Columbia, S.C. ? Lou Holtz is poor-mouthing his team again, and that can only mean one thing.

South Carolina is winning again.

A week after comparing the Gamecocks’ chances of beating then-No. 15 Virginia “to the stripper that’s running for governor in California,” he’s come up with this one for Saturday’s game at No. 8 Georgia:

“I think there’s a better chance of us rescheduling it than there is us winning it.”

After a losing season and talk he was on his way out, Holtz seems to be having fun again. And why not? His team is 2-0 and ranked No. 25 after a 31-7 victory against Virginia.

“I think coach Holtz is having the time of his coaching life,” Gamecocks athletic director Mike McGee said.

That coaching life was in doubt during the offseason. Holtz, 66, dealt with questions about a 5-7 season, an NCAA inquiry and the health of his wife Beth, a throat cancer survivor.

There’s no doubt, said Phil Kornblut, who specializes in recruiting coverage, that Holtz’s age and the team’s struggles were “used in the living rooms during recruiting season.”

Most troubling was the uncertain condition of his wife of 42 years. Fluid was found in her lungs and doctors at first could not treat it effectively. A trip to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., last month brought encouraging reports, and there are no signs that the cancer has returned.

The Holtzes chatted like school kids last month, he said, when they learned her condition had improved. He turned his full attention to the team, saying he felt a “huge weight had been lifted.”

Beth Holtz was at Williams-Brice Stadium last Saturday, a large smile on her face watching her husband surprise people yet again.

Holtz, of course, is quite familiar with being questioned about his methods.

There was grumbling about his ball-control style in his later years at Notre Dame, where he led the Fighting Irish to the 1988 national championship.

Holtz left South Bend in 1996 after 11 seasons.

At the time, he said he figured he’d never coach again. But after turning down the Gamecocks three times, he finally relented. And somehow he managed to turn a loser into a winner, leading South Carolina to consecutive bowl wins in 2000 and 2001 — the first time that’s happened in 106 years.

But it sometimes looked as if Holtz had lost his touch last season. The Gamecocks had 11 turnovers in early losses to Virginia and Georgia. Senior quarterback Corey Jenkins was moved to linebacker. Frustrated, Holtz took over the offense last November, and his team responded with its worst game of the season — a 23-0 loss to Arkansas.

After the season ended with a 27-20 loss to state rival Clemson, Holtz sounded like he’d had enough.

Not anymore.