Reports: USC’s Pete Carroll target by Seahawks as head coach.

Update: 1/8/2010 @ 5:09 PDT
The L.A. Times is reporting Pete Carroll and the Seahawks are getting close to an agreement. A deal reportedly for five years at $7million/per and for Carroll to become head coach and team president.

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Several reports are surfacing that USC head football coach Pete Carroll is being targeted by the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks to fill their vacant head coach position. Earlier today Jim Mora was fired as the Seahawks head coach after only one year in which his team went 5-11.

More importantly are reports that Pete Carroll is actually seriously interested in the position in Seattle. It’s also being reported by various outlets that Carroll is trying to convince current USC offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates to join him in Seattle under the same title.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen says of the report of Carroll to Seattle, “It is expected to happen.”

Scott Wolf of Inside USC from the Daily News is sending tweets out that he’s hearing Carroll is also pursuing the Trojans offensive line coach Pat Ruel.

Pete Carroll previous stints as head coach in the NFL came with the New York Jets and the New England Patriots. In 1994 he coached the Jets to a 6-10 record after starting 6-4. He was fired after only one season.

His next NFL head coach stop was from 1997-1999 with the Patriots during which time the team was 27-21 overall. The Patriots reached the playoff during Carroll’s first two years with a 1-2 record.

It wasn’t until the 2001 season that Carroll took over the head coaching position for USC where he was much more successful. In the nine season he’s been with the Trojans Carroll has on overall record of 97-19 and a conference record of 62-14. The Trojans won the conference title for seven straight years from 2002-2008. During those seven season Carroll’s teams finished no lower than fourth in the final polls. They also won two national championships during the 2003 and 2004 seasons (2003 was a split national championship with the LSU Tigers).

So with all of the success Carroll has had (is having) at USC why would he want to leave?

Well, the Seahawks happen to be owned by the 32nd richest person in the world — Paul Allen. With a personal net-worth of approximately $10.5 billion money is not an issue with the organization. And Paul Allen has showed time-and-again he is not afraid to spend when he feels necessary. I’m sure Pete Carroll would be paid handsomely should he choose to bolt to Seattle.

Also, there are reports that the Seahawks are willing to give Carroll at least some portion of GM type control — if not making him GM/coach outright. That kind of control is also something Carroll would covet.

He’s a west coast guy. Carroll was born in the Bay area, attended college in California, and, of course, has had his most head coaching success in southern California with USC.

And let’s not forget that while USC has been very successful under Pete Carroll, there is this 9-4 season which many are calling devastating. There’s also the Joe McKnight investigation, which brings back the Reggie Bush saga. Why would Carroll want to be a part of all that. Perhaps he’s looking to get out of town before the shit hits the fan. And why not, he wouldn’t be the first player and/or coach to do so from USC.

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 Report: Corp to transfer to Richmond – Pac-10 Blog – ESPN

According to ESPN’s Ted Miller and others USC QB Aaron Corp will transfer to Richmond.

It seems Corp is certainly not happy being a backup — even in USC’s system.

I’m curious, though, if USC didn’t hadn’t lost four games this season and they were still the mighty Trojans of yesterday would Corp still be compelled to make the transfer?

Report: Corp to transfer to Richmond – Pac-10 Blog – ESPN.

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 Civil War for the Roses – Pac-10 Blog – ESPN

ESPN.com’s Ted Miller writes up a really nice story about this year’s Civil War. So I won’t even begin to write up one of my own. Instead, I’ll pass this one along to you!

Civil War for the Roses – Pac-10 Blog – ESPN.

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 Timeouts are a passing fancy for the USC-UCLA crosstown rivalry.

For 59 minutes this crosstown rivalry was like many other football games played throughout the season.

Nothing special. Just two teams slugging it out.

But then, with less than a minute to play, and as USC head coach Pete Carroll’s team was taking a knee to end the game, a timeout was called.

Down two touchdowns, Rick Neuheisel decided enough wasn’t enough. He called a timeout. And, sure, he still had all three timeouts left. But what could he had really accomplished?

By the time the UCLA Bruins might have gotten the ball back they wouldn’t have had more than a few seconds remaining. Certainly not enough time to score two more touchdowns.

So what does Pete Carroll do after that first timeout was called? Well, he did what any many would do. He dialed up a 48-yard pass down the middle of the field for a touchdown. Matt Barkley three a strike to Damian Williams who caught the ball in stride and raced into the end zone.

A brawl almost ensued as the Trojans players cheered and taunted. They moved toward mid-field — as did the Bruins players. Words were said and the two teams were separated.

The stage is certainly set for next season’s version of this rivalry which takes place on the UCLA Bruins’ home field of the Rose Bowl.

For more on this story read Bill Plaschke’s story on LATimes.com:
Sportsmanship takes a timeout in USC-UCLA game — latimes.com

For a game recap read the ESPN recap:
USC-UCLA ESPN Game Recap

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 Andy Katz’s Daily Word: Derek Glasser looks to steady Arizona State ship; Oregon Ducks aim to move up – ESPN

ESPN senior college hoops writer Andy Katz shines a light on Derek Glasser as Glasser prepares to step into the Sun Devils spotlight. Read More…

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