James Franklin Among Favorites For USC Head Coaching Job, Per BetOnline Sportsbook
Rumors about James Franklin jumping ship for USC have circulated for months, but according to one online sportsbook, there might be some merit to them.
BetOnline Sportsbook released its odds for who will coach the Trojans in 2020 Monday morning. Franklin came in with the third-best odds a 3.5/1 right behind Washington’s Chris Petersen and former Ohio State and Florida great Urban Meyer.
With head coach Clay Helton eternally on the hot seat and the athletic program headed in a new direction following the Varsity Blues scandal and the resignation of Lynn Swann, USC could be on the market for a new football coach this winter. Meyer, who retired for a second time after last season, has been the one name more closely connected to the USC job than Franklin.
Late last season, Franklin was listed as a top target to replace Helton when, unsurprisingly, there were rumors about turmoil in La La Land. Very fittingly, that news also came out in the week leading up to the Nittany Lions’ tilt with Maryland. Franklin gave this answer in response to it, which seems to still apply: “It’s that time of year when all this stuff happens. Like always, we’re completely focused on Maryland. I don’t think it’s fair or right to even talk about that job.”
Helton, who has two New Year’s Six Bowls to his credit, ended up keeping his job to enter this season. He and the Trojans are 3-1 and ranked No. 21 in the country. In a wide-open Pac-12, he has a strong shot a third New Year’s Six Bowl in four years.
Interestingly, Franklin wasn’t listed as a favorite for the Michigan job, should Jim Harbaugh get run out of Ann Arbor without a division title to his credit — although the list looks pretty similar to the USC one:
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