ESPN

1. Remember when bowls used to pick teams in October? That’s how we got the BCS. Firing coaches is happening earlier and earlier. But history says that USC athletic director Pat Haden is smart. He gets the jump on other schools in the annual coaching employment fair. In 2004, Florida fired Ron Zook in late October and beat Notre Dame to Urban Meyer. In 2011, Arizona fired Mike Stoops in mid-October and got to Rich Rodriguez before anyone else. Haden didn’t even wait until Oct. 1.

2. Whatever mistakes Kiffin made on the field, he didn’t help himself off the field. Faced with crippling scholarship sanctions, Kiffin didn’t do a very good job of explaining and selling the effects of those losses on his program. He fanned the hype of being a preseason No. 1 last season when the Trojans didn’t have the depth to withstand injuries. Contrast Kiffin to Penn State’s Bill O’Brien, who has made it clear to his fans and to the public that Penn State will fight hard, but they will fight uphill. Gene Wojciechowski said it: the worst thing Kiffin did was go 10-2 two years ago.

3. If Kiffin does nothing else, he provides Skip Holtz with an example of how things could be worse. A year ago, Holtz’s South Florida team was a preseason favorite in the Big East. The Bulls went 3-9, and instead of finishing in a BCS bowl, Holtz had to look for a job. He took over at Louisiana Tech, which lost 17 starters from last season’s 9-3 team (a reminder of why Sonny Dykes left for Cal). The Bulldogs are 0-4 against FBS opponents, none of them worldbeaters, and Holtz has lost 13 of his last 14 FBS games.

Lane Kiffin has suffered through the slings and arrows from media and fans during all three of his head-coaching stops, so the distinguishing aspect of USC's news conference on Sunday over his termination was that no one said anything bad about Kiffin.

Athletic director Pat Haden, who deemed it "disrespectful" to talk about his upcoming coaching search, started by thanking Kiffin and lauding his effort. He said he had received no complaints about Kiffin from assistant coaches or players. Interim coach Ed Orgeron said Kiffin was always receptive to him and said he would have handled the early-season QB controversy the same way. The players said they had been 100 percent behind Kiffin.

Haden also again noted that Kiffin had been handed a tough job. Severe NCAA sanctions undoubtedly made it more difficult to win like USC is accustomed to winning.

And yet ...

"I’ve said all along, we’ve graded on a curve," Haden said, "but we failed on the curve, too."

Haden said he made his final decision during the Trojans' 62-41 loss at Arizona State, but he also noted that "this has been brewing for a while. It hadn't felt particularly good, even since the Hawaii game."

Haden said he and Kiffin met for 45 minutes at the airport after the USC charter landed around 3 a.m. Haden admitted that Kiffin was blindsided and fought for his job.

"Lane was clearly disappointed," Haden said. "Lane is a great recruiter. He battled me. He really tried to keep his job and I respect that."

There will be changes with Kiffin gone. For one, Orgeron said QBs coach Clay Helton will take over as offensive coordinator and playcaller, though Orgeron added that he didn't think the offense would change much philosophically. Cody Kessler will remain the starting QB.

Orgeron also said USC will again open practices to the media.

"I want us to have some fun over these next eight games and let the chips fall where they may," he said.

Of course, the first question is whether Orgeron has a chance to become permanent head coach. Orgeron was head coach at Ole Miss from 2005 to 2007, so he knows the basics of running a program and he has a long history at USC, ranging back to the glory days under Pete Carroll. To this, Orgeron would merely say he is focused on the Trojans' next eight games, but he didn't seem to want to close the door on the possibility.

It will be interesting to see how the players react. Orgeron is as fiery a coach as there is in the nation, and his intensity works on players in practice, games and in recruiting. But can he re-motivate a team that is pretty media savvy when it comes to saying the right things to reporters at news conferences but that also seems pretty indifferent on the field?

We'll get our first impression when Arizona visits on Oct. 10, a Thursday night game.

Said Orgeron, "We're here to answer the bell."

Apparently, USC athletic director Pat Haden had seen enough. As USC flew back on its team charter early Sunday morning after a loss to Arizona State, only Haden knew when the plane landed he would fire Lane Kiffin.

The decision came after a game in which the Trojans gave up a school-record 62 points for the second time in as many seasons -- and suffered a seventh loss in the last 11 games -- but this wasn’t really about just one game. It was about an athletic director who had tried to support a coach, even in the face of overwhelming fan discontent, and finally came to realize that the time had come for him to act.

There is no doubt that there is an element of surprise to Haden’s decision to fire Kiffin in the middle of the season. It’s been well-documented that Haden had backed Kiffin “150 percent” at the end of the 2012 season. He reiterated that support before the 2013 season began with a video that claimed Kiffin was not on the proverbial “coaching hot seat.”

However, in the end, Haden could no longer ignore the reality of what had transpired with his program. No matter how much he wanted to believe that Kiffin was the right guy, the evidence proved he wasn't. There were simply too many issues, too many missteps and not enough good football.

It’s no secret that Kiffin was a polarizing figure, but Haden thought he had a solid fundamental football coach as well. Haden talked often about how he thought Kiffin was a “dynamic” playcaller with good recruiting skills. He talked about how Kiffin was still a relatively young coach who could mature on the job, and he asked for patience as Kiffin dealt with NCAA sanctions.

That stance was not a popular one among USC fans. The tailspin from the 2012 season and the numerous distractions brought about by Kiffin (walking out on the media, jersey-switching, ball deflating) were enough for many Cardinal and Gold faithful to make up their minds. The fact that the Trojans became the first team since the 1960s to begin the season ranked No. 1 and finish outside the Top 25 only added fuel to the fire.

By the time the Trojans fell to Washington State on Sept. 7, a game in which they had only 54 passing yards, the fans thought it was time to let Haden know exactly how they felt. There were boos during the game -- that part wasn’t surprising -- but the chants of “Fire Kiffin” that reverberated throughout the crowd in the fourth quarter were new. Several longtime observers said they could never remember similar chants in their years of watching Trojans football.

Haden didn’t tip his hand on Kiffin, so USC fans had no way of knowing that the end was near. The ASU game was thought to be a good test to see where these Trojans stood. Unfortunately for Kiffin, the test and results weren't positive.

So now Haden is faced with the biggest decision of his USC tenure. Chances are he will name an interim coach for the remainder of the season, and then he will look to place his stamp on the program with the hiring of a new coach. A source told ESPN's Joe Schad that assistant head coach Ed Orgeron will be named interim coach.

There has been talk that the USC job may not be as attractive as it once was, but that theory is about to be proved wrong.

The Trojans are on the tail end of NCAA sanctions, so there is a light at the end of that tunnel.

This is still USC football, one of the elite bluebloods of college football which is located in the heart of a fertile recruiting territory with brand-new facilities and the ability to offer a top-notch education.

Haden will have a wide selection of candidates to choose from. One thing we know about Haden -- a thoughtful and intelligent man -- is that he will take his time to make sure he gets the decision right.

LOS ANGELES -- A look at the positives and negatives from USC's 62-41 loss to Arizona State on Saturday.

THREE UP

1. Justin Davis: A true freshman who has flashed at times this season as a change-of-pace complement to Tre Madden at tailback, Davis was flat-out stellar on Saturday. Showcasing a rushing style marked by a combination of power, speed and exceptional vision, he ran for 122 yards and three touchdowns, while averaging 12.2 yards per carry. His dazzling 58-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was arguably the highlight of the night for USC.

2. Tre Madden: While Madden ultimately was responsible for two turnovers, he also was the rock that the offense relied upon throughout a majority of the game, and once again, he came through with impressive numbers. Going over the century mark on the ground for the fourth time in five games this season, Madden ran for 128 yards and one touchdown while also making three receptions for 66 yards and two more scores.

3. Offensive fight: The Trojans were certainly far from perfect on offense, but the one thing that Cody Kessler and Co. never did was give up. Fighting until the bitter end, they put up a season-high 41 points and 542 yards of total offense. Kessler, who showed plenty of grit in the face of a frenzied ASU pass rush, completed 20 of 29 pass attempts for 295 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

THREE DOWN

1. Team defense: Coming into the game ranked No. 4 in the nation in total defense (230.5 yards allowed per game), Clancy Pendergast's unit never even came close to containing the Sun Devils' high-octane offensive attack, giving up 612 total yards. The highly touted Trojans' front seven -- which spearheaded a USC defense that entered the contest averaging four sacks per game -- failed to record a single sack, and ASU quarterback Taylor Kelly completed 23 of 34 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, while also leading the Sun Devils with 79 rushing yards. The 62 points scored by Arizona State ties the record set by Oregon in 2012 for points scored on a Trojans team.

2. Offensive turnovers: While the USC offense did rack up its biggest numbers of the season, it also shot itself in the foot with four crucial turnovers, all of which were converted into points by Arizona State. The most damaging of these came in the third quarter, when an Alden Darby pick-six off Kessler, as well as another Darby interception off a Madden pass, helped spring the Sun Devils to a 48-21 lead.

3. Injuries: On a night when USC's lack of depth was all-too apparent right from the get-go, De'Von Flournoy, Su'a Cravens and most notably, Marqise Lee all went to the sideline with injuries. It's the injury suffered by Lee -- who earlier in the game had become the Trojans' all-time leader in receiving yards -- that appeared to be most significant. Going down with a knee injury in the fourth quarter, Lee was carried off the field by teammates and later taken to the locker room on a cart.

Another week of bowl projections for you. These are only for entertainment purposes. Do not make travel plans just yet.

VIZIO BCS National Championship (Jan. 6, 2014): Oregon vs. BCS
Rose Bowl Game Presented by VIZIO (Jan. 1, 2014): Stanford vs. Big Ten
Valero Alamo Bowl (Dec. 30): UCLA vs. Big 12
Holiday Bowl (Dec. 30): Washington vs. Big 12
Hyundai Sun Bowl (Dec. 31): Arizona State vs. ACC
Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 21): Arizona vs. MWC
Fight Hunger Bowl (Dec. 27): Oregon State vs. BYU
Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 21): Washington State vs. MWC
New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 28): USC vs. American
Heart of Dallas Bowl (Jan. 1, 2014): Utah vs. Conference USA

The problem with coaching USC is you're coaching USC. If you don't really understand what that means, then you're doomed to fail.

That's the lesson learned by Lane Kiffin, who was fired shortly after the team's charter flight landed in Los Angeles early Sunday morning after his team's 62-41 loss at Arizona State, the school announced before any reporter could claim the news story prize.

Kiffin went 28-15 in three-plus years while the Trojans were buried under difficult NCAA sanctions, but the key span is the past 11 games. He lost seven of those, essentially starting a downturn just after folks started to wonder if he actually might be a good coach.

If you can recall USC in December 2011, the Trojans were coming off an impressive 10-2 season that included a win at Oregon. Quarterback Matt Barkley shocked many when he announced in front of a strategically placed Christmas tree during a Heritage Hall news conference that he would return for his senior season to take care of "unfinished business."

That, of course, meant a Pac-12 and national title.

The Trojans headed into the 2012 offseason overbrimming with talent and expectations. They were ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP poll. Yet, little thereafter went well. And that falls, not unfairly, on Kiffin.

He just never seemed capable of getting out of his own way and just coaching his collection of athletes, which in just about every case were more physically talented than the guys on the other side of the field.

Did USC have depth issues due to scholarship reductions? Sure. But that didn't change the fact that the area where USC consistently seemed to be most lacking was coaching, in terms of preparation, motivation and execution. And the offensive play calling, which Kiffin refused to give up despite pointed criticism, was fundamentally flawed in one simple way: The plays Kiffin called more often than not didn't work.

He too often tried to be clever or tricky. He also seemed to react poorly when things weren't going well. An early sack or turnover would seemingly spook him into an overly conservative plan. His complicated schemes seemed simplistic and predictable in execution compared to simpler schemes from other Pac-12 programs that seemed more imaginative and effective.

Further, USC had been eclipsed not only in the Pac-12 by Oregon and Stanford, it also had lost ground to its previously struggling rivals, UCLA and Notre Dame. Trojans fans are demanding as a whole, but losing to the Bruins and Fighting Irish is a deal-breaker.

Kiffin was most consistent as a recruiter, even with scholarship limitations. But the downturn even caught up with that. The Trojans presently have only seven commitments, and they are not ranked among the nation's top 40 classes.

USC remains one of the nation's best college coaching jobs. The high school talent in the surrounding area is among the best in the country. The school also has the resources to make the next coach among the nation's highest paid.

Athletic director Pat Haden likely decided to make a decisive move now so he could get a head start on his search. No sense in allowing the ship to continue to sink. He'll immediately start getting back-door feelers from NFL and college head coaches and top assistants -- many probably already have made inquiries. Lots of names will circulate, from Boise State's Chris Petersen, to St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher, to Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, to Washington coach Steve Sarkisian, to Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin.

Kiffin was unquestionably burdened with tougher circumstances than many coaches who take over college football superpowers. Yet such an explanation only goes so far in this win-now age.

While he flickered potential during the 2011 season, his ultimate downfall was this: His teams never consistently looked like USC should. And he never consistently looked like a guy who should be fronting USC.