Watch South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier go on a rant [video]

South Carolina football Coach Steve Spurrier is evidently ready for the football season, or at least the bantering that goes with it.

Spurrier, who is 70 and never one to shy away from controversy, will try to lead the Gamecocks to a better finish this season after a disappointing 7-6 record in 2014.

“Last year at this time I was 69, we were 11-2 and there was no question about my age,” Spurrier said during a hastily put together news conference Wednesday. “Now that we’re 7-6 we’ve got some enemies out there. I’ve got some guys that don’t like me out there talking and writing.

“Now that we’re 7-6, some of our enemies want to make you think Spurrier’s gettin’ old, can’t do it anymore. Some people are gonna try to convince you that our 7-6 isn’t as good as some other schools’ 7-6.”

Spurrier said he believes there might be a conspiracy at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to help rival Georgia in the recruiting game. He was particularly upset that a local newspaper in Columbia, S.C., had run a column by the AJC’s Mark Bradley, who wrote the South Carolina football program was in decline.

“The media. The media,” Spurrier said. “We’ve got some enemies that write in the Atlanta paper. They cover the Bulldogs. We let that guy write in our paper the other day. That doesn’t make sense, does it?”

Spurrier vowed to restore the Gamecocks’ record to loftier levels.

“This is new for South Carolina. Somebody doesn’t like your coach.” Spurrier said of himself. “We’re not too proud of what happened last year, but we’re coming back. Don’t listen to our enemies.”