USC fired Lane Kiffin early Sunday morning after a 62-41 loss to Arizona State. As Ed Orgeron becomes USC's interim coach, several names are popping up as strong candidates to replace Kiffin, including Jack Del Rio, Kevin Sumlin and Jeff Fisher.
Losing seven of their last 11 games was enough to convince USC athletic director Pat Haden the team needed a coaching change. Kiffin was pulled off the USC bus after Saturday's loss and fired. The bus then returned to campus without Kiffin, according to Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News.
"I haven't felt particularly good even from the Hawaii game," Haden said on Sunday, via ESPN. "I just felt like we haven't been the consistent team that we need to be at USC. We've played 125 years of some pretty dog-gone good football here at USC. ...And we just realized that our history has been great, and we need to be great again."
The Daily News reported the decision to fire Kiffin was made during the third quarter of the Arizona State game, when Haden met with several advisers.
In four seasons, Kiffin compiled a 28-15 record at USC. Orgeron, the defensive line coach, was named USC's interim coach as the school begins the search for its next coach, according to ESPN's Joe Schad.
Several names have surfaced already as favorites to fill the head coach vacancy.
Del Rio, the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos, has emerged as a top candidate, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and several others. Although Schefter's sources said Del Rio would be interested in taking over at USC, Del Rio was noncommittal when asked.
"There isn't anything to say," Del Rio said on Sunday after the Bronco's game, via ESPN. "It's all speculation at this point, I've got a job to do here, my focus is right there."
A&M coach Kevin Sumlin is another top choice, a source told CBS Sports' Bruce Feldman. Vanderbilt coach James Franklin is also reportedly interested in the job, should he be offered it.
St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher and Western Kentucky coach Bobby Petrino are being considered as well, according to Paul Finebaum of ESPN. For his part, Fisher called any rumors about him leaving St. Louis "absurd," SB Nation reported earlier in September.
