From @SECBlog: Who's the second best coach in the SEC?
I suspect you're insinuating that Alabama's Nick Saban would rank No. 1. If so, we're in agreement. I think most people in the media would have him there too.
The No. 2 slot in the SEC comes down to LSU's Les Miles vs. Steve Spurrier. Miles, for all of his curious sideline antics, mannerisms and time-management maneuvers, has pushed the right button as often, if not more often, than any other coach in the country. He has produced five top-eight finishes in the past seven seasons. The most important thing a coach can do is get his players to respond to him, and Miles is great at that. If LSU had beaten Alabama a second time last season, I would have had him No. 2 in the SEC, perhaps even No. 1. But the Tigers looked like a mess in the BCS title game.
Spurrier took Florida to a level it had never been at before. He also has taken over a previously listless South Carolina program, where no one, including his predecessor Lou Holtz (33-37 in six seasons and 16-19 in his final three years with the Gamecocks), has been able to do much with there and made them into a power. Spurrier won an SEC East title in 2010. Last fall, he led them into the top 10. The program looks like it's ready for another top-15 season. At 67, is he slowing down? Doesn't seem to be. Oh, and the guy won at Duke. I'll go with Spurrier at No. 2.
