Palmetto Proving Grounds

Not BigAl, and I absolutely agree with you about SOS being the most successful coach we've ever had. But there are multiple reasons to believe he will retire after the 2013 season.

--He recently turned 66, prompting ESPN's Chris Low to recall several conversations in which Spurrier had said he would be ready to retire once he reached that age.

--SOS has a clause in his contract that gives him a hefty bonus if he stays at USC through the 2013 season.

--He and Jerri are in the process of building their retirement home on the beach in Florida.

--Perhaps most importantly, Spurrier said when he got here that he wanted to become the all-time winningest coach in USC history. At the moment, he is 14 wins from that goal, meaning that with any kind of success, he should hit the mark sometime in 2013.

What he said.

I hate it when you make sense. Dammit!

Need to talk to Dantonio, Skip, hell Mike Leach.

I'll toss one other name out there that intrigues me and that is Butch Jones at Cincinnati. He runs an innovate offense and would be around 46/47 at that time.

By no means am I saying he should be the top guy or would be a great hire but I would like to see where is career is going at that point and if he would listen to South Carolina.

At one time before G.A. pissed his career away I thought he might be an interesting call. I believe that when the time comes there will be an interesting dynamic that has not been present before... The job will be a very attractive one and not a dumpster fire like after Bell, Morrison, Woods, and Scott.

My hope is for someone who has head coach experience, is engaged in recruiting, and can keep some continuity in the staff. I have not looked at it a lot yet, but will be more in tune with it next year and I am sure we will hear names when it gets closer.

We have 6, possibly 7 games left this year. Next year we have 13-14. I think its reasonable to assume he could get it next year.

This is not my prediction but merely a VERY conservative approach.

Wins at : Tennesse, Florida, Citadel, Bowl
In doubt: Ark, Clem, Possible SEC title game

That four wins we should get this year, with three "in doubt". This means if we can win one of the in doubt games, it leaves us with 9-10 next year for Spurrier to break the record.

In 2012 we should have a very good team (Shaw, Lattimore, Plenty of talent at WR, Plenty of talent on Defense). Again, a conservatice approach based on next years current schedule without changes due to realignment:

Wins:
ECU, UAB, Wofford, Vandy, Kentuck, Miss St, Tennessee

In Doubt:
Georgia, Florida, LSU, Arkansas, Clemson, Bowl, possible SEC title game

Thats seven very winnable games and 6-7 in the air. It's not unreasonable to assume we can't win 3 or more of the In Doubt games, giving Spurrier a shot at breaking the record possibly in the Bowl game or SEC title game (wouldn't that be great).

Anyway, something to think about on a slow day.

I want Gus Malzahn. He is an offensive genius, he has been around a staff that knows what it takes in recruiting and he is a young guy that has great name recognition with recruits and especially QB's in the south.

I'm not a big Malzahn fan, when you have Felix Jones and Run DMC or Cam Newton is easy to look like an offensive genius. Also both of those teams had great college OL to work with. When he hasn't had those guys to work with he hasn't done very well against good competition. I just don't see an offense that runs that wide working with consistency in the SEC unless you have elite players to run it.

I hope we go after a more traditional offensive minded coach. I'd love an offensive scheme more like Stanford, LSU, Bama that focuses on a power running game and play action passes off of it. I'm a big fan of the Panthers OC Chudzinski, was OC at Miami from 01-03 when they won the NC, got screwed aganst OSU and won an Orange Bowl his last year there. Went to the Browns and made Derek Anderson a pro bowler and now has Cam Newton playing like the best rookie QB in NFL history despite having an abbreviated pre season.

I think SOS retires when Lattimore leaves. No reason...just always kind of felt that way since Marcus comitted.

2013 is a long ways away so it's tough to say who's going to be available that far in the future. In a perfect world, Mangus would have assumed much of the playcalling/OC role and will naturally role into succession for the HC job. Continuity and recruiting.

If that wasn't the case, and I had to pick a coach today it would be Randy Edsall at MD. He *should* have been the choice at ND and is exactly what Carolina needs: a great gameday coach but a great evaluator of talent that's "not so obvious".

I do know one thing. Hiring someone from this staff to be the next HC will be a disaster.