Is there anything more exciting than a college football game on a Saturday in the autumn?

I cut my teeth watching the University of South Carolina Gamecocks as they suffered through decade after decade of mediocrity. When you have coaches with the name of "Sparky," this affords you a clue as to the quality of the direction of the program. It's like having a guy named "Bubba" at the helm.

One of the most successful coaches to head up the Gamecock program was former All-Pro New York Giant, Joe Morrison, who fell victim to a heart attack while at the helm of the Carolina program. South Carolina football will do that to you.

Years later South Carolina upgraded to bring in Lou Holtz, who had built a national powerhouse at Notre Dame. It was automatically assumed that he would duplicate the process in Columbia. But Williams-Brice Stadium was fast becoming known as the "graveyard" of coaches, both literally and metaphorically.

Now Steve Spurrier is trying to spin his magic in Gamecock country. If he manages to win ten games and go to a mid-level bowl game they might go ahead with his coronation as Governor of the Palmetto state.

However, like Holtz before him, Spurrier has a tough row to ho. His best recruiting efforts doesn't even afford him the best of talent from South Carolina, forcing his recruiters to venture out of state to find the kind his athletes he likes- kids that are fast, smart and disciplined. The good news is he still has a pipeline to Florida and Georgia and the Gamecock roster is heavily dominated with kids from both states.

Despite the best efforts of "the ole ball coach," he will be hard pressed to match the success he enjoyed at the University of Florida. His production will be more "Duke-like" than "Florida-like" but you can't help but pull for him. Spurrier got his first head coaching position at Duke and took the Blue Devils to some level of prominence before moving on to greener gridirons. Duke has fallen back into cellar in North Carolina faster than John Edwards' political ambitions.

Steve Spurrier has passion for the sport that is good for college football, despite the fact that I fear he, like Morrison, will tip over with a heart attack because of the constant frustration he faces each year. You either love him or you hate him. There is no middle ground.

His team got off to a terrific start last autumn only to end up with a record that was so mediocre that despite being bowl eligible, the Gamecocks were left out off the post season invitation list. They lost their last five games, Spurrier's longest personal losing streak ever.

You have to love it when Spurrier rips off the visor and hurls it to the ground because of the latest dumb move by one of his athletes. At best, their lack of talent is matched only by their lack of discipline, causing mistakes that are unacceptable in Spurrier's mindset. Toss in a couple of bone-head coaching decisions and his team went from being 6-1 to a break-even record and an early holiday break.

I moved to St. Cloud, Florida in 1989 and quickly became a fan of Steve Spurrier when he took over the Florida program. His success with the Gator's over the next decade ranked him among the best coaches in the land. But make no mistake, Florida had great athletes and that was the difference.

The "ole ball coach" got a taste of what frustration would be like when he tried to go pro with the Washington Redskins, but like his predecessor, Lou Holtz, who made a similar stupid decision to coach the New York Jets, it wasn't to be.

He gravitated back to the fertile ground of the Southeastern Conference. When you say it fast, it sounds good, but clearly coaching in Columbia isn't the same as Gainesville. This year could be a pivotal campaign for Spurrier and his Gamecocks.

If his health doesn't fail him, his team might. Most prognosticators think the Carolina will pick up about seven wins, which would earn him a berth in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. Anything less than seven victories will garner him a trip to the toilet bowl in Flushing.

Still, I remain a loyal Gamecock fan, and until I came to my senses a few years ago, I was still sending money north to be a part of the Gamecock Club. Now I leave that up to brother Andy, a Lexington, SC lawyer who has taken over my fixation with my beloved Carolina Gamecocks.