What if Steve Spurrier Never Left the Florida Gators?

Dec 27, 2014; Shreveport, LA, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier and defensive player of the game linebacker Jonathan Walton (28) hold the Independence Bowl trophy after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the 2014 Independence Bowl at Independence Stadium. South Carolina defeated Miami 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

What would football at South Carolina have looked like since Lou Holtz’s retirement?

This is the easiest question on the list to answer. There is a 100 percent chance that the South Carolina Gamecocks would not have sniffed the success they have had under Spurrier.

This is not a major football school where you can consistently recruit Top 5 talent. But in 10 years with the school, Spurrier has won an SEC East Title, had three Top 10 finishes and a Top 5 finish, reeled off three straight 11-2 seasons, has never gone below .500 for a year, and only failed to have a winning season once when he went 6-6 in 2007.

This is unprecedented success at South Carolina that nobody else could have. It is very likely guys like Jadeveon Clowney would have never even looked at South Carolina were it not for Spurrier.

And now, here he is, a victim of his own success, coming off a 7-6 season and bowl win, and that’s a disappointment. That was a good season for South Carolina football before he got there.

Even the great Lou Holtz, in six years, had three losing seasons and another 6-5 season. Spurrier, meanwhile, has the South Carolina fan base thinking about winning the SEC Championship, something that was unheard of before he got there.

So no, South Carolina would not have had the same success without Spurrier.

Next: Would the Fun n' Gun be as effective as it was in the 1990s?