On Aug. 18, Univeristy of Southern California sat at No. 1 in the Associated Press media poll.
It had the Heisman frontrunner as its quarterback, Matt Barkley, and the best receivers in the nation catching his passes. The only problems were thought to be the team’s depth and defense.
Fast forward 98 days, and that same team is 7-5, unranked and losers of both of its rivalry games.
Its quarterback spent the final game on the sideline with his arm in a sling, well behind in the Heisman race he once led.
Conventional wisdom says that the coach of this team should be fired immediately. However, USC athletic director Pat Haden is making the right move by keeping Lane Kiffin around, if that’s what he ends up doing.
Kiffin led USC to arguably the most disappointing season in the school’s history.
Under normal circumstances, not firing him would be a mistake. But because USC is still enduring some of the NCAA sanctions left over from the Reggie Bush scandal, Kiffin should remain head coach of the Trojans.
To what extent the loss of scholarships can be used as an excuse for Kiffin is up for debate.
USC hasn’t had great depth on the offensive line or on defense because of it, and that directly contributed to its early-season loss at Stanford.
It could be argued that depth was responsible for the loss to Oregon as well, as USC players couldn’t stay fresh enough to keep up with the Ducks’ fast-paced offense.
Excuses aside, Kiffin should remain head coach as long as USC is under sanctions.
The Trojans shouldn’t start looking for his replacement until it is allowed the standard amount of scholarships and the sanctions cloud has passed.
Not only has Kiffin not had a “normal” season as head coach, but it would be a mistake to introduce a new coach while the program is being restricted by the NCAA.
This season was a massive disappointment for USC.
Until this year, however, Kiffin had been doing a great job of navigating the program through the darkest years of its history.
He has brought in fantastic recruiting classes each year, and he currently holds the top spot in ESPN’s 2013 class rankings.
One person who does need to be fired is Kiffin’s dad, defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.
His scheme hasn’t worked out at USC, as evidenced by the 39 points given up to Arizona, the 38 points given up to UCLA and the 62 points allowed to Oregon.
The offense has stalled more than it should this year as well, but the defense failed too many times for Monte Kiffin to not take a significant portion of the blame.
If Kiffin comes back next year with a new defensive staff, he may have a shot at the Rose Bowl.
The offense is still stacked, even with Matt Barkley and wide receiver Robert Woods leaving for the NFL.
USC is loaded with top recruits and has the talent to make a legitimate run once again.
Whether or not Lane Kiffin can save his job is another matter.
Jason Clark is a junior journalism major and the sports editor for the Daily 49er.