How does the public or a recruit view our program? We had a few good years under Spurrior, but so much mediocrity surrounding it's sickening! Clemmons is now the premier football program in the country! Let that sink in. They are #1. Not great. Not upper echelon... THEY ARE THE ALPHA PROGRAM! MAYBE BEST EVER AT THIS POINT!! Why are we stuck sucking exhaust fumes? Is it our traditions, leadership, just bad luck, do our breath stank? I mean come on. Are we doing anything significant to change things or just trying to be content with putting a product on the field so we can drink on Saturdays in the parking lot and buy team gear. Seems the gap is only widening. Is general public perception different?
What is the public perception of this football program?
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This is beating a dead horse but the problem is us . We will blindly support and spend tons of cash regardless of the product on the field . We brag about being the best, most loyal fan base in the country but in all honesty it’s a detriment . Watch what happens if Bama goes 7-5 or 8-4 a few years . I’ve been to games in Tuscaloosa and Gainesville when the programs were down . People will stay home . Losing is not an option . Hell look at FSU . They had nearly 50,000 at their spring game last year , this year it may have been less than 20,000 . We sold out every game during 0-11 and 3-9 years . This happens NOWHERE else in the country but Columbia SC . I’m as guilty as anybody unfortunately. Every year I swear that I’m gonna spend every Sat in the fall in the woods or the water but every Sat I’m screaming at my TV . It’s a cruel curse unfortunately. Why would the BOT and admins bother to make tough decisions if they know the dollars will keep rolling in and their jobs are safe regardless of results ?? That’s the problem .
I know people talk about it. But I dont see "the blindly support " of this program. Did you see the empty seats last year ?
Florida is overrated
I’m still angry we gave them that game
I’m still angry we gave them that game
This. Anyone who says your fans are still blindly supporting the program is living in 1999.
In fairness, I don't believe most fan bases will support a losing program anymore by attending the games. Why go spend a ton of money to watch your team lose when you can sit in front of the TV and do it much easier and cheaper? I believe the days of any fan base blindly supporting a losing team are in the past. There will always be the diehards that do but the casual fans won't. That applies to UofSC and every other fan base.
Viewed, and rightly so, as a middle of the road program. Going to be decent, but not going to threaten the elite level programs. Annual mid to lower level bowl participant. Like it or not, that is how the program is viewed.
Spurrier has a lot to do with the way Gamecock fans view the program now, and it’s not because of the 4 year run. Steve Spurrier constantly preached to us that “close games” wasn’t good enough before him we celebrated in that and lauded our team and players for their hard work! Our players got comfortable with it and we did too.
Unforgivable forever.
No they’re not. Florida is gonna be hard to deal with this year especially in 2020.
We let them slip off the hook when they were imminently beatable. They aren't going to be getting easier to beat anytime soon.
I’m guessing most people view us as a half decent program but not much of a threat since we hired Muschamp. Until we actually win a big game against a top program, no one is going to believe we are more than 6-8 win team with Muschamp.
Muschamp was the safe hire when Tanner missed on everyone else. Tanner figured Muschamp would recruit decent and work hard enough not to sink the program. So far so good, but the jury is out on whether he can win big here. I hope he proves everyone wrong.
Muschamp was the safe hire when Tanner missed on everyone else. Tanner figured Muschamp would recruit decent and work hard enough not to sink the program. So far so good, but the jury is out on whether he can win big here. I hope he proves everyone wrong.
I would think that most intelligent public perception is of a Power 5 CFB program that resides in arguably the top CFB conference in the nation, that is good enough to regularly - most always these days - warrant bowl eligibility and have moderately above .500 seasons, but has shown that it can do much better, and contend for division titles, if it has a good coaching staff running the program.
I would think that the public perception is of a program that has top quality if not elite facilities - there is still a dated public perception from outsiders that our facilities are behind others, but they are relying on older, dated information - and that the program is capable of pulling regular top-25 ranked recruiting classes, and so often have substantially talented teams, and is often a strong defensive program...
I would think that the public perception is of a program that has top quality if not elite facilities - there is still a dated public perception from outsiders that our facilities are behind others, but they are relying on older, dated information - and that the program is capable of pulling regular top-25 ranked recruiting classes, and so often have substantially talented teams, and is often a strong defensive program...
We are perceived as middle of the road SEC team, with no historical significance. We hired a coach that was unable to win with team that won 2 national titles within 5 years of his hire and has been deemed a great coordinator but not head coach.
He also rehired an OC that he failed with at UF and tried that for two years, then to hire an unproven coordinator, to make his 5th OC in less than 10 years as a HC. I think the shine of him as a magical recruiter is also wearing out, because he recruited at programs such as LSU, Florida and Texas, recruiting at USC has been a different animal, not breaking free of the middle to lower tier SEC recruiting. He also has 1 win against a ranked team in 3 seasons, and has yet to beat UGA, Clemson, Texas A and M, and Kentucky in his time at USC.
But he sure does work hard.
He also rehired an OC that he failed with at UF and tried that for two years, then to hire an unproven coordinator, to make his 5th OC in less than 10 years as a HC. I think the shine of him as a magical recruiter is also wearing out, because he recruited at programs such as LSU, Florida and Texas, recruiting at USC has been a different animal, not breaking free of the middle to lower tier SEC recruiting. He also has 1 win against a ranked team in 3 seasons, and has yet to beat UGA, Clemson, Texas A and M, and Kentucky in his time at USC.
But he sure does work hard.
The jury is still out?????? What is Champ now......1 - 492 vs top 25 teams? Champ won't be here in 2021. May as well get used to that. FYI, neither will Ray and neither will Martin. You'll see.
He will if we keep extending his contract every year
That's just one of the millions of reason Ray will be fired.
We are viewed as an average team, we are about 50/50 wins and losses overall. Occasionally we will have a few good years, and sometimes we might go 0-21. Overall we win 1/2 of the time.
Everyone cannot be champions, the SEC needs decent teams that can win some big games and still finish in the middle of the pack year in and year out. We fit this bill.
Everyone cannot be champions, the SEC needs decent teams that can win some big games and still finish in the middle of the pack year in and year out. We fit this bill.
People view us like I view NC State. Good every now and then, capable of an upset here or there.
Spurrier made USC relevant, made them winners, made them contenders. Not really been there before or after yet all the hate for Spurrier! He is the reason hopes are as high as they are and just as much as the season as to why the Clemson hate grew so much as fans learned they could win often.
Mushchamp will never be a fan fave until he puts some critical wins in the books but as it stands I think he has like a 1-20 record over ranked teams. Maybe better but maybe worse time to step up!
1-13 I believe to be exact. But that one win comes against Butch Jones and Tenn so ***
Living in the Atlanta area I come across fans from all over the SEC, ACC and many other schools across the country.
This is exactly how we are perceived. Rarely if ever is there malice in the comments, mostly indifference, even from UGA fans.
I'm not as worried about public perception as I am actuality and we won't know that until the season starts. The year we won the SEC East, nobody expected it. The year we went 6-6 and got blown out by Texas A&M we were darkhorse candidates to win it all. As far as the gap goes, it can only get smaller since Clempson has reached their apex. From a talent standpoint, I think we have upgraded at just about every position. I fully expect to be a better football team this season even if our record is similar to what it was last season. Muschamp needs to beat a team are two that we aren't favored to beat and with Jake playing as a senior, it is supposed to happen this year. We'll see.
Like it or not, that's actually reality.
This is true but even middle of the road SEC teams can have some really good seasons. I look at Mississippi State during Mullin's tenure there. Their football history was worse than ours but Mullin turned them into a very respectable program. Had they been in the East they probably would have won a few divisional titles.
Just about every team that has been successful in the SEC has one thing in common and that's strong defenses. Even here, when Spurrier was most successful it was when we had elite defenses. So far Muschamp hasn't gotten our defense to that level. In this day and time you have to have the bodies and we just didn't have them when he got here. He has recruited strongly on that side of the ball and I expect we will start to see what we expected when we hired Muschamp and that is a team that plays really good defense.
Because of our proximity to Atlanta, Charlotte, and northern Florida, there always seems to be an interest in what we’re doing because of our potential to muck up recruiting battles. Perception being, with the proper coach, South Carolina could be a problem on the recruiting trail and on the field. But the level of concern from rival fans is almost entirely tied to whoever the coach is. I can recall almost no rival fan being concerned during the Brad era. Some mild trepidation and then real concern when Holtz was here, before he flames out. Pretty much panic from rival fans the entire time we had Spurrier. That guy was a terror for pretty much every opposing fan base. No one takes Muschamp seriously. So, we’re back to being an after thought.
Muschamp was hired because Tanner dragged his feet and didn’t close the deal on Herman or Smart He had half a season to close and stumbled on champ who no other team in the sec would have gave the head coaching reigns to. NO One
Hopefully it works out but so far it resembles his time at Florida
LOL!!! Not if they don't live in South Carolina. But you were correct ... about the guessing part.
I live in ATL metro as well. In my experience, we are seen as even lower that middle of the road. The streak to UK is frequently brought up by SEC homers, as well as the annual jail rape in the rivalry game... I had a Vandy alum talking ish to me after the bowl embarrassment.
To the local folks, we are legends in our own mind. We are a upcoming program that, in a few years, will be able to compete with the teams now recruiting our South Carolina stars.
To the rest of the World ... And you MUST include the proviso ...
"Post-Spurrier" ... We do not enter the conversation, ... at anytime.
We are the Indiana ... we are the Rutgers ... We are the Temple of the South.
To the rest of the World ... And you MUST include the proviso ...
"Post-Spurrier" ... We do not enter the conversation, ... at anytime.
We are the Indiana ... we are the Rutgers ... We are the Temple of the South.
I hate to say it but the KEY to success is the Coaching Staff and the AD, the philosophy and the culture that they create. It's no surprise that coaches from all over the country fly in to observe Dabo and Co. do their thing. They seem to operate as ONE, with everybody on the same page, always.
Great facilities are an absolute prerequisite in today's world, and we have that right now. You MUST put the welfare of the players first ( their Moms demand it) and you have to be sincere about it.
Like it or not, Dabo et al have mastered that like no other coach, ever. Right now he is the Gold Standard. You have to gather great coaches and you have to pay them unbelievable amounts of money. Great coaches will turn 3*s into 4 and 5 stars. You have to be honest in all aspects of your program. I know Brandon Streeter a bit and if you spend 5 minutes with him ( he spoke to our Rotary Club and I chatted with him for some time) you would absolutely understand why Clemson is on top right now. They respect each other, they love each other, their bond is unbroken and they have a common goal. I could just feel his happiness and commitment. It was contagious. He said he would be happy to coach at Clemson forever !
The hard part is that, especially at USC, it will take many, many years to accomplish what we all want. It will require incredible patience on the part of us fans. Nobody, even Dabo, can do it overnight. And he started with a program that had already won a Natty and was respected as an excellent FB school already. Nobody really respects or fears our program, sadly.
First thing: START OVER: 1) Get ride of Tanner and Muschamp as practically as possible, given their contracts. No way they will take us to the Promised Land, no way in hell. 2) Throw huge money at the best coach and AD in the country. 3) Give him a blank check to hire the best assistants known to man ( yes, copy Dabo)! 4) Develop a drop dead great PR program to market us. 5) Be aware that we're in the same geographic area as UGa and Clemson, which will indeed require super human efforts by everyone regarding recruiting and marketing. 6) Expect at least 10-20 years, minimum, to become elite on a regular basis, maybe longer. 7) Put serious pressure on the BOT any way we can.
We do NOT have the luxury of doing things piece-meal and just plodding along as we've done forever.
I know I'll be trashed for invoking Clemson in my comments but, hey, we all know that they figured it out several years ago ( with no real format to start with), so let's learn from them and the Alabama's of the country and move on to greatness.
Great facilities are an absolute prerequisite in today's world, and we have that right now. You MUST put the welfare of the players first ( their Moms demand it) and you have to be sincere about it.
Like it or not, Dabo et al have mastered that like no other coach, ever. Right now he is the Gold Standard. You have to gather great coaches and you have to pay them unbelievable amounts of money. Great coaches will turn 3*s into 4 and 5 stars. You have to be honest in all aspects of your program. I know Brandon Streeter a bit and if you spend 5 minutes with him ( he spoke to our Rotary Club and I chatted with him for some time) you would absolutely understand why Clemson is on top right now. They respect each other, they love each other, their bond is unbroken and they have a common goal. I could just feel his happiness and commitment. It was contagious. He said he would be happy to coach at Clemson forever !
The hard part is that, especially at USC, it will take many, many years to accomplish what we all want. It will require incredible patience on the part of us fans. Nobody, even Dabo, can do it overnight. And he started with a program that had already won a Natty and was respected as an excellent FB school already. Nobody really respects or fears our program, sadly.
First thing: START OVER: 1) Get ride of Tanner and Muschamp as practically as possible, given their contracts. No way they will take us to the Promised Land, no way in hell. 2) Throw huge money at the best coach and AD in the country. 3) Give him a blank check to hire the best assistants known to man ( yes, copy Dabo)! 4) Develop a drop dead great PR program to market us. 5) Be aware that we're in the same geographic area as UGa and Clemson, which will indeed require super human efforts by everyone regarding recruiting and marketing. 6) Expect at least 10-20 years, minimum, to become elite on a regular basis, maybe longer. 7) Put serious pressure on the BOT any way we can.
We do NOT have the luxury of doing things piece-meal and just plodding along as we've done forever.
I know I'll be trashed for invoking Clemson in my comments but, hey, we all know that they figured it out several years ago ( with no real format to start with), so let's learn from them and the Alabama's of the country and move on to greatness.
Totally agree . Spurrier terrified every coach in the SEC even during his last two years . That game he called against Auburn in 2014 in the shoot out we lost might have been one of his best coaching performances ever . No matter how bad the talent level was , nobody ever looked at a Spurrier team as a gimme . Until he proves otherwise , Muschamp is still just a really good DC and recruiter . I think these next two years will either catapult or effectively end his head coaching career . Can’t use the schedule as a crutch , it’s the SEC . Everybody’s schedules are brutal . The next two years are make or break . If we flounder the next few years and he’s still here then I have my doubts that this program will ever Be truly relevant again .
Should have entitled your thread..."Welcome to the Muschamp bashing thread....now everyone take your turn."
What our fans DESERVE as a coach is the football equivalent of a Darrin Horn.
What our fans DESERVE as a coach is the football equivalent of a Darrin Horn.
This will probably get lost in the shuffle but as for who we are - I've come to find that I LOVE our football team and all of our other sports too. This Clemson title thing is bad... it is in fact awful... but it has shown me that there is NOTHING that will change how I feel about the Gamecocks. So yes, we are mediocre in just about everything if you look at it historically and we may never be anything else. But it's like I tell Clemson folks when they start up with me "You couldn't be a Gamecock... you don't have the stuff... you don't have what it takes. You didn't go to Clemson (if they did, that's a different story but I've never met a graduate) so you picked them and you did it because it's easy. I get it. You win a lot. Yay for you. My connection with my university is something you'll never have or understand. Good luck with that".
