ESPN College Football

We asked you on Tuesday to vote for the most hated coach in SEC history -- past or present.

We're all about the love here on the SEC blog, but this is after all "Hate Week" at ESPN.com. Seriously, this is all done in fun, and some of your responses were priceless.

Here's a sampling:

Drew in Greenville, S.C., writes: I don't think there is any doubt that Lane Kiffin is the clear winner (loser). The two glaring differences between Kiffin and all the other candidates is that he left the program in shambles and he didn't win anything. All the other coaches had success at their respective schools and Kiffin never sniffed success. With Kiffin at the helm, if felt like I was always having to defend my school's decision to hire that clown. Currently, Dooley may not be winning much, but at least I don't have to defend him for his lack of honor.

Darth Tripous writes: The most hated SEC coach has to be Lane Kiffin. My hope is that one day Alshon Jeffery will say to Kiffin, "Fill 'er up please."

Mike in Mandeville, La., writes: I'm down on Nick Saban, but not for the reasons most LSU dislike him. I just need to look at the last play of his tenure at LSU, the Iowa "Hail Mary." Saban was DB coach and that garbage could happen? Nicky was always pulling boneheaded stunts, only saved by the awesome talent he recruited. Anyone remember his annual inability to pick a starting QB? How about UAB 13 LSU 10? The 2000 Arkansas game he failed to use a time out to punt with the wind and ended up with a 3-yarder to start the 2nd quarter? How about 4th & inches at his own 27 during the 2001 SEC title game? The dog show from 2002 that started in Auburn and culminated in the Cotton Bowl loss to Texas? 2003 Florida? UGa 2004? Nick seems to have learned a great deal from the NFL, but the poor in-game calls that cost LSU from 2000-2004 will always have Lil' Nicky No. 1 on my dog list!

R.J. in Portland, Ore., writes: The biggest SEC villain is no doubt Nick (the dictator) Saban. He oversigns, ruthlessly cuts players, has hissy fits in front of the media and undermines them. Not to mention he compares losses to horrific tragedies such as Pearl Harbor and has a terrible personality. The guy is everything that is wrong with college football.

Jason in Athens, Ga., writes: By far, it's the "Evil Genius" now at South Carolina. Being a lifelong DAWG fan, I despised him when he was at Florida, when we could only pull out one win in the 90's (1997: behind Bobo and Edwards running the show). And now he has gotten the best of us the past few years for sure. But as much as I wish he would leave, I have respect for him because he is without a question one of the best college football coaches in history. Anyone who can win an ACC championship with Duke is a helluva ball coach.

Sam in Athens, Ga., writes: Spurrier is still the most hated coach in the SEC for his snide comments. Saban may be despised by Auburn fans, but the rest of the league recognizes he is simply the best coach in college football today.

Byrd in Houston, Texas writes: How can anyone beat out Tommy Tuberville for the most hated coach? Ole Miss hates him for leaving. Bama hates him for beating them more often than not. Auburn hates him for "losing" toward the end of his tenure. The rest of the SEC hates him. Close second: Jackie Sherrill.

Chris in Tampa, Fla., writes: It's Gene Chizik. He has a terrible record and a bought national title. But, somehow, he has the puppet Auburn fans dancing on his string.

Barry in Charleston, Tenn., writes: James Franklin is the coach I despise most. Dirty on the field and talks too much off it, especially for a program that has always been awful. I hope Candy's fans realize he won't be there once he gets a better offer from somewhere else.

Brian in Washington, D.C., writes: Saban. Period. Petrino would make the discussion if he still met the employment requirement. Without him, there is no argument.

Trevor writes: Gotta be Derek Dooley. He makes horrible remarks about Vanderbilt, has no originality, and let's face it, who really does like the orange pants? Even Johnny Majors still cringes at the thought of orange pants. Spurrier would be a close second.

Michael in Eden Prairie, Minn., writes: Pat Dye for sure. He was the one who turned my Gators into the NCAA in the early 1980s for paying players while the whole time doing it himself. Remember Eric Ramsey?

Realdawgsnocowbell writes: Does it have to be a head coach? How about Willie Martinez?

John in Baton Rouge, La., writes: There have been many coaches in the SEC that are so much fun to hate. For me, though it's none other than Phil Fulmer. Of all his accomplishments and successes, the first thing that comes to my mind is a particular game played Sept. 26, 2005. It was an extremely hot Monday night after Hurricane Rita. It was my freshman year at LSU and my first time in the student section. With the community recently rocked by two hurricanes, everyone was excited to have a game to watch in Tiger Stadium. Sadly, we squandered a 21-point lead and fell in overtime. I remember clearly the sight of Gerald Riggs scoring the winning touchdown and the moment of dead silence that came over the crowd as we realized what had just happened. Tennessee then planted their flag at midfield and Coach Fulmer in his post game interview said that Rick Clausen was now the greatest story in America . It wasn't the greatest story in America. The greatest story in America at the moment had just been ruined. Ever since, Fulmer has been the coach that I loved to root against!

Jordan in Birmingham, Ala., writes: Without a doubt, the most hated coach to ever come through the SEC is Phillip Fulmer! Roll Tide!

College football’s most hated coaches were despised for winning, breaking the rules and running up the score.

Ranking the most hated college football coaches of all-time:

1. Steve Spurrier: Rival fans hated Spurrier not only because he beat them so often while coaching at Florida, but more so because he loved to tell them about it afterward. From Spurrier’s famous jabs like “Free Shoes U.” and “Can’t Spell Citrus Without UT,” the Old Ball Coach gave rival fans myriad reasons to dislike him.

2. Woody Hayes: One of the most successful coaches in history, Hayes guided Ohio State to 13 Big Ten titles and three consensus national championships. But he is perhaps best remembered for his chronically boorish behavior, which included physical confrontations with sportswriters, photographers, opposing coaches and athletics directors, referees and even opposing players.

3. Barry Switzer: A bootlegger’s son from Arkansas, Switzer wasn’t afraid to rub opposing coaches and fans the wrong way while dominating the Big 8 during his ultra-successful career at Oklahoma from 1973 to 1988. Switzer always wanted to hang “half a hundred” on opponents and wasn’t afraid to run up the score with his wishbone offense. Opposing fans’ beliefs that Switzer often cut corners when it came to NCAA rules were confirmed when his program crumbled under a plethora of scandals in 1989.

4. Jimmy Johnson: Johnson coached Miami for five seasons during its “Decade of Dominance,” and he’s remembered for fostering the Hurricanes’ infamous bad-boy culture. Many of Johnson’s players were showboats on and off the field, and he wasn’t afraid to run up the score on lesser opponents, either. His team infamously wore combat fatigues to a pregame event before playing Penn State in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl.

5. Lane Kiffin: Perhaps no coach in SEC history ticked off more people in less time than Kiffin, who spent the 2009 season at Tennessee before bolting for Southern California. During his one-year tenure with the Volunteers, Kiffin criticized nearly everyone, including then-Florida coach Urban Meyer and Georgia coach Mark Richt. Kiffin even went as far as saying if a player signed with South Carolina, he ended up pumping gas for a living.

6. Bobby Petrino: Auburn fans hate Petrino because he interviewed for former Tigers coach Tommy Tuberville’s job during a clandestine interview at an Indiana airport -- when Tuberville was still employed. Louisville fans despised Petrino because he seemingly was always trying to leave and finally did, leaving the Cardinals program in pretty bad shape. Now Arkansas fans dislike him for letting his personal life derail what was becoming a very good program.

7. Urban Meyer: Meyer seemed like an outsider when he was hired as Florida’s coach in 2005 and it didn’t take him long to become hated by rival schools. Meyer tried to revolutionize the way the SEC played football with his spread offense, winning BCS national championships in 2006 and 2008. But then Meyer upset Florida fans when he retired twice in two years -- before waiting a year to become Ohio State’s new coach.

8. Jackie Sherrill: Few coaches were more despised by their teams’ chief rivals. While Sherrill was coaching at Pittsburgh, legendary Penn State coach Joe Paterno said he wouldn’t retire because he didn’t want to leave college football “to the Jackie Sherrills and Barry Switzers of the world” (Paterno later apologized and became Sherrill’s friend). Texas fans hated Sherrill because he had a 7-3 record against the Longhorns.

9. Jim Tressel: Michigan fans hated Tressel for beating the Wolverines so much -- he went 8-1 against OSU’s chief rival during his tenure. Opposing fans hated Tressel’s squeaky-clean image of a sweater vest and bifocals. They celebrated when Tressel resigned in 2011 after admitting he withheld information about NCAA rules violations from OSU officials and NCAA investigators.

10. Rich Rodriguez: West Virginia fans absolutely loved Rodriguez, a former WVU defensive back, when he guided the Mountaineers to 60 victories and two BCS bowl games from 2001 to 2007. But WVU fans literally drove Rodriguez and his family from his native state after he abruptly left the school to become Michigan’s coach in 2008. Wolverines fans don’t like him too much, either, after Rodriguez went 15-22 in three seasons.

We're putting spring behind us and looking toward the fall with our post-spring power rankings:

1. LSU: The Tigers had one of the best springs around. Things were quiet off the field, and the offense rallied behind quarterback Zach Mettenberger. Coach Les Miles was very impressed with Mettenberger's play and maturity, and expects LSU's offense to be more balanced with him under center. LSU can still use four or five running backs, as well. Defensively, the Tigers are stacked once again, especially up front with two potential first-rounders in ends Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo. Questions surround the inexperienced linebackers, but Kevin Minter had a tremendous spring in the middle. On paper, LSU is equipped with the talent to make another title run, and gets Alabama at home this year.

2. Alabama: While the defending national champs saw a lot of "new" faces on defense this spring, coach Nick Saban left happy with where his players were -- but not satisfied. There is still work to be done, especially in the secondary, where the Tide must replace three starters. Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw are gone at linebacker, but the coaches were impressed with how Nico Johnson, C.J. Mosley and Adrian Hubbard played this spring. Some think Hubbard, a redshirt sophomore, could be Bama's top pass-rusher. Offensively, quarterback AJ McCarron is back, more mature and surrounded by a very veteran line. He has a group of younger receivers to throw to, but has at least four quality running backs. Alabama's road to repeating is tougher, with games at Arkansas and LSU.

3. South Carolina: A healthy Marcus Lattimore (knee) at RB makes South Carolina an even better contender for the SEC East crown. His status is uncertain, but the pieces around him are pretty impressive. Quarterback Connor Shaw had an impressive spring, and looks ready to be the passer coach Steve Spurrier wants him to be. The defense is once again stacked, especially up front with ends Jadeveon Clowney and Devin Taylor. There are questions in the secondary, with two new, young starters in Victor Hampton (cornerback) and Brison Williams (safety), while senior Akeem Auguste returns after missing last season with a foot injury. Still, Spurrier is chirping about his SEC counterparts, so you know he thinks he's got a good team this year.

4. Georgia: The Bulldogs should be higher on this list, but when you take into account the suspensions of four defensive starters at the beginning of the season, they slide a little. Georgia returns nine defensive starters, including one of the nation's best linebackers in Jarvis Jones, and some firepower on offense, led by veteran quarterback Aaron Murray, who could get some early Heisman love. It also sounds like enigmatic running back Isaiah Crowell is slowly turning things around. Yet again, the Bulldogs have a favorable SEC schedule, with no games against Alabama, Arkansas or LSU, so their road to the SEC championship is easier than South Carolina's, but keep an eye on that inexperienced offensive line.

5. Arkansas: If not for Bobby Petrino's embarrassing dismissal, the Razorbacks might be ranked higher. Offensively, it doesn't get much better than what Arkansas has. Tyler Wilson returns as arguably the league's best quarterback, and he'll get to work with one of the most complete backs around, Knile Davis, who is returning from a devastating ankle injury. An older and more improved offensive line returns, and so does a talented receiving corps led by Cobi Hamilton. But there are questions. How effective will interim coach John L. Smith be, especially if something goes wrong? Will Marquel Wade's suspension leak into the fall after his spring arrest? And will the defense improve and be more aggressive under new coordinator Paul Haynes? The good news is that Alabama and LSU play in Fayetteville this fall.

6. Florida: The chemistry is much better in Gainesville. Florida returns 10 starters from a defense that ranked eighth nationally in 2011. Matt Elam looks like a budding star at safety, and Florida's linebacking group is solid. Buck/defensive end Ronald Powell could be out after tearing his ACL this spring, but coach Will Muschamp recently said Powell is off crutches. Stud defensive tackle Dominique Easley is also walking fine after tearing his ACL in last year's season finale. The Gators have their third offensive coordinator in three years, and unproven sophomore quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel are still battling. Florida has unproven running backs and receivers, but the offensive line toughened up tremendously.

7. Auburn: The Tigers welcomed two new coordinators, Scot Loeffler and Brian VanGorder, this spring, and by all accounts players were very receptive. Coach Gene Chizik is still dealing with a lot of youth, as close to 70 percent of his roster is made up of underclassmen. One of those underclassmen is quarterback Kiehl Frazier, who made strides as a passer this spring and seems to have the edge in the quarterback race with Clint Moseley, who missed some of the spring with a sore shoulder. The defensive line will be the team's strength, with end Dee Ford exploding this spring and Corey Lemonier returning. There is a lot of depth up front on defense, which will go a long way for the Tigers.

8. Missouri: Coach Gary Pinkel and his players have made it clear they aren't intimidated by the move to the SEC. These new Tigers return solid offensive firepower, but there has to be some concern about quarterback James Franklin, who missed most of the spring after having surgery on his throwing shoulder. Plus, Mizzou's backup QB could miss games this fall after his recent arrest, so the Tigers' offensive success will be riding on Franklin's health. The Tigers are replacing a few starters on both lines, but feel confident about both areas. Mizzou will face a Georgia team down a few defensive players in Week 2, but must travel to South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

9. Tennessee: A lot is different in Knoxville, as the Vols welcomed seven new assistant coaches. Coach Derek Dooley insists the changes were for the best, but there's still going to be some adjusting to do this fall. The good news is that Tennessee returns a lot on both sides of the ball, starting with quarterback Tyler Bray and receivers Justin Hunter and Da'Rick Rogers. A healthy trio there makes Tennessee's passing game one of the best in the league. Questions remain on the offensive line and at running back, but improvements were made this spring. New defensive coordinator Sal Sunseri would like to run more 3-4 this fall, but players aren't totally comfortable, leaving some concerns.

10. Mississippi State: Quarterback Tyler Russell finally looks ready to take over as the guy in Starkville, and he'll have a veteran receiving corps to work with. However, that group still has a lot to prove, especially senior Chad Bumphis. The running game looks solid with LaDarius Perkins and Nick Griffin, and the offensive line got help from the junior college ranks. Defensively, there are a few holes to fill up front and in the secondary, but Johnthan Banks and Corey Broomfield are a solid cornerback tandem and linebacker is set with a few vets back, including stud Cameron Lawrence. Junior college defensive end Denico Autry has to perform early to help a line with a couple of holes.

11. Texas A&M: The Aggies have some holes to fill this year, but the offensive line will be a strength. Left tackle Luke Joeckel, a future first-rounder, leads a line that returns four starters. Star wide receiver Ryan Swope is back, and running back Christine Michael should be healthy (knee) this fall, but quarterback is an issue. Sophomore Jameill Showers has the edge right now, but like all of his competitors, he lacks experience. The defense will lean on linebackers Sean Porter, Steven Jenkins, Jonathan Stewart and converted end Damontre Moore, but the secondary has depth and experience issues, and the team will still be adjusting to a new staff led by coach Kevin Sumlin.

12. Vanderbilt: There is some solid offensive talent in Nashville, starting with running back Zac Stacy and receivers Jordan Matthews and Chris Boyd, but coach James Franklin is still waiting for quarterback Jordan Rodgers to be more consistent. The offensive line is very thin and could barely get through spring. The defense must replace a handful of starters and leaders, but Franklin felt better about guys like linebacker Chase Garnham, defensive end Walker May and cornerback Trey Wilson. Vandy's schedule will be tough this fall, and if that offensive line doesn't hold up, getting back to a bowl will be tough.

13. Kentucky: Coach Joker Phillips was pleased with how spring practice ended, especially when it came to finding offensive playmakers, like receivers Demarco Robinson and Daryl Collins. Quarterback Maxwell Smith had a solid spring, but struggled during the spring game, meaning the battle with Morgan Newton and freshman Patrick Towles should go into the fall. The offensive line is still trying to get by after losing three starters, and the Wildcats must replace six starters at linebacker and in the secondary. Given the Wildcats' schedule, they will need to sweep their nonconference games to be in bowl shape.

14. Ole Miss: The arrival of coach Hugh Freeze brought a lot of positive change to Ole Miss, especially off the field, but there are still a lot of concerns. There are depth issues at just about every position, especially running back and defensive tackle. Even one of the most experienced groups, the offensive line, has struggled mightily with picking up Freeze's spread offense and is the team's biggest weakness. Academic issues are also worrying Ole Miss' staff, and top running back Jeff Scott and cornerback/receiver Nickolas Brassell are in that group. Quarterback is still up for grabs, but progress was made on defense, especially in the secondary.

The sixth annual Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge golf tournament is being played today at Reynolds Plantation outside Atlanta, and five SEC head coaches are part of the event.

The tournament consists of a 16-team field of NCAA head coaches and celebrity alumni. They compete in a two-man scramble format over 18 holes, vying for a first-place prize of $125,000 in scholarship funds. All participating teams will receive a portion of the $520,000 total scholarship purse.

The five SEC coaches playing are Alabama's Nick Saban, Mississippi State's Dan Mullen, Ole Miss' Hugh Freeze, South Carolina's Steve Spurrier and Tennessee's Derek Dooley. Spurrier and his playing partner, former South Carolina and Green Bay Packers star receiver Sterling Sharpe, won the event in 2008 and 2009. The defending champions are Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson and former Georgia Tech basketball star Jon Barry.

This year, the Ole Miss and Mississippi State teams are paired together, which makes you wonder if there will be many "school up north" references from Mullen.

Also, the North Carolina State and Tennessee teams are paired together. The Wolfpack and Vols will meet again in the 2012 football season opener in Atlanta.

Ohio State's Urban Meyer is the lone coach from outside the ACC or SEC playing. His team is paired with Georgia Tech. If the Chick-fil-A Bowl organizers really wanted to be creative, they would have put Meyer and Spurrier in the same pairing. Now, that would have been pure entertainment.

The tournament is being taped by ESPN and will be broadcast in August.

Here's a look at the pairings:

GROUP ONE	COACH/CELEBRITY
Tennessee	Derek Dooley / Stanley Morgan
NC State	Tom O'Brien / Tom Gugliotta
GROUP TWO
Alabama	Nick Saban / Johnny Musso
Virginia Tech ('07 champions)	Frank Beamer / Dell Curry
GROUP THREE
Florida State ('10 Champions)	Jimbo Fisher / Terrell Buckley
Miami	Al Golden / Gino Torretta
GROUP FOUR
Maryland	Randy Edsall / Stan Gelbaugh
Virginia	Mike London / Jim Dombrowski
GROUP FIVE
Wake Forest	Jim Grobe / Riley Skinner
Clemson	Dabo Swinney / Steve Fuller
GROUP SIX
Georgia Tech ('11 Champions)	Paul Johnson / Jon Barry
Ohio State	Urban Meyer / Jeff Logan
GROUP SEVEN
North Carolina	Larry Fedora / Roy Williams
South Carolina ('08, '09 Champions)	Steve Spurrier / Sterling Sharpe
GROUP EIGHT
Mississippi State	Dan Mullen / Fred McCrary
Mississippi	Hugh Freeze / Sean Tuohy

South Carolina's cooperation with the NCAA and diligence in finding out the truth helped it avoid additional penalties, the NCAA announced Friday.

The NCAA accepted South Carolina's self-imposed sanctions, which included three years of probation and scholarship cuts in football, and elected not to tack on harsher penalties such as a postseason ban. South Carolina officials were optimistic that their self-imposed sanctions would suffice, but there were never any guarantees until the NCAA releases its report.

Britton Banowsky, the chairman of the NCAA's Committee on Infractions, said South Carolina's case was one of the best he'd seen from a process standpoint.

"In some cases, they went even beyond what the NCAA staff was doing," Banowsky said of South Carolina officials. " We see that less likely than the other approach, and this report reflects how pleased the committee was with their diligence. They took the interview process and discovery process to a higher level."

The Gamecocks will forfeit six scholarships over two seasons and pay a $18,500 fine. The university also disassociated the boosters involved with the infractions, which included athletes receiving reduced rates at the Whitney Hotel in Columbia, S.C.

The only real change from South Carolina's self-imposed penalties was that the six scholarships will be forfeited in 2013 and 2014 instead of a three-year period from 2012 to 2014.

"The university regrets the past actions and decisions by individuals that resulted in violations of NCAA legislation," South Carolina athletic director Eric Hyman said in a statement. "We are pleased, however, that the committee on infractions found the corrective actions we have taken and the penalties we have self-imposed reflect the university's commitment to full compliance with NCAA rules."

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier was not named in the NCAA's notice of allegations, but was part of the university party that appeared before the Committee on Infractions in February.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville dropped by South Carolina’s spring practice a few weeks ago and brought along his son, Tucker, to chat with Steve Spurrier.

Tucker, a quarterback, would like to come back to the South and play college football -- and he's interested in possibly walking on at South Carolina.

Tuberville and Spurrier matched wits in some epic SEC battles back when Tuberville was at Auburn and Spurrier at Florida.

“We’re standing over there watching one of our inside drills in practice, and I said, ‘Tommy, did you ever think I’d be a spread offense coach running the ball 70 percent of the time?’ ” cracked Spurrier, whose Gamecocks averaged more rushing yards (192.1) than they did passing yards (181.5) last season.

And they did it with a quarterback, Connor Shaw, who was the second-leading rusher on the team. Shaw, whose specialty is the zone read, churned out 525 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

It was a far cry from Spurrier’s Fun ‘n’ Gun days at Florida, when the Gators threw it all over the ballpark and regularly averaged more than 300 yards passing.

“What we did then was throw it around a whole bunch, get a lead and then try to run it,” Spurrier said.

But these days, the Head Ball Coach leans to the run and isn’t ashamed to admit it.

In a lot of ways, he’s reinvented himself, but stops short of saying that he’s undergone a total transformation.

“It’s just what we do best right now,” Spurrier said. “If that’s what we had done best back then (at Florida), that’s what we would have done. We beat Penn State in the 1997 Citrus Bowl, and Fred Taylor ran it 43 times (for 234 yards).”

Still, Spurrier has proven over the past couple of seasons that he’s not too stubborn (or too programmed) to adjust to his personnel.

When you have Marcus Lattimore sitting back there in the backfield, it’s an adjustment that comes pretty naturally.

“You can only call so many pass plays,” Spurrier said. “Two years ago, when we were playing Georgia, I think that’s when it hit me. We were up 14-3, and to start the fourth quarter, [Stephen] Garcia got sacked and fumbled, but we recovered it.

“There was about nine minutes left, and I told the guys up top, ‘We’re not going to throw it again. We’re going to keep giving it to Marcus until they stop him.’ When your defense is playing well, you just keep running it. And if we don’t make it, we’re not going to give them anything.”

The Gamecocks expect to get a healthy Lattimore back in the fall and should again have one of the better defenses in the SEC. Plus, Shaw simply isn’t a pocket passer. His forte is moving around and making things happen with his arm and legs, although he’s working hard on becoming more efficient from the pocket.

In South Carolina’s spring game last Saturday, Shaw was 6-of-7 for 128 yards and two touchdowns. On the first play of the game, he hit Damiere Byrd with a 70-yard touchdown strike.

“When you throw, throw, throw and the ball hits the ground, the clock doesn’t go,” said Spurrier, who doesn’t understand the current fascination with trying to run 100-plus plays.

“Everybody is all hung up on how many plays you get. That means your defense is going to be out there a bunch, too. I remember when time of possession used to be an important stat. Now, all of a sudden, they think it’s cool to have a bunch of plays and how quickly you score.”

Spurrier said a big part of the Gamecocks’ success last season was tied into their time of possession. They finished third in the SEC (31:34), behind Georgia and Alabama, and were also third in third-down conversions and second in fourth-down conversions.

South Carolina was 24-of-31 on fourth down, which Spurrier said was the best of his career. And in 42 red-zone chances, the Gamecocks scored 32 touchdowns.

“We’re going to keep doing what we do best, which is why we’ve been able to accomplish a bunch of firsts around here,” Spurrier said.

And, yes, we’re still going to see a few new ball plays, too. That’s a Spurrier staple.

“We’ll still hit some balls. We hit some last year,” Spurrier said. “We finished fourth in the conference in total offense, which is the highest we ever have here.

“It just may look a little different.”

Urban Meyer is long gone from Florida, but he’s sure not forgotten.

We were reminded of that earlier this month thanks to Matt Hayes’ piece in The Sporting News, a piece that painted the end of Meyer’s otherwise ultra-successful tenure at Florida as pure bedlam with select players doing pretty much as they pleased and the program spiraling downward as a result.

Meyer has since defended his time at Florida, which in fairness, included a pair of BCS national championships.

But it’s the mess he left for Will Muschamp to clean up that hasn’t won him a lot of fans in the Sunshine State, be it fans, some former players, media members or Florida administrators.

In short, most people simply didn’t realize how “broken” that program really was when Meyer stepped aside following the 2010 season. Remember, too, that the term “broken” was the term Meyer himself used.

Here’s the other thing: There hasn’t been an outpouring of Florida administrators coming forward and disputing the things alleged in Hayes’ piece.

Even former running back Chris Rainey wasn’t exactly going to bat for Meyer in a recent interview, and it was Meyer who gave Rainey a second chance in 2010 following Rainey’s infamous “time to die” text to a woman he’d been dating.

The columnists in the state of Florida haven’t held back, either.

Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel wrote last week that Meyer was more “duplicitous and dishonest” than Bianchi ever thought possible. Bianchi went on to write that Meyer wasn’t just “Urban Liar,” but that he was also “Urban Hypocrite.”

And then Tuesday, Bianchi’s colleague at The Orlando Sentinel, George Diaz, lowered the boom.

Among other things, Diaz wrote that Steve Spurrier would always be the king of Florida football and that Meyer is a “bit like the emperor with no clothes.”

Pat Dooley, the longtime columnist with The Gainesville Sun, weighed in on all the uproar as well. It’s worth noting that Dooley had an excellent relationship with Meyer, probably better than any media member in the state of Florida.

Nonetheless, that didn’t keep Dooley from sharing this little nugget in his column last week:

"I know Muschamp felt he inherited a mess when he took over and it has taken him a year to get it headed back in the right direction. All you need to know about players' sense of entitlement was the meeting between Muschamp and Janoris Jenkins after multiple arrests and failed drug tests by the cornerback. When Muschamp told Jenkins he would have to be suspended, Jenkins replied, “Do you know who you're talking to?” And that was the end of his career at UF."

If you'd just landed from Mars and didn't have cable TV there, you'd think this Meyer fellow was the worst thing to ever happen to Florida football.

The truth is that he won two national championships in a span of three years, and when you're winning at that level, even the most hardened skeptics and cynics tend to lose their peripheral vision. They see what's right in front of them, as in crystal footballs starting to fill up the trophy case.

It happens among fans, media, administrators, all of us.

It's obvious now that Meyer's handle on the program was slipping away from him when he quit for good in 2010. Perhaps he sensed it the year before when he tried to quit the first time following his health scare.

Now that he's at Ohio State, Meyer has a chance to write a new legacy there.

I'd be shocked if he didn't win big. Nobody's ever accused him of not being able to coach football.

It's his tendency to preach one thing and practice another, at least in the eyes of more than a few Floridians, that he might want to work on.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The first thing you notice about South Carolina junior quarterback Connor Shaw is that he's a little bigger and a little more sculpted through the shoulders.

He's up about 12 pounds to 212 pounds and says he's a lot stronger than he was a year ago.

"I had to get bigger and stronger to take the pounding," said Shaw, whose 135 rushing attempts were the second most on the team last season.

His physique isn't the only thing that's different this spring. So is his mindset.

This is Shaw's football team. He's the starting quarterback, and everybody knows it. None of this necessarily means that he's the star of the team. That role is reserved for junior tailback Marcus Lattimore, who's still recovering from a knee injury that cut his 2011 season in half.

But whereas Shaw was jockeying with Stephen Garcia for the starting job a year ago at this time -- with some on the team lining up behind Shaw and others lining up behind Garcia -- there are no divisions this spring. It's Shaw's team, and the Gamecocks close the spring on Saturday with their annual Garnet & Black spring game and do so without any questions resonating at the quarterback position.

"It's totally different for me this time around," said Shaw, who beat out Garcia for the starting job last season, but then lost his job midway through the season opener. "That comes with game experience, how comfortable you are, and I really feel comfortable. I can take all the reps this spring and know going into the fall where everything stands. Last year, Garcia was the quarterback the previous two or three years. But, now, they know I was there last year and have two more years.

"I feel like I'll be more of a catalyst than I have been in the past."

Shaw, who stepped back in for Garcia following the Auburn loss, couldn't have been better down the stretch last season. In his last three games, including wins over Clemson and Nebraska, he completed 74.5 percent of his passes for 657 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for 239 yards and three more touchdowns.

Even South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, who's never easy to please when it comes to quarterback play, is excited by the way Shaw has developed once the Gamecocks geared the offense around what he does best.

"There are a lot of things he can do better," Spurrier said. "But, man, he finished up last year about as well as you can. He got a lot of passing in this spring, too, and works at it exactly the way you'd hope your quarterback would. We're still working with him. He’s done some things a lot better. He needs to get better with his look-offs and speeding up his delivery, which he’s done."

Shaw's priority this spring was to become a more efficient passer from the pocket. Everybody knows he can take off and run. But can he stand back there and beat teams throwing from the pocket?

"My biggest deal coming into the spring was my pocket awareness and looking down the field more and scanning everything," said Shaw, who passed for 14 touchdowns and rushed for eight more last season. "I’m not going to take my legs away because that’s a major part of my game, but I need to be better in the pocket and better at sliding around in the pocket and finding open guys."

While most of the questions this spring have focused on who would replace Alshon Jeffery as South Carolina's go-to receiver, Shaw points to who the Gamecocks will be getting back in the fall -- Lattimore.

"He changes the whole game," Shaw said. "You could tell when he went down that it took us four or five games to get rolling. He’s such a leader out there, and people look up to him. He’s a leader by example and a very hard worker, very humble. He’s just one of those leaders that you need to have out there, and when he’s not on the field, it changes things."

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Steve Spurrier knows there’s no going back, not after the most successful football season in South Carolina school history.

He’s even quoting noted American legal scholar Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. as the Gamecocks wrap up spring practice this Saturday with their spring game.

Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.

“Now, our people know we can win 11 games, and when we don’t, they’re going to be, ‘How come we’re not winning 11, Coach?’” Spurrier said in his familiar twang and wearing that equally familiar smirk. “That’s just the way it is.”

Here’s the best news for South Carolina fans: The Head Ball Coach thinks he has a pretty good ball team again with the kind of talent and leadership that it takes to at least be in the SEC championship conversation.

And history has shown that if you’re in the SEC championship conversation, you’re also in the national championship conversation.

“The best part is all the firsts, doing things that had never been done here,” said Spurrier, who’s entering his eighth season at South Carolina. “That’s why I’m here. That’s what is so much fun. We’d never even won in Knoxville before or won at the Swamp before.

“My buddies all told me when I came here, ‘Steve, nobody’s won there. What makes you think you can? That’s really all I needed to hear.”

Spurrier, who’s just 10 wins away from becoming South Carolina’s all-time winningest coach, loves winning. What coach doesn’t? But what he thrives on are challenges.

The challenge of turning South Carolina into a contender was a monumental one and one that didn’t happen overnight.

In his first five seasons, he won more than seven games only once and lost at least five games all five seasons. The 2008 and 2009 seasons ended with ugly bowl losses to Iowa and Connecticut.

The 31-10 loss to Iowa in the Outback Bowl following the 2008 season was particularly troubling for Spurrier, who admits that he thought about walking away.

“I’m sitting there and wondering, ‘What am I doing here?'” Spurrier recalled.

But the Gamecocks were able to sign Stephon Gilmore for that next season, which opened the floodgates for some of the best prospects in the state to sign with South Carolina. Alshon Jeffery followed, and so did Marcus Lattimore and Jadeveon Clowney.

The result was a first-ever trip to the SEC championship game in 2010 and the school’s first-ever 11-win season a year ago. Along the way, the Gamecocks were 8-0 against Clemson, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee over the past two seasons.

Spurrier, who turns 67 this month, couldn’t be happier. He’s even back to his old Head Ball Coach ways and saying whatever’s on his mind.

A few examples:

His thoughts on the Georgia-South Carolina game moving from the second week of the season to the sixth week in 2012.

“I don’t know. I sort of always liked playing them that second game because you could always count on them having two or three key players suspended.”

His thoughts on Nick Saban and what he’s done at Alabama.

“He’s got a nice little gig going, a little bit like (John) Calipari. He tells guys, ‘Hey, three years from now, you’re going to be a first-round pick and go.’ If he wants to be the greatest coach or one of the greatest coaches in college football, to me, he has to go somewhere besides Alabama and win, because they’ve always won there at Alabama.”

His thoughts on who’s the best coach in the SEC.

“I think it’s Saban. He’s considered the best. Les Miles is considered one of the best, when you look at number of wins. I believe you’re as good as your record. You are whatever your record is. Don’t give me any excuses or that you can’t win at this place.”

His thoughts on Lorenzo Ward taking over as the Gamecocks’ defensive coordinator.

“I hope we’ll be a little sounder than we have been. Obviously, Ellis (Johnson) did a heck of a job here. But at times, we’d have some coverage breakdowns. I don’t know if we were doing too much or this guy was making mistakes. We got a lot better during the course of the year after we simplified some things.”

His thoughts on Will Muschamp’s challenge at Florida.

“I told Will that he had one of the hardest jobs in America because of what’s happened down there prior to him coming. I don’t know that they have that much greater a team than most others in the SEC now. They’re pretty good. But it’s a tough job because of what Urban (Meyer) has done and prior history. Those fans are expecting 10 to 12 wins every year. Our fans are going to expect nine to 11, which is fair, and that’s good. I hope our players expect it, too.”

His thoughts on when he might retire.

“I used to think 60. When I was 55, I’d say four or five more years. When I got to 60, I’d say four or five more. And when I got to 65, I started saying three or four more. I’ll tell you what. We had a good-looking quarterback come through on Junior Day, and I wrote him a letter and said, ‘If you come here, you might extend my coaching career two or three years.’ ”

His thoughts on going out on his terms.

“Let me ask you this: How many coaches do you know that have retired in the last 10 or 15 years, and I’m talking honestly retiring, guys who had a good job, were winning and stepped aside on their own? There aren’t many. They all got fired. Who would have ever thought that Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno would have to get forced out? When I leave, they’re not going to pay me $4 million because I had another five years on the deal and got fired. I ain’t going to be one of those guys. I just have too much pride. That’s not going to happen.”

Newcomers come in all shapes and sizes.

There are freshmen newcomers, junior college transfers and regular transfers. Regardless, they all come in with the expectations of playing immediately. JUCO standouts and transfers maybe more so than rookies, but the days of automatically redshirting true freshmen are over. Like, dead.

Last year, the SEC saw a few newcomers make immediate impacts. A great example is Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones, who transferred from USC back in 2010, but didn't play until last fall. All he did was lead the SEC in sacks and tackles for loss. There was Arkansas linebacker Alonzo Highsmith, who came from the JUCO ranks to be one of the Hogs' most productive linebackers.

Freshman Isaiah Crowell had an up-and-down season, but was sixth in the SEC rushing, and was named the SEC's freshman of the year. His classmate, wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell, wasn't too bad, either. You also can't forget about South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who was seventh in the SEC with eight sacks.

So, as spring practice begins to wind down around the conference, we're taking a look at five newcomers to keep an eye on in 2012. Some are on campuses, some aren't. Some are obvious choices, and you could be surprised by a couple. Top newcomers can be top league players, or players who will make big impacts on their teams at a position of need.

We're going in alphabetical order, so here's our list:

• Denico Autry, DE, JUCO, Mississippi State: The Bulldogs are looking to replace Sean Ferguson at one of the defensive line spots, and Autry was brought in to do just that. The coaches have been extremely impressed with how the former East Mississippi Community College standout has looked in spring practice. People around the program have simply described Autry as a "beast," and the thought is that he'll enter the fall starting at one of the end spots.
• Travell Dixon, CB, JUCO, Alabama: Dixon has had a pretty successful spring, and has had the honor of playing at Alabama's "star" (nickel) cornerback spot. That shows you just how much coach Nick Saban respects Dixon's game. Saban usually puts his most complete defensive backs at the star. That's where Javier Arenas played, and DeQuan Menzie after him. With Alabama losing Menzie and Dre Kirkpatrick at cornerback, Dixon has a chance to come in and start immediately.
• Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Fr., Missouri: It was hard to find another 2012 recruit who received the attention that Green-Beckham did. He has drawn comparisons to A.J. Green, Julio Jones, and Calvin Johnson. That's pretty good company, and Missouri is expecting DGB to contribute immediately. DGB stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 220 pounds, making him a huge, physical target for quarterback James Franklin. DGB might arrive this summer as Missouri's most talented receiver. It also helps that he has top speed, and could be the deep threat that Missouri's offense needs.
• Latroy Pittman, WR, Fr., Florida: Haven't heard of him? Don't worry, not many have. Pittman committed to Florida so long before national signing day, his recruitment wasn't too exciting or noticeable. However, Pittman, who was ranked the No. 24 wide receiver by ESPN recruiting services, has been very productive in spring practice. He isn't the fastest receiver, but with Florida struggling to find a true go-to receiving target, Pittman has really shined by being one of the Gators' most consistent receivers this spring. Word around Florida's program is that Pittman will definitely see playing time this fall. Receiver is wide open in Gainesville, so Pittman could play his way into quality time.
• Shaq Roland, WR, Fr., South Carolina: With Alshon Jeffery gone, South Carolina is searching for a wide receiver to step up and become a primary target for quarterback Connor Shaw. Right now, Ace Sanders and Bruce Ellington will get the first shots, but a lot of players at the position are pretty unproven. Roland was one of the top high school receiving targets last year, and has the playmaking ability that could really spark the Gamecocks' passing game. Roland could be a deep threat or make plays over the middle. He wasn't afraid of contact in high school, and that mentality should carry over to the college level. Adding some weight will be key, but coach Steve Spurrier should have fun working him into the offense.

A quick recap of the weekend scrimmages around the SEC:

ALABAMA

It looks like junior quarterback AJ McCarron has picked up where he left off in the BCS National Championship Game. McCarron finished 25-of-43 for 290 yards, three touchdowns and an interception last Saturday in the Crimson Tide's first full scrimmage of the spring.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said McCarron was "very commanding" under center, and Saban said he's been impressed with how the receivers have been able to get onto the same page with McCarron. Sophomore Christion Jones had a pair of touchdown catches. Kevin Norwood also caught a touchdown pass. The freshman receiver who's caught Saban's eye is Amari Cooper. Sophomore DeAndrew White also got off to a good start this spring, but is now battling a pulled hamstring.

On defense, Vinnie Sunseri and junior college newcomer Deion Belue both returned interceptions for touchdowns. Belue is competing for a starting cornerback job. Saban said John Fulton is also having a good spring and in that mix. Another junior college newcomer to watch is Travell Dixon, who's working at both cornerback and the "star" position, which is the nickel back role when the Crimson Tide go to five defensive backs.

Some of the best news for the Crimson Tide last Saturday was that their kickers were a combined 7-of-8 on field goals. Jeremy Shelley was 4-of-4, and Cade Foster was 3-of-4. Foster's only miss was from 54 yards and was blocked by Nico Johnson.

Here's a report from the scrimmage on Alabama's official web site, and it includes stats and pictures.

ARKANSAS

There wasn't any shortage of offense in the Hogs' scrimmage last Friday, and not surprisingly, senior quarterback Tyler Wilson was the catalyst. He passed for 310 yards and four touchdowns. Star running back Knile Davis was held out of contact, but Dennis Johnson was plenty productive in his absence with 75 yards on 12 carries. Johnson also scored three touchdowns.

Senior Cobi Hamilton had a big day catching the ball and so did sophomore Marquel Wade, who caught seven passes for 149 yards and three touchdowns.

The first-team offense scored on seven of its first 10 possessions. The Hogs' defense struggled to stop the run at times, which was a problem last season. Sophomore cornerback Tevin Mitchel didn't participate in the scrimmage after suffering a hamstring pull earlier in the day.

AUBURN

The Tigers' first scrimmage of the spring featured a couple of long touchdown passes by sophomore quarterback Kiehl Frazier, who connected with Emory Blake and Travante Stallworth. Clint Moseley didn't participate in the scrimmage. He's been plagued by a sore throwing shoulder.

The running back job is wide open, and Corey Grant made his case Saturday with several nice runs. His teammates were raving about his explosiveness through the hole.

On defense, first-year coordinator Brian VanGorder felt like his guys made a positive step, although giving up the big play continues to be a problem.

"You can't do that and be a good defense," VanGorder said.

VanGorder was pleased with Kris Frost's improvement at linebacker and also liked what he saw from Jawara White at middle linebacker.

GEORGIA

The defense has been the story for much of this spring for the Bulldogs, and that was again the story Saturday in their first full scrimmage.

While piling up 12 sacks, the defense also saw the offense break through with a few plays, namely redshirt freshman tight end Jay Rome. He caught a 30-yard touchdown pass and had another scoring grab down on the goal line where he made an acrobatic play in the corner of the end zone.

Several of the Georgia players also had high praise for freshman running back Keith Marshall.

Safety Shawn Williams had 4.5 tackles, two pass breakups and an interception to lead the defense.

LSU

Zach Mettenberger threw two second-quarter touchdown passes to lead the White to a 24-17 win over the Purple on Saturday in LSU's National L Club spring game.

Mettenberger finished 14-of-25 for 270 yards and threw touchdown passes of 49 yards to Odell Beckham, Jr. and 18 yards to Russell Shepard. Alfred Blue led all rushers with 73 yards on nine carries.

Mettenberger also threw a pair of interceptions, one of those returned 74 yards by freshman linebacker Lamar Louis for the Purple's final touchdown.

Safety Eric Reid also returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown to put the White ahead 21-0 in the second quarter.

OLE MISS

There weren't any iron-clad answers at quarterback for the Rebels in their scrimmage last Friday.

Barry Brunetti had the best day. He was 7-of-10 for 80 yards and threw touchdown passes of 30 yards and 15 yards to Ja-Mes Logan.

Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said evaluating the quarterbacks was even more difficult because the Rebels continue to struggle in the offensive line.

After a slow start, Bo Wallace finished strong. He was also able to run the ball with some success.

SOUTH CAROLINA

The Gamecocks held their second major scrimmage last Saturday, and Steve Spurrier wasn't thrilled with the passing game.

"I hope we don't have to run the ball all the time next year, but if we can't throw it very well, that's what we'll do," said Spurrier, who was especially frustrated by the sacks his offense allowed.

He said Connor Shaw has to get better at throwing the ball away and not taking sacks.

"Connor (Shaw) must have had four sacks today in 10 passes," Spurrier said. "He’s got to throw the ball somewhere and get it out of his hands a little quicker. The other quarterbacks were not real accurate at times, but we hit a few here and there.”

Star running back Marcus Lattimore, still recovering from knee surgery, didn't scrimmage.

Jared Shaw returned a Dylan Thompson interception 38 yards for a touchdown.

VANDERBILT

Vanderbilt coach James Franklin was pleased with the way his first-team offense performed in the red zone in last Saturday's scrimmage, but said the Commodores have work to do between the 20's. He also wants to see his defense do a better job with its back to the goal line.

""There's a feeling sometimes, especially with a young team, that when you get in the red zone, it's OK to give up points, and offensively, it should be easier to score," Franklin said. "We need to make sure that we have the same mentality on offense, whether we are on the minus five or the plus five, and defensively, whether we are on the minus one or plus one, that we have the mentality that we're going to stop them."

Quarterback Jordan Rodgers was 11-of-17 for 83 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown.

South Carolina welcomed back a familiar face to wide receiver Tuesday when Bruce Ellington returned to the football practice field.

Earlier this month, Ellington announced that he was picking basketball over football, but shortly after the whispers began about him possibly returning to football after men's basketball coach Darrin Horn was fired.

Tuesday, Ellington worked out with the Gamecocks' football team for the first time this spring. Coincidentally, it was the same day in which Frank Martin was introduced as South Carolina's new men's basketball coach.

Coach Steve Spurrier had some very kinds words to say about Franklin:

"I like Coach Frank Martin. I think his track record speaks for itself. The guy has only been a head coach for five years in college, but Frank Martin, in my opinion, knows how to coach ball. He’d be a heck of a football coach, too. I think our basketball program is in excellent hands. Like he said, we’re going to pack Colonial [Life] Arena. I believe him. I believe there will be 18,000 cheering the Gamecocks."

Ellington plans to continue being a two-sport athlete at South Carolina and Spurrier said Tuesday that he was "one of the fastest guys out there" at practice.

Having Ellington back certainly brings some needed experience back to the receiver position. Ellington made his mark as more of an all-purpose guy, but he'll be called on more to catch the ball this fall with Alshon Jeffery gone.

Kicker to the rescue
Vanderbilt's kicking issues from last season are well documented, but Tuesday, it was a kicker who saved the Commodores from extra, uncomfortable running after practice.

To close Tuesday's practice, coach James Franklin gave his kickers eight field goal attempts. Each kick was to be performed while Franklin messed with the kicker and "whispered sweet nothings" into his ears. For every miss the team had one gasser (a football player's nightmare). Vandy's kickers missed four, meaning four gassers for the team.

But Franklin decided to up the ante with a double or nothing call -- one kick to erase the gassers or force eight on his players. The team was supposed to choose a kicker it was confident in, but Carey Spear jumped right up and volunteered.

"Cary's one of the more competitive guys that we got," Franklin said.

"He's a very, very competitive, tough guy."

Cary stepped up and nailed a 40-yard kick to save his team from eight painful gassers.

"It was a pretty good risk that they were taking and they believed in him, so it was good," Franklin said.

Freeze unhappy with effort
Ole Miss dressed in pads for the second time this spring, but new coach Hugh Freeze wasn't too thrilled with the effort his players showed Tuesday.

“[I was] disappointed,” Freeze said. “I didn’t think the attitude was bad, but I thought the effort was half-hearted. I thought we coasted through a lot of practice. We’re asking a lot of them to lift [weights] and practice, sometimes on the same days. And of course, academics are a priority. We’ll point [the lack of effort] out on film [Wednesday], and we’ll stop practice on Thursday if we have to in order to get it right. We won’t go through two days of that in a row.”

As Freeze looks to install a new, more spread offense at Ole Miss, he's finding that one of the key components needs to improve more as the spring continues. That component is the running game, which isn't just essential to the spread, but is essential to having a successful offense in the SEC.

“There were some good plays, though. In the team run, we broke a few long ones," Freeze said.

"But we’re still very inconsistent.”

Two players sat out practice Tuesday with injuries. Sophomore defensive lineman Bryon Bennett (foot) and junior linebacker Mike Marry (hamstring) are both day-to-day.

Here's a quick recap of some of the scrimmages over the weekend:

VANDERBILT

Second-year coach James Franklin thinks the Commodores are "light years ahead" of where they were this time a year ago because they're more confident in what they're doing from an installation standpoint.

It looks like a couple of position moves are already paying off for Vanderbilt. Former quarterbacks Kris Kentera and Josh Grady both made their share of big plays -- Kentera at H-back and Grady at receiver. Kentera had catches of 48 and 24 yards. Grady had a diving catch that resulted in a first down.

There were no touchdowns scored in the scrimmage, which was the Commodores' first of the spring, but the offense was able to move the ball.

One of the more underrated defenders in the league last season was defensive end Tim Fugger. Now that he's gone, the Commodores need a finisher to emerge. Junior Walker May looks like he might be the guy. Franklin has been impressed with the way May has worked in the offseason, and the same goes for junior safety Kenny Ladler. The other guy who made his presence felt on defense in Saturday's scrimmage was sophomore tackle Barron Dixon, who had a couple of sacks.

Here's a report on the scrimmage from Vanderbilt's official web site.

SOUTH CAROLINA

The Gamecocks held their first scrimmage of the spring on Saturday, and it didn't take their defensive line long to assert itself. Sophomore end Jadeveon Clowney was a force and wrecked several plays. Another good sign for the Gamecocks was how active sophomore tackle Kelcy Quarles was in the scrimmage. Similar to what they did last year with Melvin Ingram, the Gamecocks moved Clowney inside some on passing situations, and he routinely was able to get pressure.

Connor Shaw threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to K.J. Brent. South Carolina, which is looking for receiving help now that Alshon Jeffery is gone, was down a couple of receivers for the scrimmage. Damiere Byrd was running track. Shamier Jeffery, Alshon's younger brother, sat out the scrimmage after twisting his knee Friday in practice.

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said that senior tailback Kenny Miles would be back with the team next season. Miles, one of Marcus Lattimore's backups, had been contemplating a transfer. Also, Bruce Ellington was at the scrimmage, but has yet to decide whether he will play football or basketball next season. There's a chance he will try to play both again.

For a report on South Carolina's scrimmage, go to the Gamecocks' official website.

LSU

Junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger continued his strong spring by completing 16 of 27 passes for 177 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

"We threw the ball pretty well," LSU coach Les Miles said. "We had really good balance. I think we're competing in the passing game very well. I think Mettenberger's a real leader there and enjoys his role."

Miles also liked the Tigers' balance on offense in Saturday's closed scrimmage. He said they rushed for 287 yards and passed for 278 yards. Spencer Ware led all rushers with 90 yards on 12 carries, but freshman Jeremy Hill also had an impressive outing with 56 yards on 10 carries. Miles said he would still like to see Hill lose a little weight, but added that he thought Hill would be ready in the fall and doesn't anticipate the freshman redshirting.

Junior Michael Ford, who led LSU in rushing last season with 756 yards, has a minor knee injury and will be held out the remainder of the spring. The Tigers will play their spring game this coming Saturday.

Miles said the way LSU ran the ball was more a reflection of the Tigers' strength at running back than anything they didn't do on defense. Cornerback Tyrann Mathieu and linebacker Tahj Jones sat out the scrimmage.

LSU's official website has a report on Saturday's scrimmage.

Devin Taylor is noticing all the attention surrounding South Carolina’s program, and he likes it.

It means people are expecting big things from the Gamecocks, and some might even be a little fearful of them.

“It’s almost like a target on our backs,” South Carolina’s senior defensive end said.

But that target didn’t just appear in Columbia, S.C. It started to form after South Carolina’s first trip to the SEC championship game in 2010, and Taylor said he could sense it every week last season. He could tell that the perception of South Carolina’s team had changed around the league and more respect was thrown the Gamecocks’ way.

“You could just feel it,” he said.

It’s not hard to believe that the team that once struggled to make upward moves in the SEC's Eastern Division is now linked to divisional favorite talk. In coach Steve Spurrier’s seven seasons at South Carolina, he has compiled 55 wins (leaving him nine away from tying Rex Enright’s school record for career wins), took South Carolina to Atlanta, and led the Gamecocks to their first 11-win season in 2011.

The next step? An SEC championship.

It’s a goal that Spurrier said he expects, and so do his players. Taylor said winning the East is no longer the No. 1 goal. They want to be showered with celebratory confetti inside the Georgia Dome in December.

And South Carolina has the parts in place to make such a run. The offense loses star receiver Alshon Jeffery and returns a cluster of unproven receivers, but the plus is that there is a ton of depth there. Also, much-ballyhooed incoming freshman WR Shaq Roland will be in town this summer, and a lot is expected of him.

On the offensive line, Rokevious Watkins and Terrence Campbell are gone (both were seniors in 2011). But South Carolina returns three starters, and the coaches expect redshirt freshman Brandon Shell to step right in at left tackle for Watkins. Get him going and South Carolina’s line should be fine.

Quarterback Connor Shaw returns after really starting to come into his own as more of a passer at the end of last season. He’ll always run the ball, but he showed he can be disciplined and lead with his arm.

Running back Marcus Lattimore (knee) won’t practice in the spring, but he certainly hasn’t been ruled out for the regular season. A healthy Lattimore, who has racked up 2,015 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns in 20 career games, is an obvious Heisman Trophy candidate.

Defensively, Taylor can’t help but get excited. While South Carolina enters spring camp down in numbers in the secondary -- especially with injuries to Akeem Auguste and D.J. Swearinger -- Taylor said he’s seen younger players (such as cornerback Victor Hampton) make improvements during offseason workouts. And Taylor has really been impressed with DeVonte Holloman, who is transitioning back to the spur position from safety.

When it comes to the front seven, Taylor knows the key names are Jadeveon Clowney -- who was seventh in the SEC in sacks (eight) and 11th in tackles for loss (12) -- along with Kelcy Quarles, Shaq Wilson and Reginald Bowens. But you can’t sleep on defensive tackle Byron Jerideau or linebacker Damario Jeffery, who moves to middle linebacker from the spur.

Taylor said South Carolina isn’t rebuilding on defense, it’s reloading, which is a scary thought. South Carolina was third nationally in total defense in 2011, and Taylor thinks the Gamecocks are equipped with just as much talent to have a similar year in 2012.

Even with the skill that returns on both sides for South Carolina, Taylor still expects the Gamecocks to be overlooked at times -- maybe not by opposing teams, but by those on the periphery.

And he’s fine with that.

“We can do the underdog thing and then come back and bite them in the butt,” he said.

Taylor hopes that “underdog thing” will take South Carolina to the top of the SEC in 2012. From where this program has been to where it is now, a win in Atlanta in early December would show just how big a turnover the Gamecocks have made, Taylor said.

“That would mean a lot, and it would let this entire program shine [and show] how much it’s grown and how much it’s willing to grow for future players coming here,” he said.

“I’ve worked hard over all these summers, and all this work actually paid off to do something great.”

There's no question that Steve Spurrier has been doing something right over at South Carolina. He's resurrected that program, and enters his eighth season as the Gamecocks' head coach with his team hovering around the top of the SEC.

Two years removed from taking South Carolina to its first ever SEC championship game, Spurrier still has his program in the national spotlight, and with the way he's recruited, it doesn't appear that will change as long as he's in charge.

But how close is South Carolina to really making a special run? One that doesn't just stop in Atlanta, but goes through it. Well, Brian Fremeau of Football Outsiders thinks the Gamecocks are right on the cusp of being an elite college football team.

South Carolina currently has 30-to-1 odds to win the national championship. That's good enough for the 14th best odds in the country, but it takes more than just odds. It takes, talent and money -- two things that South Carolina actually has at this point. According to Fremeau, South Carolina is 19th in financial program value, and 16h in recruiting over the past five years.

Where the Gamecocks aren't so fortunate is history.

Fremeau writes:

"But the track record of teams with South Carolina's historical win-loss record isn't promising. Teams with an all-time winning percentage advantage have won 64 percent of matchups over the last five years. When the difference in all-time winning percentage exceeds 10 percent, the head-to-head win likelihood climbs to 72 percent. The Gamecocks will face six opponents who have that historical edge this fall -- Georgia, Tennessee, and Arkansas at home; LSU, Florida, and Clemson on the road."

According to the five-year weighted Program FEI ratings, South Carolina has pushed its way into the top 20, which Fremeau says is good, because "every national championship game participant in the last 10 seasons has been ranked among the top-20 in PFEI heading into that season."

But for the Gamecocks to make the jump to elite status, they'll have to overcome a schedule that features four teams with stronger PFEI ratings (Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and LSU). That number would most likely jump to five if South Carolina makes it to the SEC championship game.

Fremeau writes:

"Based on program ratings, South Carolina would be projected to have only a 15 percent likelihood of going undefeated against its conference schedule this season. Toss in what should be a difficult nonconference game against rival Clemson, and it is very unlikely that the Gamecocks will make an unprecedented national championship run. History isn't on their side."