Lane Kiffin to coach USC

Lane Kiffin after leading Tennessee to a 7 and 6 record in his first season coaching the Vols football team has accepted the vacant head coaching job at USC. Kiffin, an assistant at USC for 5 years under former coach Pete Carroll, will take over one of the top programs in the country.

Tennessee fans are feeling betrayed and certainly the administration there was surprised by Kiffin's departure. USC now, instead of losing many recruits which might have been on the fence due to Carroll's leaving, will gain additional recruits that will follow Kiffin from Tennessee to Southern California.

No one can really blame Kiffin. Playing in the SEC Kiffin would always have been swimming upstream against Florida, Alabama and the rest of the conference. Certainly in time he would have competed for a conference and perhaps even a national title but the road is much clearer for him to succeed at USC.

USC is the power of the PAC 10 and will likely remain so even if the NCAA penalizes the program. No, this should not have come as a surprise to Tennessee. I was surprised that Pete Carroll left USC but on consideration it made sense. This for Kiffin does as well.

Who loses in this situation. Some players committed to one coach will not be able to follow, they may not adjust to the next program as well. Fans will say they are hurt but realistically fans will turn on a coach in an instant. One more 7 and 6 season and Kiffin may have been on the way out in Tennessee.

College coaches now make millions of dollars a year. College Football makes hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Money buys many things. It does not buy loyalty. I believe I have heard a quote from W C Fields years ago. It goes something like this.

He asks an attractive young woman if she will go upstairs with him for a price. She says she would consider it. He says how about for two dollars. The young woman insulted says " What kind of a girl do you think i am?" W C responds " That my dear has been established, all we are doing now is naming the price?"

Lane Kiffin, Pete Carroll like that young woman had a price. College administrators have no one to blame but themselves. Until loyalty is a two way street both sides get what they deserve.