Steve Spurrier Says ECU ‘Tougher’ Than Some Big Ten Teams

Back a few months ago when I was down in Orlando for the Capital One Bowl, I was able to meet Steve Spurrier and, as a member of the media, had the opportunity to sit in during his press conferences.

When people say, “When Spurrier talks, you listen,” it’s 100 percent true. The man not only oozes years and years of experience, wisdom and pure knowledge for the game, but he can’t do any of it without cracking a joke or somehow putting a smile on your face. He’s not afraid to say anything, and it’s always him being real – but you already knew that.

So it wasn’t surprising yesterday when Spurrier came out and said that East Carolina is tougher than some “bottom Big Ten teams” following the Gamecocks’ first summer practice.

“Playing East Carolina is a lot tougher than maybe picking up one of those bottom Big Ten teams, plus the fans around here would rather see a team from close by,” Spurrier said.

Spurrier isn’t wrong.

When I wrote for FanIQ, I compiled an end-of-season rankings list that featured all 126 FBS teams. East Carolina finished No. 39 overall, beating out nine (!!!) members of the Big Ten (including new members Maryland and Rutgers).

Only Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Iowa were considered higher-ranked teams at the time. Yes, it’s biased and impossible to prove, but there’s a valid argument for it all – ECU would have undoubtedly beaten Northwestern, Illinois, Penn State, Rutgers and Purdue. You could make a case for the rest, too.

And in 2014, I’d expect East Carolina to contend with almost every single member of the Big Ten; Michigan State and Ohio State aside, the Pirates could hang with the big boys, no doubt.

They were, of course, my early favorite to win the American Athletic Conference.

The conference championship is fair game at this point, but with Shane Carden and Justin Hardy back on an offense that scored 40.2 points per game in 2013, ECU has a good chance to become the second team in as many years to come over from Conference USA and run the table.

While we’re at it, let’s put an emphasis on just how good Carden is and how much he means to ECU’s success this upcoming season.

My sidenote to Spurrier's BIG10 quote: ECU QB Shane Carden is better than every Big Ten QB not named Braxton Miller or Christian Hackenberg.

— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) August 3, 2014

Crawford is spot on. Carden ranked No. 33 in the country with a 73.0 QBR, which would have placed him second among Big Ten quarterbacks behind Braxton Miller, who placed No. 13 with 81.3.

Next in line was Indiana’s 38th-ranked Nate Sudfeld (71.3), with Rose Bowl winner Connor Cook not too far behind at No. 43 (68.9). True freshman Christian Hackenberg posted a 56.6 QBR, but that’s expected to increase as Penn State coach James Franklin continues to develop the talent around him.

Spurrier knows not to discredit smaller programs. Last season, Central Florida gave South Carolina a huge early-season scare before going on to win the rest of its games and eventually the Fiesta Bowl against Baylor. He also lost to Connecticut in the 2009 PapaJohns.com Bowl.
Though I’m sure they’re flattered with the uplifting commentary, the Pirates surely have bigger aspirations than being slightly better than a lower tier Big Ten team.

That starts with beating South Carolina on the road on September 6.