Steve Spurrier no longer feels superior

HOOVER, Ala. — Steve Spurrier used to say whatever he wanted. Winning just turned arrogance into confidence and adoration during his days at Florida.

Now that his winning ways have abandoned him at South Carolina, he's in the news for looking defeated and confused rather than for on-field performance.

While other coaches talked about passion and winning at Friday's Southeastern Conference Media Days, Spurrier used the words "embarrassed," "apologize," "mistake" and "messed up" a combined nine times within minutes on the podium.

Spurrier was addressing a miscue in his All-SEC ballot after admittedly leaving Florida quarterback Tim Tebow off the conference's first team.

The awkwardness spoke to his current place in the game.

Once validated by six conference titles and a national title at Florida, Spurrier is now living in the shadow of high-profile SEC coaches who came up admiring him.

A coach fresh off championships — like, say, Florida Coach Urban Meyer, the man who revived his old school — might be too prideful to explain his voting tendencies like a schoolboy in detention.

Spurrier didn't double-check the ballot his football operations assistant filled out. SEC officials agreed to make Tebow a unanimous first-teamer after Spurrier recast his vote at the last minute.

"We screwed it up pretty badly," Spurrier said. "I'm embarrassed about it."

Couple this scene with what some consider his public clamoring for attention and this week wasn't Spurrier's proudest moment. In the last three months, Spurrier has publicly bickered with Tennessee Coach Lane Kiffin about recruiting accusations and refueled coaching rumors about Meyer one day going to Notre Dame on Paul Finebaum's Birmingham-based radio show.

Spurrier says he can't say whatever he wants any longer.

"When you're winning big, you naturally do that," Spurrier said about arrogance. "When you're 7-6, you don't have much to say."

Spurrier has taken his share of criticism before Media Days. CBS Sports' Gregg Doyel blasted Spurrier in a column that linked him to jealousy of Meyer, who has started his own dynasty at Florida with two titles in four seasons.

Spurrier said he's not bothered by Florida's success and roots for the Gators.