Penn State paying Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles more than $3 million to be its defensive coordinator is a reminder that Penn State and Ohio State are both projected as top 5 teams for next season. Maybe top 3 to some polls. And guess who doesn’t play either team: Lincoln Riley and USC. Talk about a schedule break. UCLA has to play both but … Continue reading Morning Buzz: USC Catches Big Break

New USC general manager Chad Bowden is the son of baseball analyst and former executive Jim Bowden, who at one time worked for Fox Sports West as an insider for the Dodgers and Angels. He currently works as a baseball analyst for ESPN and co-hosts a show on Sirius XM radio. He was a general manager/senior executive with the Cincinnati Reds, Montreal Expos and Washington … Continue reading USC Sunday Buzz: You Might Know These Family Ties

It won’t be a surprise if Pete Carroll hires his sons with the Raiders. Especially since his son Nate was fired last week by the Carolina Panthers, where he was passing game coordinator. He had only been with the Panthers for one season. Most people don’t realize how awkward the firing must have been. Panthers coach Dave Canales was hired as an assistant strength coach … Continue reading USC Saturday Buzz: An Awkward Firing

USC has hired Chad Bowden to be its general manager for football. He was at Notre Dame. Bowden will make $1 million after being paid $300,000 at Notre Dame. So what will the excuse be now if USC loses? It’s amazing the amount of expenditure required for a guy who has won 15 of his past 28 games. He’s getting more than $10 million a … Continue reading USC Finds Its General Manager

The Raiders are hiring 73-year-old Pete Carroll. He once again wowed a franchise with his interview, like he did at USC 25 years ago. So what happens to his class at USC? What a letdown for the students. They had to buy the “Win Forever” book and now the author is moving to Las Vegas. Maybe Carroll can teach via Zoom. Let’s see how long … Continue reading Pete Carroll Does It Again

Pete Carroll is aggressively pursuing the Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys jobs. One rumor had him pitching Robert Saleh as his defensive coordinator to the Cowboys but there was a report Saleh is headed to the San Francisco 49ers. UPDATED: And Carroll gets hired by the Raiders! Sometimes, it sounds like Riley needs more help than Clay Helton. Oh really? Well, are we back … Continue reading If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column