Despite all the speculation by local and national media about Pat Fitzgerald being a strong candidate to replace Lane Kiffin at USC, Vegas seems to think otherwise. Now that Lane Kiffin has been axed, and the Trojans gig is now open, all that Pat Fitzgerald to Troy chatter is probably no signal, and all noise.
And believe I’ve been up to my ears in Pat Fitzgerald leaving to coach elsewhere noise. Even though it’s hard to imagine him leaving before the new lakefront facility is completed. And even then, remember Fitz is a NU alum with very strong ties to the school. If he turned down Michigan, he can turn down USC.
According to Sportsbook.com, the favorite to replace Kiffin is current Denver Broncos defensive coordinator and former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio.
Check out the rest of the betting odds for possible Kiffin replacements below.
Jack Del Rio 1-2
Steve Sarkisian 5-1
Chris Petersen 4-1
James Franklin 10-1
Charlie Strong 10-1
Jeff Fisher 15-1
Jon Gruden 20-1
Cam Cameron 40-1
Kirby Smart 15-1
Bronco Mendenhall 15-1
Mike Riley 25-1
Bobby Petrino 50-1
Mike Leach 500-1
Nick Saban 500-1
Kevin Sumlin 200-1
Herm Edwards 50-1
Rick Neuheisel 1000-1
Pat Fitzgerald has been a name linked to Texas, USC, pretty much every big name job that could/would be open. There appears to be a lot of interest in him, especially when you consider he has an under .500 in conference coaching record. And he has a couple embarrassing losses to Ron Zook on his resume too.
Pat Fitzgerald is still a very hot commodity in the college football ranks. Just not for USC. So media people really need to slow their roll on that noise.
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Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An analyst for 95.7 The Fan and 1620 The Zone, he also writes for Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and Facebook, subscribe to his RSS feed