What Does Pete Carrol's Departure Tell Us?

If you follow college football, you know the name Pete Carroll. When one thinks Pete Carroll, one of the first thoughts that come to mind is dominance, Southern California, beaches, babes, good weather and gridiron.

By all rights Carroll is a great guy, though he is incredibly polarizing.

Maybe it isn't him. Maybe it's his environment or former environment. In the minds of many, the first thought to pop up is arrogant and even cheater. Winning breeds confidence and confidence screams arrogance-when it isn't you that is.

Esquire Magazine had a great piece on Coach Carroll and the way he ran things at the University of Southern California. The then 57 year old Carroll seemingly had more energy than most of his coaching counterparts.

He is upbeat and chipper. He's hip and understood the kids he coached.

He's an easy going guy, and a defensive specialist, two things that are very viable qualities in the college coaching landscape, even in the midst of the boom of the Spread offense.

His hipness, easy going nature, affable personality, and the fact that he is a good looking guy have helped him recruit USC back to dominance in college football. He is simply put, the popular guy coaching.

Up and coming college athletes would love to play for him, and the apprehensive parents about to send their kids away to college trust him with their children.

Carroll was the 4th choice of USC back in 2000 when he was hired. Dennis Erickson (then at Oregon State and now at Arizona State), Mike Reilly (then with the San Diego Chargers and now with Oregon State) and Mike Belloti (then the head coach at Oregon and now the Athletic Director at Oregon) were all approached before Carroll.

Carroll had, however, been previously mentioned for the USC job. Once in 1997 when Carroll was still with the New England Patriots.

Before Carroll took the reigns at USC it had been called a dying program. In Carroll’s first year, the Trojans started the 2001 season going 2-5. They rebounded to finish the season 6-6 with a season ending loss to Utah in the Sega Sports Las Vegas bowl with the final of 10-6.

Since then Pete Carroll didn't have a single season in which his team finished with less than 11 wins until the 2009 season when they finished a disappointing (at least at USC) 9-4.

In his nine seasons at the USC, Carroll has compiled a record of 97-19. Six of those losses came in his first season and four came in the 2009 season.

In the seasons between the six and four loss campaigns he won seven consecutive Pac-10 Championships. He had a record seven consecutive BCS bowl appearances, a record six BCS bowl wins, and a record three consecutive Rose Bowl wins.

He also coached an NCAA record 63 straight games in which his teams scored more than 20 points.

He had 53 of his players selected in the NFL Draft with 14 in the first round. He coached 25 first team All-Americans, 3 Heisman Trophy Winners.

He also had four top-5 recruiting classes, seven consecutive top 4 AP poll finishes, 34 straight victories at home and 22 straight Pac-10 victories. Carroll has earned his spot among the college coaching greats.

It is being reported that on January 10, 2010 he informed his players that he would be resigning his position as Head Coach of the University of Southern California to take the same position for the NFL's Seattle Seahawks.

Now there are the issues that none of those things show.

Reggie Bush, one of Carroll's Heisman trophy winners was alleged to have been given along with his family $300,000 in benefits while Bush was still at USC. 

Former USC Basketball standout O.J. Mayo is being investigated for improprieties during his time at USC.  The NCAA has been in contact with several individuals about both the Bush and Mayo allegations. 

Does Carroll leaving a great job, a great area, and another top notch recruiting class tell us anything? 

Possibly. 

Do these allegations have anything to do with other coaches not taking the USC job right away? 

Possibly. 

The previously mentioned Reilly has reportedly been offered the job, but instead opted to sign an extension at Oregon State, which leaves the other three reported targets of USC to be in place when the brunt of the NCAA investigation comes down. 

The other three coaches on the USC wish-list are:

Jeff Fisher (head coach of the NFL's Tennessee Titans)

Jack Del Rio (head coach of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars)

Jim Harbaugh (head coach of the Stanford Cardinal) 

USC wants one of them to come in and take over the program, and possibly pick up the pieces of a recruiting class that could scatter now that it's coach and recruiter is no longer there.

Only time will tell. So hold on tight because at USC it may just be a bumpy ride. With Bush, and now Coach Carroll gone, expect the NCAA to come in a little harder on USC.

So what does Carroll leaving really tell us?  Does it answer anything? Or does it just give us more questions?