Morning Buzz: Will Victory Over UCLA Make Ed Orgeron Too Good To Pass Up?

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Here’s my story on whether a victory over UCLA will secure the USC job for Ed Orgeron. Excerpt: “If Orgeron were a success, Haden would get the credit. If Orgeron failed, Haden could say he merely bowed to the fans’ wishes and would go outside the program with the next coach.” Full story here

Meanwhile, Daily News columnist Tom Hoffarth lists the pros and cons of hiring Orgeron.

103 thoughts on “Morning Buzz: Will Victory Over UCLA Make Ed Orgeron Too Good To Pass Up?

  1. After we rout the ruins Saturday night and the fans rush the field in jubilation Ed should be announced as our permanent coach.

    • I hope fans don’t rush the field after beating the bruins. That would be embarrassing.

      • That’s right, you losers from Westwood High never rush the field because there is never a reason to get excited about your pathetic program. We will be toasting our new head coach Ed Orgeron. I will especially enjoy our victory Saturday knowing you are locked in the bathroom at your public assistance housing project crying your eyes out after your 8th straight loss at the Coliseum.

    • If USC wins Saturday, there is no way the fans rush the field. Nor should they. It’s one thing to beat the #4 team in the country. It’s another to beat the #22. Stanford had a 4 game winning streak against USC. UCLA just won at home last year (and even being spotted 24 to start the game and injuring Barkley, they just were able to get a 10 point win). You don’t rush the field when you beat a team you always seem to beat..

  2. Smart money on the Coach ‘O’ hire ‘but’ with a short deal – no more than 3 yrs.. Coach ‘O’s biggest hurdle is holding onto his assistants and understanding the 4th estate and the masses turn very quickly – heard the other option is Sarkisian – doubtful because Steve has a habit of publicly grousing.

  3. Two things, Scottie:

    1. In your above excerpt, is this fact. or just another example of you trying too hard to create an interesting article? Why shouldn’t Haden get credit for making the right decision? And do you honestly believe that Haden is so weak that he would actually blame the fans for “pressuring” him into making this choice, regardless if Coach O fails or not?

    2. Your comment “Ironically, Orgeron’s stock is not only rising but could give him leverage……” OF COURSE he has leverage…….why shouldn’t he????… he’s EARNED it!!! In addition, Wolfie, you were so eagerly tossing around numbers of a $6 million annual salary to the other high profile candidates, how can you deny him this sum, now that you’ve made it known what you are willing to pay?…. Maybe you’re hoping for a hometown discount???

    • Thanks for s’plaining the situation THore. It’s truly remarkable that you have the ability to mind meld with the Wolfster. Mind meld this THore.

      • Hey!… it’s the coward of this blog…..Why is your activity set to private?…what do you have to hide?…Please tell us….I’m dying to know…

  4. What happens if SC loses Saturday?– Is that it for the loveable Coach O. We know how bandwagon fans abandon “their” team with every loss.

    SUCLA was more formidable last year with that excellent running back Franklin to compliment Hundley. The old QB doesn’t have that force this year, and the results show

    Still, SUCLA’s defensive 7 is formidable and it will probably take a passing attack of some magnitude to score.

    About that hit by Barr on Matt Barkley, I thought it was cowardly. Barks was defenseless and didn’t see this ugly bruin coming from his blindside and all the stupid animal could think of was busting ol Barks. There should be a rule change to protect the QB in such situations, but the fans would not stand for it

    P

    • wrong, USuCk was more formidable last year when they had Khalil at Center, Barkley at QB and Woods at WR. UCLA’s defense is more formidable this year with Barr, Zumwalt, Henrdricks, and Jack at LB and Marsh at DT and the addtions of Vanderdoes and McCarthy on the DLine. On offense, we may be a little young but, Mazzone has added a few special packages that he will use to make up for the inexperienced OLine.

      • Martin has done a good job at center this year for USC…. and Kessler is better each week……Barr, Zumwalt, and Marsh will all be gone next year, and Hundley is on the fence about leaving for the NFL…….what kind of “special packages” will make up for an inexperienced line?…. I am dying to know….

      • Typical troll. Woods wasn’t even in the game plan, which was partially why he left. Everyone was focused on Marquise. Yes, Woods was a decoy, but look how many receivers we utilize now (eight, in the last game). Hundley doesn’t respond to pressure well at all. He gets all upset and cries on the sideline. Jack is a fumble machine (except he’s the one fumbling instead of forcing). Somewhere, Mora is still crying about his crappy O-line.

      • Khalil at Center? He was drafted in 2012, after his all-American season in 2011. He made the Pro Bowl in 2012.
        Had Matt Khalil played for USC in 2012, Anthony Barr would have been a puddle on the field. He was a huge reason why Barkley was so good in 2011 and so disappointing in 2012–Barkley never did throw under pressure very well. He never faced pressure in 2011, thanks in large part to Khalil (who I think, along with Anthony Munoz, may be the best lineman to play at USC).

  5. Enough already, Scott! Haden will announce Petersen as head coach on Sunday or Monday. Ed O will stay on as assistant head coach.

  6. I got through a third of this when I realized that wolf is trotting out the same uninsightful pablum that he’s been spewing for the past two weeks.

  7. Either Orgeron is the right coach or the wrong coach for USC, the team’s success in the UCLA game will not change that. Obviously Haden doesn’t believe Orgeron is the right coach for USC, but the success of the team since he took over is undeniable and Haden can’t ignore this fact. The bottom line is USC is winning and has their swagger back and isn’t that the ultimate measure of success of the coach?

  8. Haden is patient and methodical. He can go through the process with a lot less pressure. Orgeron is his ace up his sleeve. He can go after his A list and not have to settle for a B list candidate.

    • Haden is a lot smarter than some (Scottie) give him credit. Dumping Kiffin in the middle of the season turned out to be a great decision as we wouldn’t be having these discussions about Orgeron if the firing was done at the end of the season (last year or this year).

      • Haden was so smart he didn’t fire Kiffin last January when it was obvious he had lost the team and the recruiting class imploded.

        • Recruiting class imploded? Tell that to Su’a Cravens, Justin Davis, Darreus Rogers, Leon McQuay, Michael Hutchings and Quinton Powell – all contributing as freshman.

          Sorry you misdeed my point – if Kiffin was fired last January then Orgeron would never be considered for the head coaching role.

          If USC is going to base the head coach’s employment on the won/loss of half a season then nobody would come here.

  9. I have heard it said on here before that beating sucla is not important to the hiring of Orgeron, but how the team plays against them. I agree with that 100%. He has changed the face of the football program single handedly and has shown the world what he is capable of doing. He has leverage with Haden now, but his heart is USC according to him.

    I would love Gruden to come, but if Ed is named coach I am okay with that too. It for sure is not Peterson or your other names, they are just a distraction.

    • Agree. The team actually played hard against ND but the execution wasn’t there. The execution has been much, much better since then and improving weekly – I would be shocked if they didn’t play well against UCLA.

  10. Big Names Coaches don’t win games, Coaches that know what they are doing win games, and Ed Orgeron knows exactly what he’s doing. The fact that Coach “O” is behind the wheel of a University such as USC, will automatically make him a better Coach then he was at Ole Miss .Pat Haden better get it right and hand him the keys permanently, and let him go out and recruit on a level playing field with the other Pac 12 Coaches. And the sooner the better, because USC has fallen behind in recruiting and the Big Time recruits will be on the sidelines of this weeks cross town rival. C’mon Haden…Get it done !!!!!!!!

  11. Scotty, I love the beginning of your article: “Someone who spoke to USC athletic director Pat Haden…” You don’t have to reveal your source but you should offer SOME description of who this “someone” is. Was is a janitor, an administrator, a coach, a student, a booster…? Without this we have no way of knowing whether this is a credible source or whether this “someone” only exists inside your head. You should have your daughter proof read your articles before they are submitted.

    • I found that intro line interesting as well, the “quick thought” that popped into my head was – it wasn’t Scottie who spoke to Haden.

  12. “This just In…” (no, it isn’t what Nubsie said when he went in Tfails back door)…Bad news/good news…O.J. just had his appeal denied in Nevada. With time served, it is possible he could only do 4 more years….(it’s sorta like College!).

    His jersey is still on display over at WINO URINE U! Makes you proud to be torgan, right?
    fit UN torgans!

  13. that would be sweet, having a shady coach proven to not play by the rules. can you say “more sanctions”. coach orgeron is nothing more than a novelty right now. ucla will slap usc back to reality on Saturday.

  14. Please stop with the hard sell on James Franklin. Look at the numbers. Yeah, he’s 14-4 over his last 18 games but how many of those wins were against winning teams? A grand total of 3. And only one was against a ranked team (#15 Georgia). By comparison, Coach O is 6-1 over his past 7 games and has the same record against winning/ranked teams: 3/1 (#4 Stanford).

    • Coach O has only beat 1 ranked team which is Stanford. When Coach O took over the team was 3-2. He has done a good job ask the interim coach. However, when he was the head coach at Ole Miss in the SEC, he went 10-26 overall and 3-21 in the conference games. Moreover, he went win-less in last season. Coach O failed miserably in the SEC, while James Franklin has succeeded

      Why does Ole Miss matters?
      It matters because that is our only reference point on how he will do as a permanent head coach.

      My question to you: What coach who a had loosing record in the prior head coaching job that went on to win a national title. I give you one Gene Chizik. Well, once Cam Newton and Gus Malzahn left, he was fired.

      Urban Meyer: won at Bowling Green and Utah
      Nick Saban: won at Michigan State
      Les Miles: won at Oklahoma State
      Kevin Sumlin: won at Houston
      Art Briles: won at Houston and at the high school level
      Steve Spurrier: won at Duke
      Gus Malzahn: won at Arkansas State and at high school level

      Coach O still has a loosing record as a Head Coach

      • While you present a rather compelling argument (and I wouldn’t mind having Franklin as the head coach of USC), Franklin has a winning record overall (22-15), but only 11-13 in the SEC…….I just thought a little further context was in order…

      • True but Coach O is admittedly learning from his mistakes at Ole Miss and is a different coach today than he was 6 years ago. He’s applying what he learned from Pete Carroll and his own experience and he’s done a phenomenal job in making USC look like USC again. He deserves a lot of credit.

        I’m not saying James Franklin (or for that matter Kevin Sumlin) is a bad choice, but you have to look closer at the numbers. Franklin has turned Vanderbilt around through good recruiting: they finally have the athletes to compete in the SEC. They’ve beaten the teams they should have beaten but haven’t lit the world on fire. And IMO the SEC and PAC12 are pretty comparable in terms of competition.

        If USC beats UCLA, Coach O will have beaten 2 ranked teams in the past 8 games–and just as importantly will have beaten our biggest rival. Coach O is a great recruiter and USC will always be able to recruit well because it’s USC. Money and facilities are not a problem. Pete Carroll had a formula for success and Coach O is employing that formula, and it’s paid off. The guy has been at USC for a total of 11 years–he lives and breathes Troy. I want my HC to have that kind of spirit, fire, and love of USC.

        Give the man a chance. If it doesn’t work out we’ll be in the same situation as before–except the scholarship reductions will be gone.

        And when did people start spelling “losing” with two o’s?

        • This is not about giving a man a chance. This is about hiring the best choice to coach USC for the next ten years. How do you know he has learned from his mistakes. He took on a team that was 3-2, and had one bad third quarter against ASU. The team is less than two years removed from going 10-2 and beating Oregon in Oregon. Moreover, the team was ranked 1 last year, and entered the season ranked in the top 25.

          My point is that, he took over a team with more talent than most teams in their conference. USC in some people’s mind was picked to win the Pac-12 South.

          What is my point, James Franklin has transformed the program. JF has taken a program that went to 4 bowls games its entire history prior to Franklin to going to three straight under Franklin. Mind you he has done this in the SEC. Again he has done this in the SEC.

          Pac 12 is strong conference, but it is not the SEC. SEC has better coaches and coordinators than the Pac-12. Football is serious in the South, it is a religion. The SEC has won 7 straight NC, and will likely play for another unless Bama cannot make it through the SEC.

          The SEC is bigger, stronger, and faster. Look at their defenses: those are grown men out there.

          Finally, fans need to remember, (I love Pete Carroll as much as anybody, I love what he did in my South Central community; also I was student during both national championships. However, USC is not hiring Pete Carroll, they would be hiring Ed Orgeron. USC needs to make sure Ed Orgeron is the most qualified not most deserving. Pete Carroll is not Ed Orgeron, and Ed Orgeron is not Pete Carroll.

    • You are right – most of those wins were against teams with losing records (something like 16-30 at the time of play). He has lost most of the games against teams with winning records at the time of play. No on Franklin. No on Del Rio and his crappy Bronco defense. No on Sumlin with his successful fanboy Manziel.

      • Franklin has been competitive in the SEC. Franklin is not coaching in a mid-tier conference. Franklin is coaching in the premier conference in College Football at a school that does have the resources as UF, Tenn, Bama, LSU, Texas A&M, and UGA.

        When Coach was in the SEC he went 3-21 and winless in last year.

        Franklin at USC, will be something special.

        • You also fail to mention how well Houston Nutt did the following year with Coach O’s recruiting classes….

          • Let us not forget those stellar years Houston Nut had after Coach O’s recruits left for NFL and he went on to the FCA.

        • You seem like a reasonable person, so I have a legitimate question for you. Say you are right that what Franklin has done with Vanderbilt is special. Say that he has recruited good talent and motivated them to perform at high levels. Say it is true that Orgeron did have enough talent to win at Ole Miss (judging by Houston Nutt’s wins after Orgeron left) and that Orgeron was just a poor head coach but good recruiter. So, Vanderbilt’s redeeming quality is his ability to recruit and how he can coach players to perform above their talent. How is this different than what Orgeron has proven? Not to mention that Vanderbilt doesn’t have ties to USC, to my knowledge.

          • Sorry for the delay. I did not have access to a computer, out was out in the Arizona Desert. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. I will share my thoughts I had before USC result against UCLA.
            What James Franklin has done and is currently doing a Vanderbilt is different from Ed Orgeron is because he has done it consistently over a period of time on a non-interim basis. James Franklin taking Vandy to multiple bowl games during his tenure shows that he can build a program and turn them into consistent winners in all facets of a program. Coach O has had a successful run as an interim head coach for USC. However, the situation was favorable for him. If he wins gets all the praise, and if he lose Kiffin gets blamed. When he was the guy at Ole Miss, he was terrible, and what is bad about his tenure there was that they made no progress.

  15. Why James Franklin should be the next head coach of USC

    James Franklin has proven he can coach in a power conference. SEC is not only the best conference, but it also has the best collection of coaches and coordinators. Football matters in the SEC country.

    Vandy had no winning tradition or culture prior to James Franklin. Whatever respectability that Vandy has, James Franklin has created it. Vandy prior to his arrival went to 4 bowls in its entire history, under James Franklin they have went to three. Prior to Franklin, Vandy record in November was 3-32, under Franklin it is 8-2. He has done more with less. When CEO was at Ole Miss he was 10-26, never won more than 3 conference games his entire tenure, at a time when Bama was mediocre and the power of the SEC was in the East with UGA and FLA. CEO winning percentage is 28%. Maybe he has learned from then, but let him prove that at a lesser program not USC.

    Recruiting
    At Vandy James Franklin has had top 25 recruiting classes and last year class was ranked 19. Remember this is Vanderbilt, an academic school parallel to Northwestern, Stanford, Rice, and Duke. Plus, he is recruiting against UGA, FLA, Tenn, Bama, LSU, FSU, V-Tech, Clemson, South Carolina, Arkansas, and etc. All these school are places where football matters, and with big budgets, and who willing to pay coordinators $1MM, and with passionate fans.. Something we in the west cannot fathom. Football is a religion in the South. Yet in the midst of that James Franklin is succeeding with a deck stack against him

    Facilities: prior to James Franklin,Vandy showed little support for its football program, and it sub-standard facilities. James Franklin has been able raise funds for a new indoor practice facilities and other amenities. This shows that he has the charisma to successful talk to boosters and alumni.

    All I am saying is there is another option and a better one. This decision is about the next ten years. James Franklin is smart, great recruiter, creative offensive mind, and has the energy and enthusiasm akin to Pete Carroll.

    Also, I believe James Franklin would be able to win over the current roster and keep the class intact. Also, he would have instant credibility in the inner-cities of Los Angeles and other places. James Franklin is a proven winner, and has done it consistently, and on a non-interim basis

    James Franklin is a first-class individual and coach.

    As a USC alum, I believe James Franklin should be strongly considered by USC

    • This is the 2nd time that you have posted this….We get it… and I’ll say it again… Wolf?…. is that you???

      • It was by accident. However, I purposefully posted it on another article. My reason for posting it on both articles is to familiarize fans with James Franklin as a potential candidate for USC head coach, and why he has strong credentials to be the long-term choice.
        Most fans are not familiar with him. No I am not Scott Wolf.

        • I see….I am quite familiar with Franklin, back when he was with the University of Maryland… and please don’t misunderstand, I have no problem with Franklin, but I think that Coach O may be a diamond in the rough and he is being sold a bit short, at least by some….and don’t forget this post, by The Sporting News:

          “The negative: Hiring Franklin means hiring a coach who has four former players involved in a sexual assault case. One has pled guilty to a lesser charge and been sentenced; three others are awaiting trial. Is that his fault? Of course not. But those things stick to coaches and resonate with university presidents. ….”

          And I am glad to hear that you are not Scott Wolf….

    • Thanks for posting a thoughtful, detailed post regarding Franklin. A lot of rah rahs were simply saying “no” but not saying why Franklin is a good or bad choice for SC. I’m not convinced who should be the next coach, but this is informative.

      • Thank you for kind words. At th end of the day I just want Haden to say he hired the most qualified candidate

  16. At this point I would be happy if Coach O takes over but I feel a lot of his well earned success is dependent on the offensive and defensive coordinators. He seems to have learned that you must trust these guys to do their jobs and not strangle them with micromanagement. That said, the coordinators must be great for continued success.

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