Testy Mario Cristobal responds to USC rumors

Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal is fresh off a top-five win in Columbus and has been rumored as a candidate to replace Clay Helton at USC.

Cristobal joined The Doug Gottlieb Show on Wednesday and seemingly put those rumors to rest.

“My response is ‘Go Ducks,’” Cristobal said when asked about the vacancy. 

Gottleib pressed harder, asking if there is any chance Cristobal would entertain a conversation about moving from Eugene to Los Angeles.

“I’m telling you again, ‘Go Ducks,’” Cristobal responded. “I’m not sure why you brought me on this interview. I was under the impression that we were talking about the Oregon Ducks and what not. Since we go this route, I’ll reinforce it again, ‘Go Ducks.’ And so here I am, buddy. Let me know what else you got for me.”

“Fair enough,” Gottlieb said before pivoting to a lighter topic, the rubber duck left at the 50 yard line in Ohio Stadium following Oregon’s 35-28 win over Ohio State last weekend. 

Cristobal is in his fifth year in Eugene and his fourth year as the Ducks’ head coach. In 2017, he was a co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach in Eugene. He came over from Alabama where he served as the offensive line coach under Nick Saban from 2013-2016, and he was the head coach at FIU from 2007-2012.

Cristobal’s record at Oregon is 27-10, and the Ducks’s best season under the former Miami offensive lineman came in 2019 when they finished 12-2 and beat Wisconsin 28-27 to win the Rose Bowl.

Star-studded lineup being mentioned for the USC job

As expected, the list of coaches USC might consider is full of very successful people. 

In addition to Cristobal, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer has already put down rumors that he would leave to coach the Trojans. LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, who served as interim head coach at USC for part of the 2013 season, has said he is happy where he is. Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell, who USC athletic director Mike Bohn hired at Cincinnati in 2017, has said he would not answer a phone call should Bohn try. 

Of course, initial “no” answers sometimes are not final, but these coaches seem to have, at least publicly, pulled themselves from contention for the moment. 

Penn State’s James Franklin gave a non-answer when asked about the position, and there is reportedly mutual interest between the schools. Other names that have been floated include Iowa State’s Matt Campbell and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald.