The favorites to become USC football's next head coach

USC announced on Monday night that it was parting ways with head coach Clay Helton. Now that Helton has been let go, the speculation on who will become USC’s next head coach has already begun. Donte Williams was tabbed as the Trojans’ interim head coach, but Sportsline oddsmakers have already tabbed the favorites to become the next full-time head coach at USC.

Sportsline’s four favorites to get the USC job

Luke Fickell, Cincinnati head coach, +600
James Franklin, Penn State head coach, +600
Chris Petersen, retired, +700
Bob Stoops, retired, +800

Fickell is an obvious favorite for the USC job. He has led Cincinnati to become the best program in the AAC and the Bearcats have been a top ten team for the past two seasons. USC athletic director Mike Bohn hired Fickell when he was Cincinnati’s AD, so there is an obvious connection there. Cincinnati will be making the leap to the Big-12 in the coming years, so that could potentially impact Fickell’s decision if he is in a position to make one.

Franklin has been at Penn State since 2014, and last season was the only time the Nittany Lions have finished with a losing record under Franklin. He has previously been reported as a potential candidate for the USC job. If Franklin decides that he wants to get away from competing with Ohio State each year, he could be one of the top candidates to become USC’s head coach.

Peterson and Stoops are both currently without a coaching job and technically retired. Peterson saw great success at Boise State from 2006-2013, coaching to a 92-12 record. He most recently coached at Washington, where he had a record of 55-26 from 2014-2019.

Stoops, the former longtime coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, saw great success during his collegiate coaching career. From 1999 to 2016, Stoops had a record of 190-48. Stoops retired from Oklahoma in 2017, and most recently had a short stint in the XFL as head coach and general manager of the Dallas Renegades before the league was shut down. Stoops might be fine with continuing his broadcasting appearances, but he will likely be a serious candidate to become USC’s next head coach.

Other contenders

Matt Campbell, Iowa State head coach, +1000
PJ Fleck, Minnesota head coach, +1000
Bill O’Brien, Alabama offensive coordinator, +1100
Urban Meyer, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach, +1200

Campbell and Fleck are two coaches that have been linked to bigger power five jobs in the past. Campbell has been at Iowa State since 2016, coaching to a career 36-29 record. Iowa State is coming off of an impressive 9-3 season. Fleck led Minnesota to an 11-2 2019 season, and he is 27-20 overall since 2017 with the Golden Gophers.

Bill O’Brien most recently served as a head coach with the NFL’s Houston Texans. He previously held the head job at Penn State, and is currently Alabama’s offensive coordinator. Most offensive coordinators under Nick Saban get a head coaching job fairly quickly, so O’Brien could be a dark horse candidate to become USC’s next head coach. Reports have already come out about Jaguars’ head coach Urban Meyer being overwhelmed in the NFL.

Mario Cristobal, Oregon head coach, +1500
Gary Patterson, TCU head coach, +1800
Tony Elliott, Clemson offensive coordinator, +2000
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss head coach, +3000

Oregon is fresh off of a huge win over Ohio State. That’s perfect timing for Cristobal. There are realistically two scenarios for Cristobal. He’s either going to get a massive pay raise in Oregon or he could be a legit candidate for the head coaching job at USC. Patterson has been at TCU since 2000, coaching to a 180-74 career record.

Elliott is known as one of the top offensive minds in the nation, and he has been linked to multiple head coaching jobs in recent years. It is no surprise to see him as a potential candidate at USC. Kiffin is one of college football’s most entertaining figures, and he previously coached four seasons at USC from 2010-2013.