2020 PRESEASON
Winter (January), 2020
What do you do after you do what you were hired to do in the first place and the job is done?
That's a damn fine question.
A damn fine one indeed.
It's not like I didn't have many options. In fact, the interegnum between the 2019 and 2020 seasons were the busiest of my coaching career. Schools with big name cachet such as Nebraska and Oklahoma came a courting. The fact that neither school had much success the past few years and had seen their once great football programs fall in prestige matterred not - the big name cachet was still there, always would be.
I got a really big offer from Hawaii. Hawaii's no slouch anymore, they've become a very prestigious school (Excellent-83, 11th most prestigious in the nation - for comparison USC is now up to an Excellent-91 rating, 6th highest in the land, see end of this post for a complete listing of prestige ratings) these days, far more prestigious than Oklahoma or Nebraska. If I was ready to retire, man I'd snap that up in a heartbeat.
I even had an offer from a group of businessmen to be the lead frontman/pitchman of their group that was trying to bring an NFL franchise to Los Angeles again. LA had gotten an NFL franchise which Pete Carroll had left USC to coach, but we lost that team to Oakland when Al Davis moved the Raiders to Pyongyang to play in the 150,000 seat Rungnado May Day Stadium - incidentally changing the Raiders motto to, well, I can't write Korean characters and I can't read Korean, so I don't actually know what he changed it to. But he changed it. I think so anyway.
So to make a long story short, the LA Showtime moved on up to the Bay Area and LA was looking for an NFL team - again. I was really intrigued by the offer. They wanted me to come on in and be the GM of the club if we could land one for southern cal. But they had already picked out a head coach - and I wasn't it. They wanted 70 year old Denny Green to coach the team - and in the end I just wasn't ready to give up coaching yet.
Denny Green?
I guess in sixteen years of coaching I kind have gotten the reputation of being an outstanding recruiter but just a decent X's and O's guy. And with never having coached in the NFL - not even as an assistant, well they just didn't want me as coach. Not that being asked to be the General Manager/Player Personnel guy wasn't an honor, don't get me wrong, it was.
But Denny Green?
That's when I was hit with an epiphany - sort of like when you get really, really drunk and finish worshipping the porcelain goddess, and it suddenly hits you, hey there's more beer.
Denny Green?
That's when I realized these were not guys I wanted to be involved with.
In the end, I decided USC was where I belonged now. When I started coaching college football sixteen years ago, I was a burned out social worker and was the only guy my alma mater Keene State College could find that was dumb enough to take the job - and they were the only school dumb enough to even think about hiring me. I never dreamed Southern Cal (and Oklahoma) would come knocking at my door four years later asking me to take over their programs.
I guess in the end, I bleed maroon and gold now. How else to explain me turning down the Notre Dame job - a job I admit I had always fantasized about - to stay at Southern Cal?
I know we're not going to be as good as we were in 2019. We're making a transition this year from a flexbone to wishbone, our tight ends that have any talent are all frosh, and our starting QB is going to be a redshirt sophomore who can run like crazy but hasn't matured as a passer yet. They say a smart coach knows when to leave a program or team, and maybe a smarter coach would find this year to be that year to move on - and he'd probably be right.
But in the end I'm a USC Trojan now, so this is where I stay.
(Author's note: Which is kind of funny, because I've never actually been a Southern Cal fan. I've always been a Notre Dame fan, and then when I moved to Georgia, I started rooting for UGA. But the game just kind of pulled me in - big credit to TCY creator Jim Gindin for creating such a terrific game that I've found so immersing and emotionally satisfying. If you're reading this, thanks Jim.)
(Author's Note 2: From this point on, you'll notice the storyline will be a little less intensive on the particular details of recruiting. I'll still discuss it, but won't be listing every player we land ad nauseum. I'll be focusing more on the games and the story. I post the recruiting list with player details at the start of the next season anyway, so i don't think much will be lost, and I think the story will be easier to follow.)
School Prestige Ratings Through 2019
Code:
The College Years
Team History
Through the 2019 Season
Team Record Bowls Champ PStrk LWSt LLSt LPSt Prestige
Florida 177-28 10-6 3 16 55 2 16 97
UCLA 160-32 10-6 0 16 24 4 16 95
Virginia 157-33 9-5 0 12 27 6 12 94
Iowa 157-35 10-6 1 16 31 4 16 94
Michigan 155-37 11-5 3 16 15 4 16 92
**Southern California 140-51 11-3 1 11 13 3 11 91
Rice 149-39 8-4 0 9 20 4 9 88
Syracuse 160-32 10-6 1 16 26 3 16 87
Texas A&M 160-40 8-7 2 2 18 3 13 85
Toledo 147-48 8-3 0 7 14 4 7 83
Hawaii 139-51 9-4 0 5 14 3 7 83
Wisconsin 128-60 8-3 0 10 9 6 10 82
Georgia Tech 126-64 7-7 0 12 11 6 12 82
Alabama 151-53 9-7 0 16 12 2 16 81
Penn State 149-43 11-5 1 16 14 4 16 81
Louisville 145-44 3-10 1 1 23 4 8 81
Miami of Ohio 137-58 6-5 0 6 16 4 6 81
Boston College 131-56 7-4 0 7 10 3 7 81
Pittsburgh 135-55 10-4 0 12 12 3 12 80
Marshall 142-54 7-5 0 2 20 3 6 79
Notre Dame 146-46 12-4 0 16 20 4 16 78
South Florida 139-50 6-7 0 10 17 6 10 76
California 135-55 7-7 0 13 12 6 13 76
Keene State 143-45 7-5 0 0 39 3 12 75
Air Force 109-76 4-5 0 2 12 4 3 75
South Carolina 132-58 9-5 0 6 11 2 8 73
Miami of Florida 110-76 5-5 0 3 13 4 4 73
Arkansas State 99-80 1-2 0 0 9 6 1 73
Southern Methodist 98-81 2-1 0 0 7 8 3 73
Arkansas 90-91 1-3 0 2 9 6 2 73
Nebraska 153-49 8-8 0 16 11 4 16 72
Colorado State 125-64 3-9 0 0 12 5 9 72
Middle Tennessee State 118-63 1-4 0 0 9 5 2 72
Washington State 110-79 5-5 0 4 8 5 4 72
Fresno State 99-79 1-1 0 0 7 5 1 72
Texas 118-71 5-5 1 3 25 8 5 71
Green Mountain 118-65 4-3 0 0 8 4 4 71
Maine 96-85 1-3 0 3 8 4 3 71
San Jose State 61-115 0-0 0 0 4 24 0 71
Utah 127-63 3-11 0 1 10 5 11 70
Michigan State 123-65 7-5 0 0 10 5 5 70
Tennessee 116-74 9-5 0 3 8 5 10 70
Washington 97-87 3-5 0 1 11 14 4 70
Missouri 93-92 2-5 0 4 6 6 4 70
Illinois 73-106 1-2 0 2 6 7 2 70
North Carolina State 118-73 4-11 0 8 8 4 8 69
Memphis 105-76 0-4 0 0 8 5 2 69
Tulsa 99-81 3-1 0 0 8 6 1 69
New Mexico State 91-87 1-1 0 1 5 5 1 69
Kent State 85-92 0-1 0 0 6 7 1 69
West Virginia 118-69 5-6 0 1 13 5 5 68
Ball State 87-91 0-1 0 0 10 6 1 68
Houston 80-97 1-0 0 0 5 10 1 68
Bowling Green 116-68 3-2 0 0 8 5 2 67
Virginia Tech 111-77 5-7 0 2 9 6 7 67
Nevada-Las Vegas 111-76 2-9 0 0 14 5 3 67
Maryland 100-84 2-6 0 0 7 7 2 67
Stanford 95-89 3-5 0 0 5 6 3 67
Wake Forest 90-92 4-2 0 1 4 7 3 67
Purdue 78-102 0-4 0 1 8 8 2 67
Oklahoma 121-71 4-8 1 2 8 5 5 66
Louisiana-Lafayette 100-80 1-2 0 0 6 5 1 66
Colorado 116-76 6-7 0 0 9 4 9 65
Vanderbilt 103-81 4-3 0 0 7 6 3 65
San Diego State 91-94 1-8 0 2 9 21 5 65
Baylor 74-105 0-3 0 0 6 14 1 65
Army 73-104 1-0 0 0 7 16 1 65
Texas Christian 120-65 3-6 0 0 17 4 7 64
Navy 74-107 0-5 0 1 4 9 2 64
Maine Maritime 72-104 0-0 0 0 4 12 0 63
Central Florida 69-107 0-0 0 0 6 8 0 63
Western Michigan 93-90 3-1 0 0 6 8 2 62
Brigham Young 85-98 0-7 0 2 7 6 3 62
Plymouth State 73-104 0-0 0 0 5 7 0 62
Central Michigan 62-114 0-0 0 0 4 11 0 61
East Carolina 61-115 0-0 0 0 3 8 0 61
Connecticut 56-121 0-0 0 0 3 8 0 61
Eastern Michigan 50-126 0-0 0 0 3 10 0 61
Arizona 43-133 0-0 0 0 4 20 0 61
North Texas 92-88 3-1 0 0 8 11 2 60
Ohio State 73-106 1-2 0 0 7 18 3 60
Georgia 86-96 2-2 1 0 11 10 2 59
Mississippi 82-100 3-2 0 0 5 9 3 59
Texas Tech 71-106 1-0 0 0 4 9 1 59
Oklahoma State 67-110 1-0 0 0 3 10 1 59
Northwestern 59-118 0-0 0 0 4 8 0 59
Utah State 57-120 0-1 0 0 3 12 1 59
Kansas State 100-84 3-4 0 0 5 8 6 58
North Carolina 74-107 2-3 0 0 8 14 2 58
Kansas 43-133 0-0 0 0 3 19 0 58
Louisiana State 102-83 5-2 0 0 10 7 6 57
Boise State 102-77 0-3 0 0 10 6 2 57
Dartmouth 48-129 0-0 0 0 4 15 0 57
Florida State 81-101 4-2 0 0 7 12 6 56
Oregon 77-103 2-2 0 0 6 13 3 56
Northern Illinois 75-103 0-1 0 0 6 6 1 56
Texas-El Paso 49-128 0-0 0 0 3 21 0 56
Louisiana Tech 45-131 0-0 0 0 3 19 0 56
Auburn 44-132 0-0 0 0 3 25 0 56
New Mexico 43-133 0-0 0 0 5 11 0 56
Ohio 57-119 0-0 0 0 5 9 0 55
New Hampshire 54-122 0-0 0 0 5 10 0 55
Oregon State 44-133 1-0 0 0 3 17 1 55
Buffalo 40-136 0-0 0 0 3 14 0 55
Arizona State 78-105 2-5 0 0 8 15 4 54
Cincinnati 56-120 0-0 0 0 4 11 0 54
Louisiana-Monroe 56-120 0-0 0 0 5 12 0 54
Iowa State 53-124 0-1 0 0 4 19 1 54
Kentucky 46-130 0-0 0 0 3 21 0 54
Wyoming 42-134 0-0 0 0 3 12 0 54
Alabama-Birmingham 40-136 0-0 0 0 4 14 0 54
Mississippi State 30-146 0-0 0 0 3 19 0 54
Troy 79-98 0-1 0 0 5 12 1 53
Southern Mississippi 65-112 0-1 0 0 8 17 1 53
Clemson 57-122 2-1 0 0 7 21 2 53
Akron 39-137 0-0 0 0 2 16 0 53
Indiana 38-138 0-0 0 0 4 30 0 53
Tulane 41-135 0-0 0 0 4 11 0 52
Idaho 36-140 0-0 0 0 2 19 0 52
Duke 23-153 0-0 0 0 2 33 0 52
Nevada 26-150 0-0 0 0 2 23 0 51
Minnesota 57-123 1-3 0 0 9 22 3 50
Rutgers 41-137 0-1 0 0 5 15 1 50
Vermont 29-147 0-0 0 0 4 30 0 48
Temple 34-142 0-0 0 0 2 24 0 46
Champ - Solecismic Championships, PStrk - Consecutive Post-Season Appearances,
LWSt - Longest Winning Streak, LLSt - Longest Losing Streak, LPSt - Longest
Post-Season Appearance Streak
-20-