Who you for, UGA fans? The Evil Genius or Nick UnFairley?
"Good luck, Stevie boy. We're all counting on you." (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Three years ago yours truly paid a midweek visit to Columbia, S.C., for Steve Spurrier’s weekly briefing. Toward the end, I mentioned that a brand new AJC.com poll had just reconfirmed that the Ol’ Ball Coach was — ahead of even Urban Meyer, who was coming off a BCS title — the man Georgia fans most loved to hate.
“Glad they haven’t forgotten me,” said Spurrier, who seemed pleased.
Postscript: Four days later, Spurrier and South Carolina came to Sanford Stadium and beat Georgia 16-12.
The Bulldogs have nothing to do with this year’s SEC championship game, which will be staged Saturday at the Georgia Dome. (Fun fact: Seven different SEC schools have qualified for the title game since last Georgia did in 2005.) But Spurrier will be here, and he might actually be the sentimental favorite. Because here are your choices:
• In one corner, the Evil Genius and his Gamecock minions, who are new to this championship thing.
• In the other, RoboCoach Gene Chizik and Nick UnFairley and, lest we forget, Cam Newton.
Loading ...Auburn fans love their team. Almost nobody else does. Let’s state for the record that Newton is the nation’s best player and Fairley its best defender, but we also must concede that the Tigers lead the world in irrational exuberance.
This isn’t to say South Carolina has been without sin. Tight end Weslye Sanders was kicked off the team without playing a down this season, and several Gamecocks apparently got the William Shatner rate at Columbia’s Whitney Hotel over the summer. And that “2001″ introduction at Williams-Brice Stadium was pretty tired back in … well, 2001.
But Auburn, as we know, has become the new standard in raised eyebrows, what with Fairley’s repeated slams of Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray (see YouTube video below) to the series of revelations/allegations that led to Newton being declared ineligible by Auburn. (He was re-instated, after a timeout of one day, by the NCAA.)
Viewed alongside strutting Auburn, the Gamecocks seem rather gentlemanly. So now I’m asking a question I never thought I’d ask: Georgia fans, are you rooting for Spurrier?
Or, put another way, is there really a cold front bearing down on Hades?
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935 comments Add your comment
Joe
December 3rd, 2010
8:27 am
RXDawg…I agree, even in Floriduh’s giddy years, nobody disliked them as much as everyone (not just UGA fans) does Auburn. Say what you will about the rest of the teams- none of them cheated and were a classless as this auburn bunch. Spurrier, Meyer, Saban, Miles, Richt all have more class in their pinky than the entire auburn coaches, players and fans do.
Only in the Humper State
December 3rd, 2010
8:28 am
Only in Jawja would someone root for the organization that knocked down the Twin Towers because some bad old football player hurt their prancy little quarterback aaron.
sogadog
December 3rd, 2010
8:29 am
GO CHICKENS!
Dave Grantham
December 3rd, 2010
8:30 am
The hole Orburn team will choke.
Bill
December 3rd, 2010
8:31 am
Murph…Fairley tried to INJURE an opposing player…..that is a cardinal sin and goes beyond disgus for ANYONE who has ever played this game. To wish that it happens to him is only to state there is no place in college football for the likes of someone like him that INTENTIONALLY tries to take other players out. That his coach stood and did nothing- only makes it that much worse.
Joe
December 3rd, 2010
8:31 am
Auburn University……………..where you go when you don’t get into UGA! Used to like Auburn but the cheating and cheap shots have caused me to pull for SOS which I thought would never happen. That being said the SEC officials will want to garner the most attention for Auburn being in the MNC game so I expect some more funny business.
MURPHY
December 3rd, 2010
8:33 am
Joe,
I do believe Spurrier in his days at UF set the standard as the coach to be dis-liked.With that said you gotta love the guy-He told you he was gonna beat you and then went and did it.What a great coach. Go Carolina-beat Aubarn!
Ben Jones
December 3rd, 2010
8:33 am
I cut block to injure D linemen because of criminals like Fairley.
JB
December 3rd, 2010
8:34 am
Trust me, it’s not only “Jawja”……. Nobody cares for this CURRENT AU bunch. This entire Cam thing stinks to high heaven, and until this is cleared up, it won’t change…….It’s like a race car driver winning a race using an illegal additive in his fuel. You win no friends.
Fig Newton
December 3rd, 2010
8:34 am
Quit pickin on me and my pop!
jmm
December 3rd, 2010
8:35 am
Fairley isn’t the nations best defender. The Bowers kid with 15 or 16 sacks up at Clemson is.
RoswellDawg
December 3rd, 2010
8:35 am
oh now humper, get your panties out of a wad….no one is cheering for the taliban. Only underscoring the point that neither is going to receive my cheers for this weekend.
MURPHY
December 3rd, 2010
8:35 am
Bill,
Im well aware of the Fairley situation. I just dont think it is appropiate to get on this blog and wish serious injury to a kid playing college football. We as adults just be a better person than he.
Me and You and a Dawg Named Belue
December 3rd, 2010
8:36 am
The UGA AU series has always been a fairly friendly one-but no more. I was in Auburn for the game and the way the Auburn fans behaved mirrored the ridiculous behavior of their team. And lest anyone say this is sour grapes, let me just say that I have been there several times (incl ‘04) and have never seen it like this year.
As to the issue of Fairley, I have never seen a game where one player made more dirty plays to the delight of his coaches (Trooper?) and fans. (not to mention the fact that he almost half killed Parker and/ or Mallett). And I still HAVE NOT HEARD ONE BARNER FAN SAY HE DID ANYTHING IN THE LEAST DIRTY!
Forget Cam! The real villains are Fairley and the classless “all-in” Auburn fans.
Go Cocks!
Auburn Fan's man crush
December 3rd, 2010
8:37 am
One day I hope I can really get to know Cam.
Joe
December 3rd, 2010
8:37 am
Murph…the difference between Spurrier back then and the barn now….he never cheated…and he would NEVER tolerate one of his players trying to injure another
Tigers can't lick those 'Cocks!
December 3rd, 2010
8:38 am
The heck with Auburn! Full of cheap shot artists, dirty players, and they have been UGA wannabees for decades! Even tried to steal our fight song! Can’t even settle on one mascot….not to mention the city of Auburn Alabama is a toilet bowl in and of itself. Go ‘Cocks! At least they deserve their shot at the title…
RoswellDawg
December 3rd, 2010
8:39 am
Hear Hear Joe! Spurrier was/is hated because he was crafty, sneaky, smart, abrasive, and he won – A LOT. But, I can’t remember a time when anyone questioned his ethics.
Auburn Fan's reality
December 3rd, 2010
8:39 am
I bottom for beer money
Joycee Banicheck
December 3rd, 2010
8:40 am
I think all of the UGA haters that spat off on every UGA blog need to just shut the fuhk up already. Go to your own teams blog and rant there. No one gives two sheets what you think….
This UGA fan is pulling for USC, no question about it.
icallbs
December 3rd, 2010
8:40 am
No brainer: Go Spurrier and ‘Cocks. Spurrier, hate him if you must, doesn’t cheat, is funny as hell and is one of the great coaches of this generation. SC has loyal classy fans. Auburn? Loooonnngggg track record of sleazy under the table shenanigans born of desperation to be something they can’t be – Alabama. Chizik? Humorless, boring coach who was in the right place at the right time and caught lightening in a bottle. True, it was an expensive bottle with the final cost not yet determined, but he got what Auburn paid for. See where he is in 2-3 years.
Alphare
December 3rd, 2010
8:40 am
If Auburn lose, no team from this part of the country will play in the NC. So, I am for Auburn.
JB
December 3rd, 2010
8:40 am
Murphy, I agree to a point, BUT……Fairly has NO REMORSE…. He’ll do it Saturday if he can. He’s been dirty ALL season. If he takes that attitude to the NFL, he be killed first year. There is no place place in college football for that. People are mad because “they feel” Chiznik encouraged it rather than put a stop to it.
dagadawgs
December 3rd, 2010
8:42 am
Mark Bradley the Bulldog Homer
December 3rd, 2010
6:58 am
Mark,
I will start this by saying you are an IDIOT! You are the biggest Thuga Homer on the Planet. Why don’t you quit taking cheap shots at Nick Fairley with article titles of Nick UnFairley and admit that your Thuga team got whipped by Auburn. Also, your biased journalism (if you can call it journalism) is showing by the fact that you haven’t written a single article about the fact that Ben Jones was chop blocking during the whole game, jumped on Fairley and punched him inside the face mask, and then the Thuga team left the bench (the Auburn team didn’t) and started the fight. Also you might want to mention how the Thuga team led by sanctimonious Mark Richt continued its tradition of stomping on the other teams logo prior to the game. Enjoy covering your pathetic 6 and 6 Bulldogs in their lower tier bowl.
You are an idiot. MB is definitely not a homer. Have you not read the 20 anti-Richt blogs he posts a week? Face it your star defensive player intentionally tries to hurt people and your star offensive player was pimped out by his dad
action jackson
December 3rd, 2010
8:42 am
Have to be with the Gamecocks. Spurrier does it the right way. Hell, anyone who can win an SEC championship at South Carolina deserves a Nobel prize, not just coach of the year. It is the graveyard of coaches. Once he beats Auburn, let’s give Spurrier a shot at Iran and the Afghans.
MURPHY
December 3rd, 2010
8:42 am
Joe,
I get your point.With that said,Im sick of hearing about Aubarns issue’s.I just want Carolina to put an end to the Cam show on Sat. Would be great if it,s Spurrier that does it.
Bwana
December 3rd, 2010
8:42 am
I am a GA fan who is going to be pulling for the “old ball coach” and the Shame Cocks…Go Cocks! Beat that sorry bunch from “Allbarn!” In the words of James Brown…”Please, Please, Please.”
JB
December 3rd, 2010
8:44 am
Shoot, the Taliban is probably cheering for Spurrier Saturday.
JDW
December 3rd, 2010
8:44 am
This is just a no win for DAWG fans…$CAM et al vs Evil…can we vote for a 0-0 tie. I think all the players should be forced to watch just so they know how bad it feels.
action jackson
December 3rd, 2010
8:44 am
Enter your comments here
Pluto
December 3rd, 2010
8:44 am
Cam is free to play but he don’t play for free!!! Go Cocks!!
USC GAMEC0CK
December 3rd, 2010
8:45 am
WHo is that “Auburn Man” dumbazz?? Who gets on a blog and touts their education…an Auburn Loser that’s who! Face it dude you gave yourself away as a laugher when you post ” I got my second MBA from North Western “…..really? It’s Northwestern not North Western.
I know Auburn goes into this game as the big beast that nobody can defeat but I’ll take USC because we have players with heart and the Head Ball Coach. USC rolls over Auburn and makes all the SEC including Bama proud….BTW, all the losers who say I want the SEC to have 5 straight NC so I am pulling for Auburn….go suck an egg and get off this AJC site pronto!
Chief of The Hekowees
December 3rd, 2010
8:45 am
My son went to Clemson, I have 2 good buddies that graduated from Auburn, I’m a Dawg Fan,and Spurrier has always been Belzebub. When I compare this to Newton and (un) Fairly – Go Chickens!!!
WAR DAMN EAGLE!!!!!
December 3rd, 2010
8:46 am
Which team that whipped you do you want to pull against the most? GREAT IDEA FOR A LOSER BLOG
dawgfan
December 3rd, 2010
8:46 am
“The Bulldogs have nothing to do with this year’s SEC Championship game…”
And yet you’ve devoted an entire column to the Bulldogs and this year’s SEC Championship game. Who pays the bills around here AJC? We do. OWNED.
That is all.
Scam Newton
December 3rd, 2010
8:46 am
I’m going to have my dad cheer for Auburn because they gave me… I mean, gave him the most money… No, I mean offered him… or um, I mean, my dad offered them the most money… no wait, we offered someone a lot of money for a championship… No wait, that was a laptop… I’m so confused so I’m gonna still jump in the stands (without my teammates because they didn’t scam like I did) and smile so it looks like i have plausible deniability for everything. Please, write me back Reggie Bush!!!
Tyler
December 3rd, 2010
8:46 am
UGA fans…look at what you’ve become. Just 5 years ago you were the class of the SEC. now you’re reduced to crying about Auburn whipping your a$$ three weeks after the game. Hilarious!
ladyluckjc
December 3rd, 2010
8:46 am
who would have ever thought that a defensive tackle could unseat Spurrier as the most hated person in the Dawg Nation. unprecedented. of course, bradley is playing with all of your emotions. if he posted all of Spurrier’s sound bytes about UGA over the yrs just under the youtube clip of Fairly trying to injure Murray, i’m sure the percentages would be more even.
Joe
December 3rd, 2010
8:46 am
Murph…I AGREE!!!!!!!!! I only wish if SC wins that the old Spurrier would come thru and he would blow a kiss to Cam !!
And yes, the barn coach clearly condones Fairleys actions as he does nothing to stop it. if this moron played for any other coach he would be benched to get the point across
MURPHY
December 3rd, 2010
8:47 am
JB,
I totally agree with your comments,but there is also no room for adults wishing serious injury to any player just because he showed his A**.
WAR DAMN EAGLE!!!!!
December 3rd, 2010
8:48 am
ANOTHER BLOG POLL: WONDER WHAT LOSER BOWL JERSEY AJ WILL SELL FOR $1000 THIS YEAR??
Level headed
December 3rd, 2010
8:48 am
Pretty shameful of Bradley using Fairley (again) to get clicks on his story. Miss the days of real journalism.
Pluto
December 3rd, 2010
8:48 am
Cam Newton is free to play but he doesn’t play for free!! Go Carolina!!
GEORGIA97
December 3rd, 2010
8:48 am
How about “Three years AGO”, MB. That’s some fine editing there, lip flipper.
Quit being wussies UGA fans
December 3rd, 2010
8:48 am
Still not sure why UGA fans have their panties in a wad. First clip in that video is of Fairly sacking Murray and driving him into the ground. So? It’s a friggin’ sack, was he supposed to hold his hand on the way down? Second clip is the late hit. Bad play by Fairley, he got flagged and he deserved it. Third is the one he was going for the sack and got blocked into Murray’s knee. You guys act like Fairley tried to take a baseball bat to his knee. Quit being wussies just because you couldn’t hold onto a 14 point lead and ultimately got thrown a beating.
CoastDog
December 3rd, 2010
8:50 am
Gotta go with whoever is playing Auburn as long as Chizick (however the scumbag spells his name) is at Auburn.
GEORGIA97
December 3rd, 2010
8:50 am
Oh yeah, how about “since Georgia last did in 2005″? Yeesh, MB, I just hope that when you and Dorothy get to Oz the Wizard has TWO brains to hand out.
Dawg 1
December 3rd, 2010
8:50 am
Maybe the young Dawgs can root for Spurrier. But the rest of have too much history. And outside of this year and the ‘hosing’ incident back in the 80′S, the Auburn rivalry has always been a clean one.
Spurrier on the other hand has been nothing shorty of nasty. He ‘lived’ to beat Georgia for the longest time.
USC fans are good fans, but embracing Spurrier changed a lot of things. Georgia fans need to realize that Spurrier starts planning for Georgia far before Georgia starts planning for South Carolina. You can count on a ’super effort’ from that team when playing Georgia every year.
Auburn’s fans over-all are a class group. Some have gone over the top in defending Fairley and the rest of the stuff going on there will take care of itself one way or the other.
This is easy. Pulling for Auburn.
MURPHY
December 3rd, 2010
8:50 am
Joe,
Im pretty sure Spurrier if he wins will give the Aubarn Nation a good ole Spurrier classic smurk with a fist pump.
Pope UGA XXIII
December 3rd, 2010
8:50 am
I always said it would be a cold day in hell when I pulled for
Spurrier. This weekend’s weather report calls for a major freeze
down below.
One thing you can always say for Spurrier is that you go to
class and behave or you sit then possibly leave. The sight of a
couple of ‘Burn’s assistants or whatever they were egging on
the cheap shots on the field makes this an E Z choice. Darth
Visor is truly an outstanding coach who unfortunately, is also
a tube steak of the highest order.
G O COCKS and the BCS championship be damned.