What If Lane Kiffin Fails? A USC Trojan Contingency Plan

Out of the east came Lane Kiffin and his posse to rescue a Trojan nation whose hearts were ripped out when their beloved coach, Pete Carroll, left for NFL riches in the Pacific Northwest.

Kiffin, the former Trojan offensive coordinator whose one year stay in Knoxville, Tenn., was a mixed bag of promise and gaffes, brought along a sterling staff and the type of USC pedigree that gave the forlorn Trojan fans hope for the future amidst their gloom over the departed Carroll.

For fans of USC, it was an impossibly fortuitous hire.

In Lane Kiffin, the Trojans acquired perhaps the only coach that could fill the void of the departed Carroll, and in some ways, even give the Trojan faithful hope for an even better future.

After all, Kiffin came in and rescued, even improved, a recruiting class that appeared destined to implode upon Carroll's leaving the Trojans.

And let's not forget the staff that Lane Kiffin has assembled in his short time at the helm of USC.

Monte Kiffin, Lane's father, is widely recognized as a defensive mastermind whose "Cover Two" defense is found in most college and NFL playbooks.

Then there is Ed Orgeron, the fiery former Trojan coach whose recruiting prowess is legendary.

Kiffin then brought other coaching geniuses such as John Baxter—widely considered a special teams guru—from Fresno State and Jim Cregg, while retaining John Morton and Todd McNair from the old regime to provide continuity.

To be sure, this is a fantastic staff, one that should provide fans of the men of Troy smiles for years to come.

But what if doesn't?

What if, despite the collective and individual brilliance of coach Kiffin and company, the Trojans fall flat on their face?

As any strategist will tell you, a great plan must also include an exit strategy.

What is the Trojan exit plan should Lane Kiffin fail?

Of course, certain assumptions must be made when forecasting possible replacements for Kiffin and staff.

The first assumption is that the Trojans will struggle for the foreseeable future and that those struggles would motivate USC to replace Kiffin.

This scenario is highly unlikely for it appears that this regime is destined to succeed and usher in a era of glory for USC, perhaps even surpassing the legend who has just left for the Seahawks.

But since an exit strategy demands the possibility of failure, it must be assumed that Kiffin fails.

So who do the Trojans turn to if Kiffin does indeed fail?

The hot name out there is Chris Peterson, the Boise State coach who is currently setting the college football world on fire.

Peterson, the only two-time winner of the "Bear" Bryant Coach Of the Year award (since it was renamed) has led the Broncos to an amazing 49-4 record over the last four years and his 2010 Boise State team is expected to start the year as a top five team.

If USC could lure Chris Peterson from his comfortable digs in Idaho, they would be wise to do so.

Then there are the familiar names.

You know, guys like Steve Sarkisian, the ex-USC offensive coordinator who took over for Lane Kiffin when he left for his failed experiment as head coach of the Oakland Raiders.

Sarkisian, who now coaches the Washington Huskies, certainly knows the program and the area and would be a great fit for the Trojans.

However, when Carroll left for the NFL, the possibility of coaching the Trojans was broached to Sarkisian, who said he had no interest in leaving the Huskies.

Would that change in the future?

Maybe, maybe not.

How about a NFL coach, one with ties to the Trojans, like Jack Del Rio, who the Trojans made a run at before Del Rio decided to return to the Jacksonville Jaguars?

However, a Jack Del Rio hire still brings the same limitations that, from USC's standpoint, plagued their initial overtures to the Jaguar coach.

Namely, Jack Del Rio has no experience on the college level.

So now what?

Who can guide the Trojans should Lane Kiffin fail?

There is still one name out there...one that many may fail to consider.

Of course, for this mystery coach to be available also begs certain assumptions, but play along with me.

Could the next Trojan coach, the one that replaces a failed Lane Kiffin, be none other than...

Pete Carroll??!!

What if, after several years of trying the NFL again, Carroll fails in his grand experiment and comes to realize that his calling all along has been at the college level?

While at USC, Carroll was told time and time again that his style was best suited directed at college players where his fiery brand of enthusiasm played well to players at that level.

Pete Carroll knows his abilities coaching college-age athletes.

He knows the Trojans and he also knows that USC fans will always honor and love him for what he did at the institution.

Pete Carroll returned the Trojans to glory and for that, he would be welcomed back with loving arms by Trojan nation.

It may not be as far fetched as it seems.

One of the reasons Pete Carroll left, it was surmised, is because his relationship with Mike Garrett had deteriorated.

However, with a new USC president taking the helm, it would be a surprise if Mike Garrett was still athletic director in four or five years, especially if the NCAA lays the hammer down on the Trojans for past transgressions.

A Pete Carroll return to the Trojans would require both Carroll and Kiffin failing at the current jobs in roughly the same time frame.

Could it happen?

Sure, but don't hold your breath.

All the stars would have to be aligned and lady luck would have to give her blessings.

And a Pete Carroll return to the Trojans would also mean that Lane Kiffin was a monumental failure and no USC fan would ever want that.

Still, it is a possibility and one that most Trojan fans would love to entertain should Kiffin fail.

And, as far as exit strategies go, a Pete Carroll return would be a plan for the ages...

Of course, lady luck rarely cooperates to that extent, but who knows?

The fickle lady smiled on the Trojans once before when it came to Pete Carroll, maybe she will smile again.

And that would be the mother of all exit strategies.