Is it time for Spurrier to hang it up?

Last night Steve Spurrier and his Gamecocks fell to Vanderbilt for the second year in a row. After an impressive win to start the season, this was not what the Old Ball Coach was expecting out of his team as they started conference play. Since taking over in Columbia, Spurrier is 22 - 17 which is not what the school was expecting when they brought him back to the college ranks. His Fun'N'Gun offense has never materialized at South Carolina because he has not been able to recruit the kind of players to fit his system. Everyone knew that Spurrier would have some work ahead of him to make South Carolina relevant in the SEC, however most experts were expecting more by this point. Despite Tennessee being down, South Carolina has yet to finish in the top 3 in the SEC East and the early season loss to Vanderbilt will make that difficult this year.

The magic just isn't there this time around and I wonder how long he will try to force it. Spurrier is an avid golfer and one of the reasons he chose South Carolina was the proximity to great golf courses. At this point in his career money is not an issue as he has always been one of the game's highest paid coaches. Each day that passes jeopardizes the legacy he established for himself at Duke and Florida. His track record of rebuilding teams has historically been strong but the pieces have yet to come together at South Carolina. It is important to note that while Spurrier was trying his hand at the NFL, the conference changed. Georgia, LSU, and Auburn all made strides while Spurrier was gone and Meyer has led the Gators to a National title since Spurrier has been back. Defense are quicker and the passing game has changed as well. Spurrier has tried to run the ball more but it's not who he is. It has gotten so bad that Spurrier actually reliquenshed control of the offense to his son, something I never thought I would see. When you watch him during a game now, it sometimes feels like he is mailing it in. The passion and expression that were Spurrier trademarks just aren't there anymore. Spurrier is ultra competitive and extremely arrogant so deep down he probably doesn't want to walk away from this until he turns South Carolina around.

Spurrier and the school are both in a tough position. Spurrier's ego makes it hard for him to resign and how in the world could South Carolina justify to its fans the firing of Spurrier. Unless South Carolina bounces back and makes some major strides this year, it might be time for Spurrier to meet with school officials and find some way to make a transition work for everyone. As a Tennessee fan, I've always had mixed feelings about Spurrier. He has always been the guy you love to hate, but the day he left Florida the rivalry just didn't feel the same anymore. As scared I was of the day he took over a part of me was excited about what he would bring back to the conference. At this point it's been a disappointment and Spurrier and South Carolina continue to be an afterthought in a crowded SEC hierarchy. Stay tuned as this story will probably continue to develop as the season progresses.