What if Steve Spurrier Never Left the Florida Gators?

Caleb Calhoun

Jul 15, 2014; Hoover, AL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier talks to the media during the SEC Football Media Days at the Wynfrey Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

In Back to the Future fashion, let’s take a look at how today’s college football world would look if Steve Spurrier never left the Florida Gators.

They say that if you go back in time and peel the wings off of a butterfly, the future dramatically changes. Steve Spurrier’s announcement that he was resigning from the University of Florida in early January of 2002 was a much bigger deal than just peeling the wings off a butterfly.

What if it never happened? How different would the college football landscape be?

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Regardless of whether or not the butterfly theory is true, in the college football world, Spurrier’s decision was monumental, and it was clearly going to affect the college football world, particularly the SEC and obviously Florida.

Even now, 13 years later, Spurrier not at Florida just does not seem right. This guy became the envy of the SEC with his dominance of the 1990s, and his 2001 team had one of the best offenses ever, kept out of the national championship thanks to a home loss to a loaded Tennessee team.

So exactly what would it be like now if Steve Spurrier had never left Florida. Let’s take a look at the number of things that could be different.

Next: Would Florida have had the same level of success?

Nov 22, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators wide receiver Andre Debose (4) gets pumped up prior to the game against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Would Florida have had the same level of success?

This is difficult to say. Florida hired Ron Zook right after Spurrier left, and that was a failed experiment. Will Muschamp was also a failed experiment. But the six-year Urban Meyer run between those two coaches can’t be ignored.

The Gators have won two national championships since Spurrier left in 13 seasons of college football. Don’t forget that in 12 seasons as head coach the program, Spurrier only had one national championship, and his team backed into that title after Nebraska lost the Big 12 Championship and Ohio State was stunned by Arizona State in the Rose Bowl. Had the BCS been in play then, Florida would have never had a chance for the national title.

So we can’t just simply say that Spurrier would have won those two national titles. However, we can say with a pretty good amount of confidence that he would have had a better record than every one of the Ron Zook years and three of the four Muschamp years at least. Look at what he’s done at South Carolina, and consider how that would be with Florida recruits.

You could expect 10-win seasons every year (he never had fewer than nine at Florida), which means the Gators would have actually been better in nine of the 13 seasons, with the only exceptions being the 11-2 season under Muschamp and the three 13-1 seasons under Meyer.

So, in short, Florida would have surpassed its level of success in terms of win. But whether they would have any national titles to show for it is a totally different story.

Next: How would Spurrier stack up against the likes of Bear Bryant and Nick Saban as an SEC head coach?

Nov 2, 2013; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier looks on during the fourth quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks defeated the Bulldogs 34-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

How would Spurrier stack up against the likes of Bear Bryant and Nick Saban as an SEC head coach?

This goes back to the first question. And it would all come down to the national championships.

Spurrier is already on the Mount Rushmore of SEC Head Coaches with those two guys and Gen. Robert Neyland, who coached the Tennessee Volunteers to dominance in three separate stints from the 1920s to the 1950s. Only one national championship holds him back to a degree, but given that half of his tenure was at South Carolina, a school that’s hard to win at, he gets more of a break.

Assuming he had at least 10 wins every season at Florida from 2002 to 2014, Spurrier, who has 226 wins as a head coach, would be at 272 wins. That would make him dangerously close to surpassing the Bear in terms of wins, and it’s safe to say he would have a couple more SEC titles to add to the six he already had at Florida.

But back to the first question, he would need a couple more national championships. If he got just one more during that time, we could have that conversation. The chances are very good he would.

If he got two, then we’re talking about a guy on his own level as the greatest SEC coach ever.

Next: What would Urban Meyer's career look like now?

Jan 24, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer with the Coaches Trophy during the national championship celebration at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

What would Urban Meyer’s career look like now?

Urban Meyer’s first year as a head coach was Spurrier’s last at Florida. But obviously, his decision to go to Florida came out of the decision to fire Ron Zook in 2004. None of that would have happened had Spurrier, who never would be fired, stayed.

What most likely would have happened is Meyer’s career would have gone the way it did through 2004, and he would have been hired as head coach at Notre Dame in 2005, who tried to hire him along with Florida during that time. The trick is whether he would have had the same success.

Meyer’s spread worked to perfection in a place like Florida, where it was easy to recruit and there were lots of track stars, he did not have to worry about the defense with Charlie Strong, and Tim Tebow fell into his lap.

All of that would be in question at Notre Dame, but the biggest question would be how he could handle Notre Dame’s refusal to relax its academic standards in 2005. That consistently held the Irish back in recruiting.

Simply put, it was not as easy to win at Notre Dame, so if this did happen, he would have a good bit of success. But he would not have the high-profile he has now, and there is a strong chance he would not have been hired away at Ohio State.

Our call? He would not do enough to get fired from Notre Dame but not have enough success to get hired elsewhere. So he would still be at Notre Dame as a successful looking for a first national championship. It is just too hard to win a title at Notre Dame.

Next: Where would Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain be?

Apr 18, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers defensive coordinator Will Muschamp watches his squad during the A-Day game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Where would Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain be?

Ron Zook would likely be exactly where he is now without the experience he was given as a head coach. He’d be an assistant coach in the NFL.

But Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain would have still built up their profiles as Nick Saban disciples.

Starting with Muschamp, he likely would have had everything go exactly the same until the end of 2010. At that point, he probably would have been hired somewhere else, unless he wanted to wait for the Georgia job to open up or stay in his position as the coach-in-waiting at Texas. Remember, Muschamp decided against Tennessee the year before, so it’s not like he would not turn down high-profile jobs.

In all of those scenarios, the most likely is that Mack Brown would have been forced out and Muschamp would have taken the job with Texas. So the Longhorns would be all defense and no offense, just like Florida, and much less of a threat than they will be with Charlie Strong.

McElwain, meanwhile, would have probably stayed at Colorado State. Florida would obviously still have Spurrier, Michigan had their man in Jim Harbaugh, and Wisconsin had their man in Paul Chryst. The only other job better than the one he was at that was open was Nebraska, and you’d have to be a fool to take that job.

Plus, they still may have gone for Mike Riley. So McElwain would have to wait another year for his opportunity.

Next: Would Tim Tebow have gone to Florida?

Aug 28, 2014; Columbia, SC, USA; SEC Network Analyst Tim Tebow talks during halftime of the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Texas A&M Aggies at Williams-Brice Stadium. Texas A&M defeated South Carolina 52-28. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Would Tim Tebow have still gone to Florida?

This is an interesting one. We all know what Tim Tebow’s limitations are throwing the football.

And those limitations would be brought to the forefront in Spurrier’s Fun n’ Gun system. As a result, we say no. Tim Tebow would not have gone to Florida, despite his talents and his love for the school, because he could not ever run that system.

So that begs the next question: where would Tebow end up? He was never really considering anybody else, but Alabama, LSU, Michigan, and USC were the only other schools on his list.

None of those would have fit his style either.

The best explanation is that he would have still followed Urban Meyer. The spread offense was relatively new, and Tebow would have had to see what that could do for him. And Meyer would have to know that Tebow is the perfect fit.

So Tebow would fall into Urban Meyer’s lap even at Notre Dame, but while he may have won a Heisman Trophy, he never would be in the conversation for one of the greatest college players ever. He would have no national championships to show for it.

Remember, Charlie Strong’s defenses won Meyer his two national titles. It would have been simply impossible to recruit the necessary talent for those dominant defenses with Notre Dame’s academic standards.

Next: What would football at South Carolina have looked like since Lou Holtz's retirement?

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?

Oct 4, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky defeated South Carolina 45-38. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Would the Fun n’ Gun be as effective as it was in the 1990s?

This question becomes more tricky. Spurrier has not been as aggressive with his Fun n’ Gun at South Carolina as he was at Florida, tailoring his offense more to the players he has.

But is that because of three years away from college football? And more importantly, is it because he can’t recruit the same caliber players at South Carolina as he could at Florida?

Coaches began to figure out Spurrier’s Fun n’ Gun anyway during his time at Florida. While he dominated the SEC from 1990 to 1996 with five SEC titles, including four straight, and a national title, he one only won SEC title during his last five years with the Gators, and he had back-to-back finishes outside of the Top 10 in 1999 and 2000.

It’s not like he fell off, as he still finished in the Top 5 in 1997, 1998, and 2001, but he was not as dominant. Still, Spurrier has shown he can adjust at South Carolina.

So our call? The Fun n’ Gun would still be successful, but it might not be exactly the same as it was. And with the speed in the Sunshine State, Spurrier would be able to recruit the perfect talent based on speed to run the system.

Next: Which SEC Champions since 2001 would have been thwarted due to Spurrier?

Dec 5, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; The Southeastern Conference logo is seen at midfield at the Georgia Dome. The Alabama Crimson Tide plays the Missouri Tigers in the SEC Championship on Saturday. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Which SEC Champions since 2001 would have been thwarted due to Spurrier?

Now, we know that Florida won the SEC Championship in 2006 and 2008. But in a span from 2002 to 2012, there are SEC Champions who would have been thwarted by Spurrier, right? Right.

Sorry Georgia fans, but Mark Richt’s accomplishments would even be worse than what they are. Florida beat Georgia in 2002 and 2005, but both times other losses kept them out of the SEC Championship. In 2002, a 16-14 loss to 6-6 Ole Miss never would have happened with Spurrier as head coach, and the Gators would have won the SEC title in place of the Dawgs against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

In 2005, a loss to South Carolina, ironically coached by Spurrier, would not have happened. The Gators would have played LSU in the SEC title game, and that would have been a toss-up. But Georgia certainly would not have it (although you could throw another “if” in there saying “If D.J. Shockley would have been healthy for Georgia”).

In 2007, assuming that another quarterback other than Tim Tebow is under center, Spurrier likely would not have blown those games to Auburn and LSU, losing only to Georgia, which would have vaulted his Gators into the SEC Championship game. And he could have won it then over the Tigers.

From 2011 to 2014, Spurrier would have had the offensive talent to match the elite defense, and Florida definitely could have challenged LSU in 2011, Auburn in 2013, and Alabama in 2012 and 2014. We’ll say he stops at least one of them.

So yes, Nick Saban at Alabama, Gus Malzahn, at Auburn, and Les Miles at LSU all could have at least one fewer SEC title due to Spurrier being at Florida. And Richt would go from two to none.

Next: Does it even matter what would have happened to the Washington Redskins?

Dec 20, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden (R) talks to Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) on the sidelines against the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Does it even matter what the Washington Redskins would have done?

Is Dan Snyder capable of not being a complete idiot with football decisions? Of course not.

Snyder would have found some other way to completely screw up the team, and he might not have even brought in Joe Gibbs as head coach, which would not have led to Jim Zorn’s firing.

Anyway, let’s not think that far down the road. There is so much room for idiotic Dan Snyder decisions that the decision to hire Spurrier had no effect on what Washington would have been during this time. No matter what, this would have been a pathetic franchise run by an ineffective owner.

Fans in the Nation’s Capitol would just have another coach on their list of people that they hate other than Spurrier.

It is my personal belief that without Spurrier, Snyder would have hired somebody who claims to talk to the dead and tell that person to use his abilities to channel Vince Lombardi’s spirit through the coaching headsets used in games. He would then promise Lombardi an eternal contract in the hopes that his ghost would coach Washington.

So yes, Washington would still be a complete joke of a football team.

Next: So, what if Steve Spurrier truly never left Florida?

So, what if Steve Spurrier truly never left Florida?

Steve Spurrier’s decision to leave Florida dramatically altered college football history. If he had stayed, Florida may have one less national championship, but they would have at least one along with three more SEC titles on top of the two they won. That would have made Spurrier the king of the SEC over Saban and as somebody on Bryant’s level.

Spurrier would then have 11 SEC Championships, 272 wins, and two national titles on his resume. Mark Richt would be fired because he would never have won an SEC title at Georgia.

Urban Meyer would be succeeding at Notre Dame but not enough to be considered an elite coach. He and Tim Tebow would be considered very good at what they did in college football, but not legends.

Will Muschamp would be on the hot seat at Texas while Jim McElwain would still be at Colorado State, South Carolina would be a mediocre program likely on its third head coach during this time, the Fun n’ Gun would be evolved but still a huge part of college football, and nobody cares what would have happened to the Washington Redskins.

Bottom line: Spurrier’s decision to leave Florida at the end of 2002 altered a lot of football programs and individuals’ careers.

Next: What if Chip Kelly never left Oregon for the NFL

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Caleb Calhoun

As a Maryland graduate who was born and raised in Memphis, Tenn., I have been following college football since Peyton Manning played at the University of Tennessee. I went to school for journalism because of the fact that I wanted to write about sports, and despite growing up a Volunteer fan and an SEC fan, moving to the East Coast has allowed me to embrace college football from a more national perspective. As of right now I still live in Maryland and consider the DMV home, but I never have forgotten my Memphis roots, which I consider home as well.