Steve Spurrier: Dabo Swinney 'probably thinks there are nine planets out there'
Oh, Steve Spurrier. This is the time of year the Ol’ Ball Coach refers to as “talking season,” and the South Carolina head coach was at it again Tuesday.
At ACC Media Days Monday, Dabo Swinney, the head coach of South Carolina’s top rival, Clemson, said jokingly that he and Spurrier were “from different planets.”
“He’s from Pluto and I’m from Mars,” Swinney said.
Spurrier responded with a light jab of his own during his visit to ESPN Tuesday.
“Dabo probably thinks there’s only, what, nine planets out there. I think I read where Pluto may not be considered one now,” Spurrier said.
With Spurrier and Swinney at the helm of their respective programs – both of which are consistently in the Top 25 -- the rivalry seems to have picked up some steam in recent years. Spurrier and Swinney often take subtle shots at one another in the media, but Spurrier, who said he gets along with Swinney “fine,” wants to make it known that it’s not just him instigating the back-and-forth.
“The only thing I remind Dabo of is his comments three years ago of the real Carolina being in Chapel Hill and the real USC being in California,” Spurrier said. “Sometimes he forgets he throws some stuff out there also. He wants to make people believe that I’m the only one that throws a little stuff out there.”
An example of this was Swinney’s comments from last year that Clemson the first team from South Carolina to win a BCS bowl following its Orange Bowl victory over Ohio State.
“We’re never been to (a BCS Bowl). I’ll admit to that, although we beat them about every year. I’ll admit to that, although we beat them about every year. They get there and we don’t. That’s just the way it is. The SEC can only send two teams and the ACC sends two. We’ve got too many good teams going,” Spurrier said.
Spurrier is 6-3 against the Tigers since taking the South Carolina job in 2005, including 5-1 against Swinney, who was hired in 2008. Clemson’s chance to end the Gamecocks’ five-game winning streak in the series comes November 29 at home.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
