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The inevitable happened on Saturday. USC fired Lane Kiffin after a one-sided, 62-41 loss to Arizona State. The search for a new head coach begins now, and the rumor mill is likely to draw in a few big time NFL names, including St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher.
Fisher's name came up earlier this month as a potential replacement for Kiffin, before the Trojans fired the coach even. The rumors were floated by reputable college football reporters at ESPN. It was most likely the result of a well-intentioned, wide-eyed suit at USC who fancied the idea.
The Rams head coach later waved off the USC talk, calling it "absurd."
Public denial or not, you can expect Fisher's name to get floated again now that Kiffin's out. The Rams struggling won't help slow down the rumor mill either. It was already out there on Sunday morning.
Interesting name raised by @BryanBroaddus on USC opening: 49ers OC Greg Roman. Expect alums Fisher and Del Rio to be bandied about, too.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) September 29, 2013
It's virtually impossible that Fisher will leave the NFL for USC. He's never coached at the college level. The money doesn't quite match the $7 million per year he gets to coach the Rams to a 1-3 record, either. And like I've said before, if Fisher wanted to coach college football, he'd already be doing it.
However, reality isn't likely to stop decision makers at USC from dreaming of bringing the alum back to save the program. As Breer suggests, his name is likely to get bounced around until the Trojans do finally settle on some more viable candidates.