South Carolina Football 2011: Why Starting Connor Shaw Is a Bad Idea

In the Old Testament Book of Proverbs, the wise King Solomon lays down some timeless wisdom concerning life, love, spirituality and coaching a team with dark horse BCS fantasies:

"Yea, though a fool will say, 'It is only fair that I give unto this hard-working, clean-cut QB the fruits of his labors,' it is unwise indeed to play with the flaky emotions of QB #1, who may be the best chance to lead thy team to the promised land."

Good stuff. Amazingly, it's just as relevant today as it was 2,500 years ago.

South Carolina's history with tag team QBs is spotty at best. Whether we're talking about Syvelle Newton/Blake Mitchell, Blake Mitchell/Chris Smelley, Chris Smelley/Stephen Garcia or Stephen Garcia/Connor Shaw, "the good kid, mediocre athlete vs. bad kid with occasional flashes of brilliance" QB tandem just doesn't ever seem to work out the way Spurrier—or the loyal Carolina fanbase—wants it to.

So here we are again at the start of what looks to be the most promising season ever for Gamecock football and Spurrier is up to his old tricks, playing around with our emotions and, far more importantly, the emotions of Stephen Garcia.  

I remarked in an earlier article that Spurrier seems to want a Danny Weurffel clone (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/781540-ga-mangus-arrest-how-will-this-affect-south-carolinas-season). I wonder at times if what he really wants still exists in big-time NCAA football.

Few things are sadder than a man yearning after a lost love, but seeing that lost love in every new woman you encounter is probably much worse.

How's that for a proverb?