Norm Chow Isn't Coming to USC!

Oh, no!  The sky is falling!  Duck, everyone!  Cover your heads!

Oops!  Sorry, that wasn’t the sky.  It was just Norm Chow turning down USC to remain at UCLA.

In fact, I think it is actually Norm Chow who is falling.  Let me check.

Oh, yeah, here it is—Rivals.com final Power Rankings of offensive coordinators for the 2009 season.  Norm Chow is falling.

Chow began the year ranked at No. 4 and ended the year all the way down at No. 20. In fact, only one of the preseason Top Five coordinators finished in the Top Five.  That was Oklahoma’s Kevin Wilson who started out at No. 1 and finished at No. 4.

So. With Lane Kiffin looking for an offensive coordinator, he doesn’t have to look any further than the 19 coordinators who finished ahead of Chow in the Rivals.com final Power Rankings.

Final Rank  O.C School Week 14 Preseason

1 Jim McElwain Alabama       1  13

2 Bryan Harsin Boise State    2    15

3 Gus Malzahn Auburn        3  12

4 Kevin Wilson Oklahoma      6   1

5 David Shaw Stanford   7 UR

6 Greg Davis Texas    4 7

7 Dana Holgorsen Houston  5 19

8 Nolan Cromwell Texas A&M  8 UR

9 Paul Chryst Wisconsin   9 20

10 Jimbo Fisher Florida State   13 17

11 Robert Anae BYU   14 20

12 Galen Hall Penn State   11 2

13 Frank Cignetti Pittsburgh   17 UR

14 Mark Whipple Miami   10 UR

15 Sonny Dykes Arizona   12 8

16 Dan Langsdorf Oregon State   15 16

17 Justin Fuente TCU   16 UR

18 Jeff Mullen West Virginia   18 25

19 Andy Ludwig California   19 6

USC fans can look at the brighter side.  It is probably better that a Chow-Kiffin relationship did not begin at all rather than have it break down in the middle of the season and possibly fracture staff and team morale.

To tell the truth, I’m not so sure that the relationship at UCLA between Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow will continue down a rosy path.

In any case, Kiffin can do what his predecessor, Pete Carroll, did and pick an offensive coordinator from BYU.  When Carroll started at USC, he chose Norm Chow who was the offensive coordinator at BYU.

Robert Anae is the current O.C at BYU.  He began the year ranked No. 20 where Norm Chow is ranked now.  He moved up to No. 14 by the end of the regular season.  Then after BYU’s 44-20 bowl victory over Oregon State, Anae moved up to No. 11.  He has been the O.C. at BYU since 2004.

Cal’s Andy Ludwig, Arizona’s Sonny Dykes, and Oregon State’s Danny Langsdorf are all in the same boat as Norm Chow, having declined in the power rankings since preseason. All three lost their bowl games.

On the other hand, Stanford’s David Shaw has taken a huge leap up and deservedly so.  Shaw went from unranked to the No. 7 spot after the regular season and then moved up to No. 5 after the Holiday Bowl.

Even though Oklahoma edged out Stanford, Shaw’s offense put up 27 points against a solid Sooner defense.  And we know what his offense did to USC, not to mention the 33 they put up against Oregon in the Civil War and 45 against Notre Dame.

So, life does not end with Norm Chow.  There are plenty of great offensive coordinators out there.  Some are truly worth the price that Mike Garrett was willing to pay Chow and would definitely come for that kind of money.

Some other names worth looking at; Paul Cryst, Wisconsin; Nolan Cromwell (a former L.A. Ram), Texas A&M; Dana Holgorsen, Houston; Bryan Harsin, Boise State; and Gus Malzahn, Auburn.  

Malzahn was Mitch Mustain’s coach in high school and his coordinator at Arkansas.  But that choice would probably give Matt Barkley a fit. 

All of these coordinators I mentioned have been moving up the charts and can definitely give the Trojan offense a huge boost over last year’s productivity.