spurrier’s Job Safe
When Steve Spurrier arrived at the University of South Carolina prior to the 2005 season, “the future was wide open.”
The Gamecocks were finally going to start winning conference – perhaps even national championships, and USC Athletic Department leaders had visions of Williams-Brice Stadium becoming one of the five-largest football stadiums in America.
Nearing the end of his fifth season at the helm, however, things haven’t worked out that way for Spurrier and the Gamecocks.
The “Ole Ball Coach” has posted a disappointing 34-25 record – including an 18-20 mark against the SEC. Plus, attendance during the Spurrier era is down – and not just during the recent national recession. Assuming sellout crowds attend USC’s two remaining home games against top-ranked Florida and arch-rival Clemson, Spurrier will come out averaging roughly 78,000 fans per home game over his five-year tenure – or 3,000 fans less per game than during Lou Holtz’s six years in Columbia.
In spite of all that, though, FITS readers believe Spurrier will be sticking around for a sixth season in 2010.
According to a poll conducted on our website earlier this week, 60% of respondents said that Spurrier’s job was “safe no matter what.”
A much smaller number, 26%, said that Spurrier “should’ve been terminated last year.”
Nine percent of respondents said they believe that Spurrier needs to win at least one more game this year to keep his job, while 6% believe he needs to win two of South Carolina’s remaining three contests.
South Carolina – which fell from the Top 25 after a Halloween loss to Tennessee – travels to Fayetteville, Arkansas on Saturday to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Gamecocks then finish the season with home games against Florida (Nov. 14) and Clemson (Nov. 28).
Comments
By Toyota Kawaski on November 3rd, 2009 at 9:22 am
Like i said yesterday Fits you will go up in flames before SOS does.I know it comes natural for you.
By Toyota Kawaski on November 3rd, 2009 at 9:24 am
Great picture SOS and 22 have the same expression!!!
By Tom on November 3rd, 2009 at 10:43 am
As long as you have an AD who gives contract extentsions to coaches who should be fired (like Dave Odom) all USC coaches have nothing to fear.
By OnNoNotAgain on November 3rd, 2009 at 11:11 am
He’s posted a disappoiting record?
In five years, he’s won more games than Holtz did in six.
He would have lose 12 games, let’s say every game next season, to have the same number of losses that Holtz did. But he’d still have more wins.
Has the program achieved a championship level? Absolutely not.
Has it improved? Absolutely.
We’ve been bowl eligible for six straight seasons (that includes Holtz’ last season.) Best such streak in school history. We’ve gone to three bowls in four completed seasons, with a fourth in five possible.
You bet there are empty seats in Williams-Brice Stadium.
That has actually little to do with product on the field, even though it hasn’t gotten better as we might like.
1) The YES program was a benighted, asinine move by our Tar Heel A.D.
2) The economy has hurt attendance as well.
3) Most of those empty seats you had in your picture and those you see on gameday are VISITORS seats. Again, the economy is keeping some people from traveling. Many of the visibly empty seats are “them” not us.
There si a growing segment of fans who are demanding better product on the field. I’m one of them.
But I’m also one who knows we are taking baby steps, not leaps.
By Not Sayin', Just Sayin' on November 3rd, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Nobody can win at USC, so what’s the point in a change?
By Hal I. on November 4th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Seems wrongheaded to blame Spurrier for the irrational expecations of Gamecock fans (mine included). He’s done very well here and looking at this year’s team I think the groundwork is there for some very successful future seasons. We cycle in and out of the top 25, we play tough games against the best teams in the country, and we’re starting to pull down big time recruiting classes – several things that at the beginning of the decade were not taken for granted by USC fans.
The reason a Nick Saban can walk into Bama and turn them into a contender immediately is b/c that infrastructure already exists: the tradition, the boosters, the facilities, etc. Spurrier is doing an excellent job of constructing that here, and the program will be much stronger when he leaves. He may not win us the SEC, but he is putting us within striking distance at the very least.
By CNSYD on November 4th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
HaL. L, USC has better facilities and boosters than more then half the SEC schools. Spurrier doesn’t construct facilities, that is the AD’s job using booster money. I don’t know what the root cause is but I don’t think it is the items that you mention that need to be “built”. Saban didn’t turn Alabama into a “contender” his first season. The advantages you mention irt Alabama were there for the coach before him. Alabama looked at the situation and decided that the previous coach was the problem. USC has had 10 years of Holtz and Spurrier.
By Hal I. on November 4th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
“USC has better facilities and boosters than more then half the SEC schools.”
Thanks for proving my point! Afterall, we usually win a/b half our games. Just kidding, but still, I was basing that comment on what Spurrier said when he arrived here: if we don’t upgrade we’ll never attract top talent (Hyman heeded the call, hence The Dodie, etc).
“Spurrier doesn’t construct facilities, that is the AD’s job using booster money”
Sure he does. He pulls in the money from the boosters, and I think he’ll have a good offseason of fundraising given the potential this young team is showing.
“Saban didn’t turn Alabama into a “contender” his first season. The advantages you mention irt Alabama were there for the coach before him. Alabama looked at the situation and decided that the previous coach was the problem”
First season, second season, what’s the difference? Either way he has the tools at Bama to win, and he’s working w/ a lot more than Spurrier is whether you choose to believe it or not. Obviously he has to be able to coach, but if you really think that if those two traded places that the fates of their teams would differ by more than a game or so you’re deluding yourself. Spurrier would be top 5 and we’d be trying to figure out why Saban can’t beat Tennessee. Institutional reform takes a LOOOONG time, but if you really think the program isn’t on the rise, or hasn’t been moving in the right direction I simply don’t know what to tell you.
“USC has had 10 years of Holtz and Spurrier.”
And by our standards the Spurrier years have been some of the best in the program’s history. Bowl eligible every year, our first wins against powerhouse foes, no sub-.500 seasons… I can’t get over the idea that USC thinks any coach is going to magically put us atop the SEC East. It takes time, and now that we’re finally not worried a/b going 3-8 or something like that we can start looking at how to get over the 8 win hump.
By CNSYD on November 4th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Hal, L., the old saying about coaching is that “he can take his and beat yours or he can take yours and beat his”. Saban could probably do that. Perhaps Meyer also. Spurrier used to be able to do that I am not sure he can anymore. He is stubborn, e.g. running the same fade route over and over. He publicly dresses down his QB during games. I thought Mangus was brought in to be a buffer. Lately that seems to have gone by the wayside.