The first SEC opponent for the Mississippi State football team in 2016 was taken to places it had never gone before under Steve Spurrier. The legendary coach began his tenure at South Carolina in 2005, and it ended with his abrupt retirement during the middle of the 2015 season.
The success of Spurrier did wonderful things for the football program at South Carolina. From 2010 to 2013, the Gamecocks went 42-11 and appeared in the SEC Championship their only time in 2010.
The problem with all of that success is it likely made the South Carolina coaching job one of the most difficult in the country.