When Steve Spurrier came to South Carolina, returning to the SEC from the professional ranks, he did so with one goal in mind: bring an SEC title to Columbia, S.C.

The Head Ball Coach is now 10 years into his tenure. His 2011 team set the school record for wins with 11, then matched it in 2012 and 2013. In 2010, he led a nine-win team to the SEC East title, where the Gamecocks were rolled by soon-to-be national champion Auburn.

Despite those 11-win years, Spurrier only has the one East championship to show for it. In those three years, the Gamecocks beat the eventual East winners, only to see their season submarined by an untimely loss or two.

Coming off a disappointing 7-6 season that saw Carolina go 3-5 in the SEC and drop three home games, not to mention a loss to Clemson for the first time since 2008, it’s fair to wonder: is Spurrier’s championship window closed?

If it is, it might not have anything to do with Spurrier’s abilities as a coach, or his team’s level of talent. After several down years, it appears the SEC East’s powerhouses are on their way back to prominence.

Georgia has gone nowhere and doesn’t figure to any time soon. While Mark Richt has struck out on SEC titles for the last decade as well, his teams are consistently in the 9-10 win range and challenge for the East title annually. Missouri, the back-to-back champion, doesn’t look to be backing down either.

Meanwhile, there are resurgences in the works in Knoxville, Tenn. and Gainesville, Fla.

Butch Jones has Tennessee on the verge of returning to contender status. The Vols finished with the same 7-6 record as South Carolina did a year ago, coming from behind to beat the Gamecocks in a shootout on Halloween weekend, a heartbreaking loss for South Carolina. Tennessee has an excellent quarterback in place and is brimming with young talent at just about every position.

Related: Spurrier takes a jab at Tennessee in the media

And, despite Spurrier’s joy for poking fun at his home-state university, one he dominated while at Florida, he’s 0-2 against the Volunteers since Jones took over in 2013.

At Florida, the Gators are at the start of a new era. After Will Muschamp resigned, Florida went out and got Jim McElwain, former head coach at Colorado State and offensive coordinator under Nick Saban at Alabama. Florida isn’t ready to contend in the East or the greater scope of the SEC yet, but with the way McElwain and his staff cleaned up at the end of the 2015 recruiting cycle it’s clear the Gators are on their way back.

Back in Columbia, the Gamecocks have question marks all over the roster. From quarterback to receiver to offensive line to more or less the entire defense, save for the linebackers, Carolina is looking for answers all over the roster. Two troubling recruiting cycles haven’t helped matters.

After being so close to breaking through, with three years of teams that were talented enough to win an SEC championship and perhaps even a national title, Carolina has moved back a few pegs in the SEC.

The question now is whether or not Spurrier has the time to get the Gamecocks back to where they were in the SEC with the reemergence of the traditional division owners.