There was a USC presence at the Pac-12 championship game. The Stanford band formed a No. 1 during its halftime show that turned into 7-5.
Monthly Archives: November 2012
Small World
When USC defensive line coach Ed Orgeron was the head coach at Ole Miss, he fired UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone after one season.
Heisman Odds
Here are the latest odds from Bovada.lv for the Heisman Trophy.
Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M) 1/6
Manti Te’o (Notre Dame) 7/2
Collin Klein (Kansas State) 15/2
Braxton Miller (Ohio State) 40/1
Lost Season
The departure of Monte Kiffin only underscores again what a disappointment this season turned out to be. The schedule had Oregon and Notre Dame at home. USC had the most-explosive offense in the nation according to most pundits.
The reduction of 10 scholarships was something that could be weathered for at least a season. Instead, it was squandered and Lane Kiffin was probably forced to remove his father.
It really should have turned out different and why it didn’t is something more important than just blaming the defense.
You Decide
Other than the names I mentioned, who else would you like to be USC’s defensive coordinator?
Go-To Guy
With USC looking for a defensive coordinator, the no-brainer move would probably include Lane Kiffin seeking advice from Pete Carroll on who to hire for the job.
But we hear relations have cooled between the two, so Carroll might not be the go-to guy.
Morning Buzz
Here’s my story on the firing, uh, resignation of USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. Link here
Names to Replace Kiffin
Here are the names floating around right now:
USC defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, San Diego Chargers assistant coach Joe Barry, former Auburn coach Gene Chizik, former Cal defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, TCU assistant coach Randy Shannon and New Mexico State coach Dewayne Walker.
Watch Barry
San Diego Chargers assistant Joe Barry could be the frontrunner to replace Monte Kiffin. But does Barry get along with Lane Kiffin? Barry left USC last year because he did not like working with Monte Kiffin.
Did that acrimony affect his relationship with Lane? That might be the key question in determining whether Barry is the top candidate for the job.
Kiffin Fallout
I wasn’t near a computer when USC announced Monte Kiffin “resigned,” which is the least surprising announcement of the year.
But now names are being floated like former Auburn coach Gene Chizik, etc. Remember that coaches are leary of the fact Lane Kiffin’s got only 2 years left on his contract and could be fired next year.
That could limit Kiffin’s options. And is a new defensive coordinator going to demand to bring in one or two of his own assistants?