Florida's Steve Spurrier arrived at the SEC Kickoff 2001 festivities in Birmingham last week wearing a tasteful little suit number and a pair of sunglasses right out of the Secret Service eyewear catalog.

He strode to the ballroom podium, glanced at the packed house of assorted print hacks and photogs, and then spent the next 40 minutes or so doing what he does almost as well as coaching: digging that verbal stiletto of his near the bone and turning it just so.

Spurrier is an acquired taste. Hear him once, and you think he's 10 of the most arrogant people you've ever met.

But hear him a dozen times and you begin to understand why SEC commissioner Roy Kramer, on the short, short list of the nation's most powerful sports figures, stood at the back of the room that morning, hands in pockets, grin pasted on his face as Spurrier sliced and diced the merits of the commish's beloved Bowl Championship Series. Kramer knew better than to do the debate-club thing with Spurrier, especially with hundreds of reporters in the room.

Spurrier wanted to know why other NCAA sports can determine a national champion through a playoff system, but not college football. Or why his own conference can devise a mini-playoff, complete with an SEC title game, but the powers that be can't devise something to fit all of Division I?

"I don't know," said Spurrier, glancing at Kramer. "Just thought I'd ask the commissioner."

Kramer fidgeted. "This is your day," he said. "I don't want to interfere."

"So anyway," said Spurrier, his point made. "I was just curious. I guess that's just the way it is. Just the way we do it. Maybe that's the best answer."

It might have been the best answer, but according to Spurrier, it's not the best solution. Spurrier wants a playoff, though he isn't holding his breath.

"I don't think I'll ever coach in a playoff game," he said. "I think it will happen and they'll all look back and say, 'Why didn't you do this earlier?' "

In the meantime, we're stuck with the BCS and its recently tweaked computer ranking system -- with an improved strength-of-schedule provision, where a team is rewarded for playing and beating top-15 programs.

Of course, that doesn't mean Spurrier didn't instantly expose the rough spots in the new BCS oil change.

Asked if the ESPN/USA Today poll might be manipulated by the voting coaches, Spurrier didn't hesitate. "I think that happens," he said. "I think some coaches vote a little funny."

He later backtracked, saying that Kramer himself vouched for the honesty and good intentions of the coaches who vote in the poll -- though you couldn't tell for sure if Spurrier was kidding. (Memo to Roy: If you're so sure about their good intentions, make the coaches publicly accountable for their ballots, just like the AP voters.)

Spurrier wasn't done with his buddy Kramer. As the SEC coach with the longest tenure (this is his 12th season in Gainesville), Spurrier made sure to mention that coaches are hired to be fired. "We all know that," he said. "Commissioners are the only ones with lifetime contracts."

Don't get the wrong idea. Spurrier respects Kramer. Kramer respects Spurrier -- and he absolutely loves the money the Gators haul in for the SEC.

But give Spurrier a microphone and 40 minutes to play with, and this is what you get: Spurrier's version of honesty, complete with down-home inflections, little grins, and common sense wrapped in sarcasm.

Of course -- and no doubt it was complete coincidence -- none of Spurrier's comments regarding Kramer made it into the official transcript later distributed to media types.

Didn't matter. We knew.

In fact, that's the best part of Florida being ranked the preseason No. 1: more Spurrier, less B.S.

Gene Wojciechowski is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at gene.wojciechowski@espnmag.com.