Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
Heading into the 2000s, if someone were to look at you and tell you that the Texas Longhorns and the USC Trojans were going to eventually be the laughingstocks of college football, you would have surely told them they were crazy.
But we are three weeks into the 2013 college football season, and that is certainly the case. It is absolute meltdown mode at both respective programs. Both coaches, Mack Brown and Lane Kiffin, are almost as baffled as the fans as to what is taking place on the field.
The Longhorns have been lackluster as a team ever since the 2009 football season, which saw them lose in the national championship game to Alabama. When you think of Longhorn football, you expect 10 win seasons and BCS bowl appearances, but those haven’t been close since Colt McCoy’s departure from the program.
The Longhorns have started off 2013 with losses in week two to BYU and week three to Ole Miss. These two losses saw the Longhorns give up 1,128 yards in combined offense, a stat that ultimately led to the firing of defensive coordinator Manny Diaz.
For USC, the spiral downward started last season when the Trojans came into the season ranked preseason No. 1 only to go 7-6 on the year. They have started off 2-1, but a loss to Washington State and horrid play in the other two games have people calling for the job of Lane Kiffin.
For both programs, it seems fans across the country think it is time for a change. Both teams have consistently brought in top recruiting classes, yet it hasn’t shown on the field.
A complete overhaul and fresh starts could be a good thing for the two traditional powers, as recruits around the country are taking notice of the struggles of each team and that could start to affect who comes to each school.
No matter what personnel decisions are made, something needs to happen quick for both schools, as the SEC isn’t looking to slow down anytime in the foreseeable future and programs like Ohio State, Florida State and Oregon are also strong.
It isn’t like college football to have Texas and USC struggle, and it is better for the game when both programs are competing for national championships.
Erik Sargent is a college football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Erik_Sargent, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
