All About Steve: South Carolina's Big Win Makes Coach Spurrier Relevant Again

Ole Miss did not deserve to be the No. 4 team in the country. 

I want to throw that out there first and foremost.

That does not change the fact that South Carolina defeated a top five team for the first time in the school's history at home, and "improves" its overall record in top five matchups to 2-31 all time.

There is growth within this program, and Spurrier has become a relevant figure again. 

Sure, he is always good for a one liner, and his legend from Florida still exists, untarnished, in most college football fans' eyes.

However, this win has brought to the nation's attention a program that may be on its way. Steve Spurrier has shown a willingness to adapt and change in ways that some coaches his age seem to struggle with.

Last year, South Carolina was not very good at the end of the year. Spurrier noticed a lack of dedication in both the players, and the coaches. So he goes out and hires one of the best staffs in the SEC, and finds freshmen players that he knows can make an immediate impact.

The results thus far have been encouraging.

South Carolina is getting great play out of a lot of new players. Steven Garcia, playing through tremendous pain, led this team to victory. His stats did not look great, but he proved more during the Ole Miss game then at any point in the season. He is this teams leader, and he will see this thing through.

Spurrier has finally gotten back into the groove of coaching. He finally has a team that he feels can compete to the level he needs them to.

Finally.

South Carolina has a brutal schedule, and some prognosticators have stated that if South Carolina can go 6-6 with their brutal schedule, Steve Spurrier will be coach of the year. 

The stakes are higher now. South Carolina will be ranked next week. They are one play away from being 4-0 and being possibly in the top 10. The pressure will build. South Carolina seems to get ranked early ever year and then plummet. I refer to the 2007 campaign where South Carolina raced to a 6-1 record with a ranking of No. 6, only to finish the season 6-6 and missing out on a bowl.

South Carolina should win the next game at SC State, and then be favored to win against Kentucky. This should bring South Carolina to 5-1 going into Alabama. 

Then we see what Spurrier has done to change this team. Does the plummet begin? Or does Spurrier and crew say enough is enough? Either way, South Carolina took a huge step toward becoming more than just a middle of the pack SEC team.

No one should overlook South Carolina, or Steve Spurrier, again.