There really hasn’t been a lot to talk about in the ACC this week.  Pitt’s win over Tennessee I guess was the highlight.

FSU’s loss over and FCS school for the first time in school history is remarkable.  This puts Mike Norvell in an extremely vulnerable position as FSU is desperate to return to national relevance.  With so any changes going in college football, I don’t think the program will wait too long if they can land a big name coach. He needs to get this team to at least bowl eligible IMO.  Personally, a guy like Lane Kiffen could bring this program back quickly based on what I’m seen him do with FIU and Ole Miss.  They still have at least 3 probable losses in UNC, Clemson and Florida and they’ve lost 2.  When you see programs like Arkansas that was at least as bad if not worse than FSU rebound it puts a ton of pressure on Norvell in what is probably the weakest ACC we’ve seen in some time.

Then there’s Southern Cal.  For them to fire a guy after 2 games tells me this was pre-planned to some degree and they have to have a guy in mind or want to get their name in the hat first to get looks at the best candidates. 

My money is on James Franklin.  He carries himself in a way I think he would be good for the LA Market.  He likes being in front of a camera and he must still be upset over winning the Big 10 and missing the playoffs although he beat Ohio State who went in there place.  He has to feel he’s peaked there.

I know Luke Fickle’s name comes up, be he has 5 or 6 kids, coached most of his time in the Ohio area and I’m not sure LA is a right fit for him.  I could see Fickle taking the Penn State Job if Franklin took the USC job,

That FSU loss was horrible. It was bad that they were even is a close game to make that finish possible. It makes it worse that the immediate criticism was the coaching for them to be in that defense, though they still should’ve been able to make that play. They were feeling good after the close game against ND, but I’m not sure what to make of that game now after the FSU loss and ND struggling against Toledo.

I think USC was clearly on the brink of pulling the plug and it didn’t take much. My guess is they want to get a jump on the hiring search. USC is a huge name and in a big market, but their whole program is a mess, so I’m not sure they’re that attractive to someone already in a good situation. That said, there are reports that Franklin may have some interest. I can certainly see why they would go after him.

There’s a lot mixed opinions about the quality of job USC is these days.  I understand that California has a 13% income tax.  When you factor all taxes a person will pay somewhere in the range of 60% so USC will have to over pay to hire a “big name” to compensate for the taxes.  That’s just one piece of the equation.

The average recruit right now starts at about 14 years old or so.  These kids don’t remember when USC was great and I don’t think kids care as much about tradition as once.  It’s all about their own personal brand first.  Right now, Bama, Ohios State, Clemson, Oklahoma, Uga are just some of the hot programs kids are looking at now.

USC going to need a guy who is probably a better recruiter that coach right now because they are doing a bad job of keep great talent from leaving the state and going east.

CU_Tigers4life - 16 September 2021 10:26 AM

There’s a lot mixed opinions about the quality of job USC is these days.  I understand that California has a 13% income tax.  When you factor all taxes a person will pay somewhere in the range of 60% so USC will have to over pay to hire a “big name” to compensate for the taxes.  That’s just one piece of the equation.

The average recruit right now starts at about 14 years old or so.  These kids don’t remember when USC was great and I don’t think kids care as much about tradition as once.  It’s all about their own personal brand first.  Right now, Bama, Ohios State, Clemson, Oklahoma, Uga are just some of the hot programs kids are looking at now.

USC going to need a guy who is probably a better recruiter that coach right now because they are doing a bad job of keep great talent from leaving the state and going east.

The tax matters as does the much higher cost of living in Southern California. They can pay a lot of money, but it certainly doesn’t go as far there as it would in other places.

Their administration and/or donors haven’t helped themselves. They have historically demanded the person be a USC guy and restricted their pool of candidates. They’ve also had turnover in coaches and in athletic directors with the backdrop of scandals. When coaches are signing extensions just to show stability, the turnover doesn’t help.

With the world becoming a much smaller place with TV options and streaming, kids are able to think about playing across the country. You’re right that many of them are now focused on college as a step in a career to move to the pros more than fulfilling their childhood dream of playing for the team they watched - which may now be Alabama anyway versus the school a few miles down the road. To your point, Reggie Bush graduated in 2005. Who has brought big headlines to them since then?

When coaches are signing extensions just to show stability, the turnover doesn’t help.

I would also add that I expect a lot of coaches are talking to their agents right now to work their schools for pay raises and extensions.  I would imagine a place like Oregon is going to make sure Cristobol stays put.  I suspect most are happy where they’re at if successful, but may “flirt” with the USC job for more money.

I’m sure that’s true. Cristobal is in a good situation where he’s winning and can recruit well in a program that generates a lot of excitement. I would think it would take a lot to get him to move somewhere else.

Curggr - 17 September 2021 03:00 PM

I’m sure that’s true. Cristobal is in a good situation where he’s winning and can recruit well in a program that generates a lot of excitement. I would think it would take a lot to get him to move somewhere else.

Cristobal can recruit the same players USC does.  Maybe even more on a national level.  One of the big selling pitches for a prospective USC coach is you are a “car ride” away from all of the talent needed vs. and airplane ride.  I don’t think that’s enough to put USC over the top.