(12-01-2019 02:01 PM)stever20 Wrote:  just saw on twitter.

Quote:Clay Helton has coached his last game for the Trojans.

USC is dismissing the embattled fourth-year head coach and is expected to officially announce the move by Monday, multiple sources told SI.

New athletic director Mike Bohn held on to Helton during the team's bye week in the event that the Trojans reached the Pac-12 title game. While a Utah win over Colorado on Saturday spoiled that bid and ended USC's regular season, the university had already decided to make a coaching change, per sources. A school spokesman declined to comment Sunday morning; Helton could not be reached.

With the early sign period nearing, USC is hoping to have a new hire lined up by the end of this week. Its top target: Urban Meyer.

The Trojans have been in talks with Meyer's camp for some time and there is optimism that a deal can be reached with the former Ohio State and Florida coach, sources said. Not all of the their eggs are in the Meyer basket, however.

Bohn, who arrived at USC less than a month ago, has been in discussions with the agents of other coaches in the event that the 55-year-old Meyer declines the job, according to sources.

Helton went 40-21 over four-plus seasons, which includes two interim stints. He went 21-6 over his first two full seasons, leading USC to a Rose Bowl win and Pac-12 championship during that stretch. His 2018 team plummeted to 5-7, becoming the program's first to finish with a losing record since 2000. The 2019 Trojans rebounded to an 8-4 mark in the regular season but fell a game short of Utah in the Pac-12 South.

It's the third time in four years that USC didn't win its division. In the last two years, the average attendance at the Coliseum dropped below 60,000, while the 2020 recruiting class currently ranks near the bottom of the conference.

Helton joined the USC staff in 2010 as the quarterbacks coach under Lane Kiffin. After being retained by Steve Sarkisian, Helton became the interim coach midway through the 2015 season and led the Trojans to the Pac-12 title game. Then-Athletic Director Pat Haden made Helton the permanent coach just a few days before, on Nov. 30.

Helton, who was extended two years by Lynn Swann following the 2017 campaign, has four years remaining on his contract.

USC will find out the details of its bowl game next Sunday, and will likely be selected for the Alamo Bowl or Holiday Bowl.

(12-01-2019 01:54 AM)solohawks Wrote:  The perfect storm of awfulness happened for the ACC as all possible 7+ win replacements for the Orange Bowl are or will be coming off a loss.

Assuming Clemson demolishes UVA and no other ACC team ends up ranked i have a simple yet radical proposal.

I believe it would be in everyone's best interest to allow Notre Dame to represent the ACC in the Orange Bowl. This is especially true if the Big 10 is the opponent and the Citrus Bowl opens up. Simply swap Notre Dame and UVA bowl bids. This would allow UVA as the 2nd best ACC team to get a nice constellation prize with a new year's day bowl in Florida while doing a solid for a CFP bowl partner.

Give Notre Dame the money they would have been paid for going to the Citrus Bowl or Camping World Bowl but allow them to play in the NY6 Orange Bowl.

No one wants to see UVA in the Orange Bowl and if Clemson beats them this is the best outcome

(12-01-2019 04:39 PM)vandiver49 Wrote:  I don’t know if Helton can recruit outside of the west coast, but if he can, I don’t think Clay will be out of work long. Arky and Mizzou would be good landing spots

(12-01-2019 06:34 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  

(12-01-2019 01:54 AM)solohawks Wrote:  The perfect storm of awfulness happened for the ACC as all possible 7+ win replacements for the Orange Bowl are or will be coming off a loss.

Assuming Clemson demolishes UVA and no other ACC team ends up ranked i have a simple yet radical proposal.

I believe it would be in everyone's best interest to allow Notre Dame to represent the ACC in the Orange Bowl. This is especially true if the Big 10 is the opponent and the Citrus Bowl opens up. Simply swap Notre Dame and UVA bowl bids. This would allow UVA as the 2nd best ACC team to get a nice constellation prize with a new year's day bowl in Florida while doing a solid for a CFP bowl partner.

Give Notre Dame the money they would have been paid for going to the Citrus Bowl or Camping World Bowl but allow them to play in the NY6 Orange Bowl.

No one wants to see UVA in the Orange Bowl and if Clemson beats them this is the best outcome

(12-01-2019 04:39 PM)vandiver49 Wrote:  I don’t know if Helton can recruit outside of the west coast, but if he can, I don’t think Clay will be out of work long. Arky and Mizzou would be good landing spots

Actually UNLV is where he is rumored to land.

(12-01-2019 06:42 PM)Mav Wrote:  At least this time the underachieving program comes with expectations in the cellar rather than delusionally optimistic like USC's.

(12-01-2019 07:06 PM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  

(12-01-2019 06:42 PM)Mav Wrote:  At least this time the underachieving program comes with expectations in the cellar rather than delusionally optimistic like USC's.

Are you saying USC fans should not expect this program to compete for national championships? Because if that is what you're implying then you would be the delusional one.

There is no reason whatsoever USC should not be competing for national championships period!

(12-01-2019 07:06 PM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  

(12-01-2019 06:42 PM)Mav Wrote:  At least this time the underachieving program comes with expectations in the cellar rather than delusionally optimistic like USC's.

Are you saying USC fans should not expect this program to compete for national championships? Because if that is what you're implying then you would be the delusional one.

There is no reason whatsoever USC should not be competing for national championships period!

(12-01-2019 07:59 PM)Mav Wrote:  

(12-01-2019 07:06 PM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  

(12-01-2019 06:42 PM)Mav Wrote:  At least this time the underachieving program comes with expectations in the cellar rather than delusionally optimistic like USC's.

Are you saying USC fans should not expect this program to compete for national championships? Because if that is what you're implying then you would be the delusional one.

There is no reason whatsoever USC should not be competing for national championships period!

I'm saying it's a process and logic like this is how you get drain-circlings like you saw at Nebraska and Tennessee. I get that it's USC but firing a coach after a ranked season makes no sense. Coaches aren't going to want to go somewhere that fires them for finishing the season in the top 25.

(12-01-2019 07:06 PM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  

(12-01-2019 06:42 PM)Mav Wrote:  At least this time the underachieving program comes with expectations in the cellar rather than delusionally optimistic like USC's.

Are you saying USC fans should not expect this program to compete for national championships? Because if that is what you're implying then you would be the delusional one.

There is no reason whatsoever USC should not be competing for national championships period!

(12-02-2019 10:05 AM)Kaplony Wrote:  

(12-01-2019 07:06 PM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  

(12-01-2019 06:42 PM)Mav Wrote:  At least this time the underachieving program comes with expectations in the cellar rather than delusionally optimistic like USC's.

Are you saying USC fans should not expect this program to compete for national championships? Because if that is what you're implying then you would be the delusional one.

There is no reason whatsoever USC should not be competing for national championships period!

Except for the fact that other than the Pete Carroll years USC hasn't been a contender for national championships since the 1970's regardless of who was coaching them.

(12-02-2019 11:50 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(12-02-2019 10:05 AM)Kaplony Wrote:  

(12-01-2019 07:06 PM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  

(12-01-2019 06:42 PM)Mav Wrote:  At least this time the underachieving program comes with expectations in the cellar rather than delusionally optimistic like USC's.

Are you saying USC fans should not expect this program to compete for national championships? Because if that is what you're implying then you would be the delusional one.

There is no reason whatsoever USC should not be competing for national championships period!

Except for the fact that other than the Pete Carroll years USC hasn't been a contender for national championships since the 1970's regardless of who was coaching them.

That is not quite true. I can remember their game at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, USC vs. Notre Dame, on November 26, 1988 before 93,829. That was the de facto national championship game. Both were 10-0, Notre Dame was No. 1 ranked and USC No.2 ranked. Notre Dame won 27-10.

USC has in many years started off as a contender but loss a key game that knocked them out of contention. But even under Helton, they ended up the No.3 ranked team in college football in 2016 after beating Penn State in the Rose Bowl. Now if you said that they had not won a national championship since the 70's before Carroll or after Carroll left, that would be more accurate.

(12-02-2019 02:27 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  

(12-02-2019 11:50 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(12-02-2019 10:05 AM)Kaplony Wrote:  

(12-01-2019 07:06 PM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  

(12-01-2019 06:42 PM)Mav Wrote:  At least this time the underachieving program comes with expectations in the cellar rather than delusionally optimistic like USC's.

Are you saying USC fans should not expect this program to compete for national championships? Because if that is what you're implying then you would be the delusional one.

There is no reason whatsoever USC should not be competing for national championships period!

Except for the fact that other than the Pete Carroll years USC hasn't been a contender for national championships since the 1970's regardless of who was coaching them.

That is not quite true. I can remember their game at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, USC vs. Notre Dame, on November 26, 1988 before 93,829. That was the de facto national championship game. Both were 10-0, Notre Dame was No. 1 ranked and USC No.2 ranked. Notre Dame won 27-10.

USC has in many years started off as a contender but loss a key game that knocked them out of contention. But even under Helton, they ended up the No.3 ranked team in college football in 2016 after beating Penn State in the Rose Bowl. Now if you said that they had not won a national championship since the 70's before Carroll or after Carroll left, that would be more accurate.

OK.

USC hasn't sniffed a national title since the 1970's without Pete Carroll except for one year.

Doesn't change the fact that the statement "There is no reason whatsoever USC should not be competing for national championships period!" isn't demonstrably false. There is nothing that indicates USC should be in that position.