They set themselves back years when they chose sarkisian over Chris Petersen. He even wanted the job and they passed. One of the most egregious decisions in sports I've ever seen. It would've been USC in the playoffs last year had they hired him.
Yeah, that was a dunce move. As an alum I wanted Petersen.
USC has been recruiting well and fits that blue chip ratio in terms of teams theoretically eligible to win the national title. But I'm a doubter due to Clay Helton. He's more of a nice guy and cutesy offensive minded coach than a ruthless type. You need a ruthless type to wipe out those third down screens when the opponent is stupid enough to call them. Nick Saban lives for those moments, when the tinkerbell plays are absolutely destroyed. Meanwhile a Clay Helton type mostly shrugs it off and rationalizes he will score on the next possession himself.
Consequently you might defeat Nick Saban once in a while if you have ultra elite talent at the most vital positions. I still laugh every time I remember the Dunces of Outlier here who praised Clemson for defeating Alabama with Deshaun Watson and Mike Williams. As always...nice plan. You'll go far.
They actually believed they had deciphered something. That's what made it so hilarious.
Any number of teams can defeat Clay Helton. You don't need Top 10 draft picks or nearby. USC finished third last season but it was as phony a final third ranking as you'll ever see. Normally the team that finishes in that spot faced scrutiny and pressure all season. USC had none of the above. They lost three times early and then wandered irrelevantly through the course of the season, picking up unwarranted praise. It wasn't unlike the 2002 USC team that similarly lost twice early and then was elevated by morons, some of whom believed they were more capable and deserving than either Miami or Ohio State.
The Canes or Buckeyes would have throttled USC with little difficulty. Well, Ohio State always made things difficult. The Buckeyes would have defeated upstart USC.
I'm never fully popular on either the Canes or Miami forums. I don't succumb to peer pressure need to fit in anywhere like a dimb Happy Adjuster. USC has been a flawed program and so have the Canes. They deserve to be defined accordingly. I mentioned a month ago on a Dolphins site that USC was likely a fraud and undeserving of the high early rating.