[Tuck4Bama]

THE GREAT THING about a quarterback controversy with a Steve Spurrier-coached team is that it is not a controversy at all. The simple truth about Spurrier’s quarterback change this week is he believes Chris Smelley has a better chance than Blake Mitchell to make USC a winner against Mississippi State.

There is no controversy to that decision, and nothing further should be read into it.

“I go with who I think can play the best,” Spurrier said this week.

You should understand, though, that Spurrier’s mind might change in the first half of Saturday’s game or in the second half. If the game is not going the way he likes, he might even alternate Smelley and Mitchell the entire game.

There also is the chance that Smelley remains the starting quarterback for the next couple of weeks, or that Mitchell regains the starting assignment when Kentucky comes to town a week from Thursday.

We do not know the future of USC’s quarterback situation because Spurrier makes decisions about his quarterback based on the here and now, not on the future.

Mixing it up