re: Has Steve Spurrier underachieved?

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First off gameday is the only day of the week that matters.

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That's highly debatable...I can argue that preparation can determine how well you will execute...look at Bama's last 2 BCS championship games against LSU and ND...they were by far better prepared than either team and their execution in that game showed it. Preparation doesn't guarantee execution but it sure does increase its likelihood...

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Saban's never built any program.

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You're basically right 'bout Bama, 'cept our recruiting...in the early 2000's we had several recruiting classes where we finished between 30 and 50. As for Michigan State & LSU, both were dumpster fires before he arrived. Mich State was 3-8, 5-6, 6-6, and 0-11 before he got there. He took 'em to 5 straight bowl games.

LSU was 4-7 and 3-8 before Saban got there and only had 3 winning seasons the decade before. He won 2 SEC & 1 BCS championship and went to 5 straight bowl games. And when he left, Les Miles came in, took what Saban had built, maintained and expanded upon it...by definition, when you build something, it needs to stand even after you've left...

I can mirror your Alabama argument against Saban to Florida's situation before Spurrier. Florida was not crap before the OBC got there; I think people forget that they had players like Kerwin Bell, Emmitt Smith, Neal Anderson, and Ricky Nattiel (to name a few) in the years prior to Spurrier. Think they had a 2-year stretch in that span where they had consecutive 9-1-1 seasons. So while they weren't necessarily elite, they were playing winning football for the 10 years prior to his arrival...and while he much expanded and greatly improved UF's football program, the foundation was already there...

As for Duke, granted Spurrier's tenure there was outstanding, considering their history. While he performed a masterful turnaround of their program with back-to-back winning seasons, he did not "build" that program. He was only there 3 years and Duke football went back to being pitiful the year he left the program and it has stayed that way until Cutcliffe's last couple of years...

I'm not knocking Spurrier; he's a great coach, and a worthy Hall-of-Famer, not only as a coach but as a player as well. I just don't see why you need to knock Saban to build up the OBC. They're both great and, based on their history and records, they're equally great at turning around programs, albeit in different ways...that's all I'm sayin'...