AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2006 > November > 30
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Ol’ Ball Coach staying put
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So many questions. So little time.
— What’s going on with Steve Spurrier and Alabama? This situation is not that complicated. Before the end of this week, or early next week, we predict that the Ball Coach will get a new contract at South Carolina. The current one pays him about $1.25 million, because in the original contract Spurrier gave up $250,000 to be spread around to his assistant coaches. He knew that if he won, the opportunity would quickly come to get that money back. With Alabama all but begging him to bring his visor to Tuscaloosa, payday has arrived. Figure the new deal with be in the neighborhood of $2 million per year, which is still less than what he’s worth.
— After a gut-wrenching loss to Georgia, can Georgia Tech get off the deck and beat Wake Forest for the ACC championship?
You can analyze this one to death but at the end of the day it’s up to the players. And if I’m a player, here is what I think: Everybody is dumping on us because we didn’t get it done in Athens. The Gator Bowl has said publicly that they don’t want us. Our athletic director had to raise some hell just to get them to do the right thing.
There is only way to shut all these people up.
Win the game.
That’s it. Just win the game.
If that’s not enough to get you motivated, then you need to take up tennis.
— Everybody seems to like Arkansas in the SEC championship game. Do the Gators have a chance?
Oh yeah.
When you can play great defense-and the Gators can-you always have a chance. Florida won’t stop Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. Nobody can. If they can hold them to under 150 yards combined, they will win the game. That’s a big if. A really big if. Let’s put it this way. Arkansas is going to have to make some plays in the passing game to win. Those passing plays may come from McFadden.
