My question for you is which is the better job? Miami or USC?
I found it to be an interesting question. Here's what Rivals.com's Adam Gorney had to say in this Rivals article.
(I apologize for such a long post. I usually try to keep posts short and sweet, but was unable to do so with this one.)
MIAMI
Advantages: Miami is in the epicenter of high school football talent and should be able to have its pick of players each and every recruiting class. That is not always the case (for reasons detailed below) but the Hurricanes could concentrate on local talent alone and put together an outstanding club.
The history and tradition at Miami is still proud and prospects seem to be enamored with "The U" even though it's been a long while since the Hurricanes were consistently relevant on the national stage.
The ACC is a winnable conference every year. It's top heavy with Clemson and Florida State and then a bunch of games the Hurricanes should win if the right system is in place. That conference is not a murderer's row each and every week.
Disadvantages: In the state alone, Florida and Florida State have passed the Hurricanes. The Seminoles continue to be the cream of the crop in the conference and they've been a national presence for years. There is no question Florida is much better under first-year coach Jim McElwain.
Miami also gets fired on by Alabama, Clemson and 10 other teams that want to compete for top talent in South Florida. For the Hurricanes, it's a non-stop battle to keep kids home.
The game environment at Sun Life Stadium is terrible. Miami shares a stadium with the Dolphins, and we've all seen the pictures of the empty seats. It's just not a great, raucous home for the Hurricanes.
USC
Advantages: Like Miami, Southern California is fertile recruiting territory and USC continues to have its pick of players. If the Trojans really want a top kid and diligently recruit him, it's rare for them to lose out on a prospect.
Tradition and history go hand-in-hand with USC football. In fact, it's what has sold a lot of recruits in recent years (they cite Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, etc.) and the program's legend goes much further back than the last decade.
The Pac-12 is more competitive than some would like to admit but winning it is achievable and that probably means a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Southern California area is so crucial to getting top talent and the Trojans have such a clear advantage being there that it's inexcusable for them not to be in the championship mix every year.
Disadvantages: Again, like Miami, Los Angeles remains a glitzy pro city with a whole lot to do whether it's going to the beach, going out to shows, shopping in Beverly Hills - there is just not a laser focus on college football there. Having a stadium near downtown Los Angeles just does not give off the same feeling as game-day in Tuscaloosa, Tallahassee, South Bend or Ann Arbor.
UCLA is a burgeoning power and there could be a shift in Los Angeles. The Bruins have beaten USC in three straight seasons and Jim Mora is a fantastic coach who has turned that program around quickly. With what appears to be an NFL-bound prospect at quarterback for the next two-plus seasons, that program is not going anywhere. Even if the Bruins aren't landing as many five-star recruits as USC, the players have been better coached in recent seasons and it's showing on the field.
Pete Carroll did phenomenal things as the USC coach but many boosters and fans still long for those days. Well, they're gone and the Trojans need to move on. Lane Kiffin and Sarkisian were Carroll disciples and both were utter failures as the USC coach. It might be time to move away from that coaching tree and get a top X's and O's guy.
THE VERDICT
In many ways, USC and Miami have a lot of similarities. Both are tradition-rich college programs that churn out pro players, reside in attractive major markets but also share attention with pro sports franchises.
On and on go the comparisons between Miami and USC, but there is one distinct difference and it's the reason USC is a better job. There is too much recruiting competition in South Florida for top talent whereas the Trojans can really pick and choose whom they want.
"Miami is going up against Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Clemson and every one of those programs has a better fan base, a better game atmosphere, better facilities and they're all charging hard into South Florida," Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell said.
"Even Louisville under Charlie Strong was arguably out-recruiting Miami in South Florida. That's the biggest thing where with USC, you look at the programs USC competes with geographically, and it's not even close."
I found it to be an interesting question. Here's what Rivals.com's Adam Gorney had to say in this Rivals article.
(I apologize for such a long post. I usually try to keep posts short and sweet, but was unable to do so with this one.)
MIAMI
Advantages: Miami is in the epicenter of high school football talent and should be able to have its pick of players each and every recruiting class. That is not always the case (for reasons detailed below) but the Hurricanes could concentrate on local talent alone and put together an outstanding club.
The history and tradition at Miami is still proud and prospects seem to be enamored with "The U" even though it's been a long while since the Hurricanes were consistently relevant on the national stage.
The ACC is a winnable conference every year. It's top heavy with Clemson and Florida State and then a bunch of games the Hurricanes should win if the right system is in place. That conference is not a murderer's row each and every week.
Disadvantages: In the state alone, Florida and Florida State have passed the Hurricanes. The Seminoles continue to be the cream of the crop in the conference and they've been a national presence for years. There is no question Florida is much better under first-year coach Jim McElwain.
Miami also gets fired on by Alabama, Clemson and 10 other teams that want to compete for top talent in South Florida. For the Hurricanes, it's a non-stop battle to keep kids home.
The game environment at Sun Life Stadium is terrible. Miami shares a stadium with the Dolphins, and we've all seen the pictures of the empty seats. It's just not a great, raucous home for the Hurricanes.
USC
Advantages: Like Miami, Southern California is fertile recruiting territory and USC continues to have its pick of players. If the Trojans really want a top kid and diligently recruit him, it's rare for them to lose out on a prospect.
Tradition and history go hand-in-hand with USC football. In fact, it's what has sold a lot of recruits in recent years (they cite Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, etc.) and the program's legend goes much further back than the last decade.
The Pac-12 is more competitive than some would like to admit but winning it is achievable and that probably means a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Southern California area is so crucial to getting top talent and the Trojans have such a clear advantage being there that it's inexcusable for them not to be in the championship mix every year.
Disadvantages: Again, like Miami, Los Angeles remains a glitzy pro city with a whole lot to do whether it's going to the beach, going out to shows, shopping in Beverly Hills - there is just not a laser focus on college football there. Having a stadium near downtown Los Angeles just does not give off the same feeling as game-day in Tuscaloosa, Tallahassee, South Bend or Ann Arbor.
UCLA is a burgeoning power and there could be a shift in Los Angeles. The Bruins have beaten USC in three straight seasons and Jim Mora is a fantastic coach who has turned that program around quickly. With what appears to be an NFL-bound prospect at quarterback for the next two-plus seasons, that program is not going anywhere. Even if the Bruins aren't landing as many five-star recruits as USC, the players have been better coached in recent seasons and it's showing on the field.
Pete Carroll did phenomenal things as the USC coach but many boosters and fans still long for those days. Well, they're gone and the Trojans need to move on. Lane Kiffin and Sarkisian were Carroll disciples and both were utter failures as the USC coach. It might be time to move away from that coaching tree and get a top X's and O's guy.
THE VERDICT
In many ways, USC and Miami have a lot of similarities. Both are tradition-rich college programs that churn out pro players, reside in attractive major markets but also share attention with pro sports franchises.
On and on go the comparisons between Miami and USC, but there is one distinct difference and it's the reason USC is a better job. There is too much recruiting competition in South Florida for top talent whereas the Trojans can really pick and choose whom they want.
"Miami is going up against Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Clemson and every one of those programs has a better fan base, a better game atmosphere, better facilities and they're all charging hard into South Florida," Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell said.
"Even Louisville under Charlie Strong was arguably out-recruiting Miami in South Florida. That's the biggest thing where with USC, you look at the programs USC competes with geographically, and it's not even close."
