Steve Spurrier: Auburn doesn't win 2010 BCS without Malzahn

HOOVER --Steve Spurrier shared his thoughts on Gus Malzahn and this season's meeting of South Carolina and Auburn on Oct. 25 at Jordan-Hare Stadium during SEC Media Days on Tuesday.

The Ol' Ball Coach called Malzahn "one of the best coaches in the country, not just the SEC. I think everybody knows that."

"They didn't win that (2010) national championship unless he was there," Spurrier said. "I think everybody knows that, too."

Malzahn has always credited Spurrier as being one of his coaching role models. Now friendly competitors, Spurrier, Malzahn and Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze, another disciple of Spurrier's offense, regularly play golf.

"He's a sharp guy. He and I, I think, are pretty good friends," Spurrier said of Malzahn. "We don't really look forward to that game. But we got to go in there and give it our best shot.

"Auburn is a team that has beaten us a bunch. I think overall in school history we're like 1‑9. I'm 0‑5 at Auburn being at South Carolina. They have outplayed us, out‑coached us and everything.

"But we'll go in there with a plan. We'll look forward to trying to upset them on the Plains. But Auburn, what he did last year, was amazing. 0‑8 in conference play, win the conference championship. Nobody picked Missouri and Auburn to win the divisions last year. That's why we play the game. We don't know who's going to win 'em."