Why Steve Spurrier Should Be College Football Coach of the Year

Steve Spurrier, coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks, should win College Football Coach of the Year. Spurrier has taken a barely mediocre South Carolina program and turned it into a program that contends for their division and is bowl eligible every season.

Prior to hiring Spurrier, the South Carolina Gamecocks had an SEC W-L record of 36-67-1. Since Spurrier was hired, he has won 16 conference games. In four seasons plus the two conference games that have been played so far in his fifth season, he has won almost half the number of games that the Gamecocks had won in the previous 13 years.

Among those conference wins was the first ever win at Neyland Stadium against Tennessee in 2005. Spurrier has also improved Carolina's overall winning percentage to over .500. This may not seem impressive and while it isn't for many schools, it is a good start in the right direction for USC.

Every season Spurrier has been the coach for USC, the Gamecocks have been bowl eligible. The Gamecocks have been bowl eligible for four straight years, a first in Gamecock history. None of the other coaches at South Carolina can say that they had the Gamecocks bowl eligible every season except for Spurrier.

Recruiting has also improved under Steve Spurrier, who has brought in some great recruiting classes. All of Spurrier's recruiting classes at South Carolina have been in the Top 25 of college football, including one recruiting class ranked sixth and another ranked twelfth.

Other success Spurrier has brought to South Carolina are wins over #4 and #8 nationally ranked teams -- #4 Ole Miss this season and #8 Kentucky in 2007. The win over Kentucky propelled the Gamecocks to the Top 10, at #6 in the nation.

While the South Carolina Gamecocks have a rather dismal football history, Steve Spurrier has done a lot of good for the football program and has the Gamecocks making their name in the college football world. With never before seen victories and improving the overall state of the program, Spurrier is etching his name in Gamecock history. With all that Spurrier has accomplished at USC and with what he plans to accomplish before retiring, there is no doubt that Coach Steve Spurrier should be College Football Coach of the Year.