Lane Kiffin is going to USC

Of course. I watched the Florida-Arkansas game and must conclude that the SEC officials did not want Florida to lose and upset the gravy train. When your officials conspire to keep a team undefeated, that takes some luster off an unbeaten season.

Florida did beat Cincy, who of course just lost their head coach. It was a good win against a good team. But they looked like crap against Alabama and were given a win over Arkansas.

Yes, the Big Ten has crapped on the big stage in recent years, but not this year. Part of it is having an extra idle week or two compared to other conferences. Part of it is that the big games are far from Big Ten country and are often virtual home games for the opponent (Texas Tech-MSU a prime example). Make the SEC play their conference championship a week before the Big Ten finales, play the bowl games up here, and then we’ll see how SEC teams do.

Why would USC pick Kiffin, of all people? He’s never had much coaching success anywhere, has he?

I’m listening to the UT athletic director’s press conference. A reporter just asked him, “How would you describe Lane Kiffin’s tenure at Tennessee?” He replied, “brief.”

You are correct, I had missed that one. I was so happy to see PSU beat LSU that I wasn’t counting the SEC as 2-0 in the BCS.

So more time to prepare is a hinderance? Okay. I’m sure, now. You are a parody.

How did a Big 11 team do in their last title appearance?

Bijou Drains, this iks kinda minor, but honestly? There’s “nothing” in Knoxville except UT? Yeah, surely we could just ignore the theater, the music scene, the local breweries, the convenient hiking and parks, the local and regional restaurants, McKay’s used books, and the several major corporations headquartered in or near Knoxville. And the festivals and the . But… why would we?

I can see how you missed it. You were a Grad student. You don’t get off campus that much and despite its proximity, UT is not really well-integrated into the cityscape. Students often miss the downtown delights, much less the further-afield temptations, simply because the city’s transportation is kooko (this is one city which did not so much “grow” as “metastasize”) It’s a pain and a half to get anywhere from anywhere, not the least of which is because we’re stuck almost entirely on the nroth side of the river and on the south side of the mountains.

Still.

ANyway, my less… measured response to events is up here

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11989480#post11989480

It’s mild for the Pit, but I didn’t want to vocally demonstrate my disgust in this thread. Suffice it to say that Lane Kiffin, I think, is the only major UT scandal to actually get students out and protesting his arse. Some of the previous stuff was worse, but it was more embarassing than insulting. Also, it mainly dealt with high-ranking administrators abusing their power and/or messing with the faculty, which did not really gather a huge popular uprising.

OK, folks. Back to Lane Kiffin. I don’t know if you guys heard but there was literally rioting in the streets of Knoxville last night. Students rushed the athletic complex to prevent Kiffin from leaving (man, they should have taped that statement ahead of time and gotten him out of town), and they burned mattresses outside.

OK, that’s a bit ridiculous, but as an Alabama fan, the parallels with Franchione’s mercenary move to TAMU are eerie.

  1. Total dick move. Given. Broken promises, shattered players.
  2. Outrageously whorish personal gestures to “prove” loyalty to their current team. Kiffin named his son “Knox”. Franchione buried his father in law in a Bama shirt. “Yes, I will happily sacrifice by own flesh and blood on the altar of my ambition. Isaac, climb the fuck up there.”
  3. Complete two-facedness evident in their announcements. Franchione expressed his “genuine” regrets from College Station after he’d already flown the coop. Kiffin didn’t have the good sense to get out of town first, but expressed his “genuine” regrets from a standing position, and with self-evidently mealy-mouthed lack of regret, as if to say, “See ya bitches. Lap dances on me in LA tonight.”
  4. Boom. Self-headshot. Kiffin leaves a TN program that is in hot water for secondary violations, and goes back to a USC program that has the NCAA breathing down its neck for major violations (that, incidentally, occurred while Kiffin was there the last time, and for which, Kiffin may be partly culpable). Franchione was merely unable to win. But still: oopsie.

He’s a former USC assistant coach, including offensive coordinator after Norm Chow left. As OC, his offenses set school records and he posted a better winning percentage than under Chow. He’s still a douchenozzle, which is what USC wants and deserves.

Hopefully not too much of a hijack, but what is going on with Meyer? He retired, then he took a leave of absence, and now it appears he’ll be coaching in August.

Were those medical issues exaggerated?

Child: “I get my Daddy back”
Meyer: “Psyche!”

I was about to post something to the effect that the most galling thing about this move, for Tennessee fans, is that somebody used an SEC school as a stepping-stone to a better job.

But I see that my witticism would fall on some deaf ears.

Tennesse has recruits decommitting today right and left. They need to act fast and find not an interim replacement, as Oakminster suggest above, but a new HC, asap, if they want to even marginally salvage this recruiting class.

Don’t fall into the same trap that Al Davis and, apparently, UT fell into. It was Norm Chow’s offense first, then Steve Sarkisian’s second. Lane had the title, Steve had the talent. If Lane is a success at USC, it will be entirely based on the talent of the coaching staff he is bringing with him (and, to be fair, his lone real talent - recruiting). What Sark is doing at UW speaks for itself.

Sounds like Tennessee higher ups are talking to him about a possible comeback as athletic director or coach. I don’t know if I’m hoping he says yes and gloats or says no and laughs.

Knoxville had a lame world’s fair when I was there so that was something besides UT. :slight_smile:

And all the banks went bust (except a few) because they were all run by crooks. The crooks did not bother with a trial , they all plead guilty and got 10 years.

Dude, that was in 1982. Almost thirty years ago.

Weirdly, one Knoxville retailer is asking UT fans not to burn their Kiffin “It’s Time” T-shirts, but rather to turn them in to him, so he can send them to Haiti. It sounds like a bad joke, but apparently one of the employees just came back from missionary work there.

I was in Knoxville a few years back , did not see much change since 84, except the stadium is bigger. And I guess now the banks are not all run by convicted felons - as far as I know.

I’ve been living under a rock since the last game of the regular season, so can someone clear up all the upcoming NCAA sanctions for me? Whats up? Are they against SC, or Kiffin? What gives? Does this have anything to do with Pete bailing?

Reggie Bush is accused of taking money when he was still playing for USC. Joe McKnight is accused of using a booster’s SUV to drive around in. The rumblings are that the sword is about to drop. Kiffin had his own recruiting issues when at Tennessee regarding a group of university “hosts” that tend to function in an ambiguous capacity.

Carroll has said possible sanctions had nothing to do with his leaving USC for the NFL, but rather it was the right time and situation. Whether you believe him or not is up to you.

I’d be surprised if “the sword is about to drop” too severely. They will probably get some penalties, but nothing they won’t be able to overcome fairly easily.

I don’t know about that. The NCAA has outright rejected USC’s proposal that they sanction themselves. I think this might be more than a slap on the wrist.