ESPN College Football

Former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis has received close to $8.7 million to not coach his alma mater, and the number will only grow.

Weis was paid $2,054,744 of buyout money from Notre Dame from July 2010 to June 2011, according to the Chicago Tribune, which obtained the figures from Notre Dame's Form 990 it must submit to the IRS.

Fired after the 2009 season, Weis received an initial buyout payment of $6,638,403, bringing the total to $8,693,147. He is slated to receive additional payments through December 2015.

The original $6.6 million payout was to be followed by "much smaller payments," according to previous documents. Weis also received $469,727 from Play by Play sports — now known as Notre Dame Sports Properties — and an additional $1,095 of unspecified "other reportable compensation."

The first glimpse at what current head coach Brian Kelly makes shows that Kelly took in $2,424,301, though $1,762,334 of "other reportable compensation" indicates all or part of that payment is a "one-time payment to Coach Kelly," the Tribune reported. As reporter Brian Hamilton notes, that money might have helped with any buyout Kelly owed Cincinnati after leaving the Bearcats in December 2009.

Kelly's base compensation is $617,846. The form did not include payments from "external sources."

Athletic director Jack Swarbrick made $1,026,942.

Mike Ragone is the latest Notre Dame player who hopes a happy ending to his college football career can be found in Kansas.

The Jayhawks announced Tuesday that the tight end will join the program, making Ragone the third former Irish player to re-unite with Kansas coach Charlie Weis, the man who recruited them all while coaching at Notre Dame.

Kansas announced on Friday that linebacker Anthony McDonald would join the program after graduating from Notre Dame next month, once again following in the footsteps of new quarterback Dayne Crist. The two had played together at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Ragone, meanwhile, has already graduated from Notre Dame and has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. The 6-foot-4, 262-pound tight end tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Notre Dame's Week 2 loss at Michigan, this after already suffering two major knee injuries since 2007. The first one cost Ragone his senior year at Camden Catholic (N.J.) High School. He was ESPN's No. 2 tight end from the 2007 recruiting class.

In 37 games with the Irish, Ragone caught 11 passes for 109 yards.

Anthony McDonald is the latest Notre Dame player who will extend his career this upcoming season in Lawrence, Kan.

Kansas announced Friday that McDonald, a former Irish linebacker, will become a Jayhawk after graduating in May, joining high school teammate Dayne Crist in reuniting with coach Charlie Weis.

Former Notre Dame tight end Mike Ragone is reportedly Lawrence-bound as well.

All three players were recruited to Notre Dame by Weis, with both McDonald and Crist coming from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif.

McDonald appeared in 27 games for the Irish the past three seasons, totaling 24 tackles.

Most Pac-12 teams will have new faces on hand this spring -- early-entry high school or JC players or transfers -- who are expected to provide immediate help, if not win starting jobs.

Here are seven we expect to make a mark in 2012 (feel free to comment on how you can't believe we left out so-and-so).

LB Brian Wagner, Arizona: Wagner was prolific tackler at Akron, collecting at least 100 stops in three years as a starter and earning All-MAC honors in two out of his three seasons with the Zips. He might not have top-flight Pac-12 speed, but the Wildcats are fairly desperate at linebacker.

QB Connor Wood, Colorado: Wood, a Texas transfer, was expected to win the job even before Nick Hirschman re-injured his foot. But with Hirschman out, it's Wood's offense -- at least for the spring. In the fall, Jordan Webb, a two-year starter at Kansas with two years of eligibility remaining, is expected to join the fray.

DE Arik Armstead, Oregon: The true freshman arrives in Eugene this spring after one of the more closely watched recruiting sagas on the West Coast. While more than a few folks believe the 6-foot-8, 280 pounder is a prototypical left OFFENSIVE tackle, he's going to at least start off on defense at Oregon. He's athletic enough to play end, and could immediately be in the picture to replace the departed Terrell Turner.

TE Caleb Smith, Oregon State: The Beavers use both a tight end and an H-back, and Smith, a touted recruit from Kentridge High School in Renton, Wash., looks like a good candidate to replace departed -- and productive -- H-back Joe Halahuni. He could challenge sophomore Connor Hamlett, the backup tight end in 2011, for the starting job.

DE Brandon Willis, UCLA: Willis' wanderlust has been almost comical -- he's transferred between UCLA and North Carolina twice -- but he was once a touted recruit and could compete for immediate playing time on an experienced but underachieving Bruins D-line.

RB Kelvin York, Utah: York, a 5-foot-11, 225-pound transfer out of Fullerton College, picked the Utes over a host of suitors. At the very least will be Robin to John White's Batman. It's also possible they could be 1A and 1B, almost splitting carries equally.

RB/WR Antavius Sims, Washington: Sims is a JC transfer who signed with the Huskies in 2011 but didn't qualify academically. He was expected to play cornerback, but has been shifted to offense so he can use his speed both as a runner and receiver.

Say what you want about Charlie Weis, but you have to give the new Kansas coach credit: He does not shy away from his past, and he is not afraid to admit where he may have messed up.

In a story this week by The Sporting News' Steve Greenberg, who wrote that he intended to focus on Weis' future with the Jayhawks, the former Notre Dame coach cited his beginning in South Bend, Ind., when discussing the proper steps he has to take to get things started off on the right foot in Lawrence, Kan.

"You take a job, your first job, and you say and do some stupid things. I'm certainly guilty as charged. Not that I didn't mean what I said, but just the fact that I said it. You look back and say, 'Why did you say that?' "

"That university, you're a good guy or you're a bad guy right off the bat," he later added. "First of all, half the free world can't stand you walking in because you're at the place. And then about half the (people) at the place can't stand you. There's plenty of people at Notre Dame who could care less about ever seeing me, or me seeing them."

Weis goes on to admit that he was bothered that some thought of him as a bad person, and he says he had been dealing with constant pain between 2008 — when he tore three ligaments in his left knee in a sideline collision against Michigan in 2008 — and this past January, when his left hip was replaced.

His right knee was replaced, too.

"You never say anything. You learn not to say anything," he explained. "People think you're moody and stuff like that, but you might just be in pain. Psychologically, you can block a lot out, OK? But I was miserable."

Weis goes on to talk about his approach at Kansas, along with his newfound patience, adding that he feels he let Dayne Crist down and is happy they get another chance together.

It's a great read, especially for those who fall in the camp that, as Weis says, look at him like "some kind of ogre. Some arrogant, obnoxious, loudmouth punk from New Jersey."

Former Notre Dame assistant coaches Ed Warinner and Tim Hinton officially joined head coach Urban Meyer's staff at Ohio State on Thursday, the Buckeyes announced.

Warinner will coordinate the running game as the team's co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach. Hinton will be the tight ends and fullbacks coach.

"I was very pleased with the coaches already in place on this staff," Meyer said in a statement, "and now we’ve gotten even better with the additions of Ed Warinner and Tim Hinton. Both are excellent coaches who bring a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge to our staff."

Warinner had served as the Irish's offensive line coach and running game coordinator. Hinton was the team's running backs coach.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly had promoted former safeties coach Chuck Martin, not Warinner, to offensive coordinator when Charley Molnar left the post to become head coach at Massachusetts. Warinner had served as Kansas' offensive coordinator for three seasons before joining the Irish.

"I really wanted to hire a coach with coordinator experience," Meyer said. "That was very important to me. Ed has that experience. His offenses at Kansas were not only impressive, but they were some of the top offenses in the country."

Hinton had served as a graduate assistant with Meyer under former Buckeyes coach Earl Bruce in 1986, and his named had been linked to Meyer's staff the minute Meyer was hired by the Buckeyes, though he had previously denied any interest.

"Tim is an awesome coach," Meyer said. "He and I worked together on the Ohio State staff in 1986, but what I am most impressed with is his time spent as a high school coach in Ohio. He had some outstanding teams at Harding, and his extensive experiences coaching in the state were crucial in my desire to want him on our staff."

"I have always felt it would be an honor to have an opportunity to coach for and to represent Ohio State," Hinton said in a statement. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to work with great people and great coaches at such a wonderful place."

Both assistants are Ohio natives -- Warinner from Strasburg; Hinton from Amanda.

"I’ve always strived to coach in positions where I have a lot of responsibility," Warinner said in a statement. "Serving as a coordinator goes beyond just coaching what my guys are doing. It is a thought process of attacking and moving the ball, and strategies and reading plays. There is a big picture as a coordinator that I am into and really enjoy, and it’s a position from where I think I can make a significant contribution to the success of a team."

Alabama and Florida both wanted Brent Pease, but the Gators ended up getting him.

The former Boise State offensive coordinator will be named in that same position at Florida on Wednesday, according to a report by ESPN.com's Edward Aschoff.

Pease replaces Charlie Weis, who left to take the Kansas head coaching job. Alabama coach Nick Saban was also interested in talking to Pease about the Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator job. Jim McElwain is leaving to take the head coaching job at Colorado State.

It's a good get for Florida coach Will Muschamp, who needs some stability in that Florida offense in the worst way. The Gators should be very good on defense in 2012, but they've been a disaster on offense each of the past two seasons.

Under Pease's direction, Boise State tied for ninth nationally in total offense this season, averaging 481.3 yards per game.

Now that Pease is out of the picture, names to watch at Alabama include former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

Former Notre Dame assistants Rob Ianello and John Latina have taken new jobs at Kansas and Duke, respectively.

Ianello, who coached Irish receivers and served as recruiting coordinator from 2005-08, was hired by Charlie Weis to perform the same duties with the Jayhawks. He was promoted to assistant head coach for offense in 2009 and was the Irish's interim coach after Weis was fired.

Ianello is coming off a two-year stint as Akron's head coach.

Latina, meanwhile, joins David Cutcliffe's Blue Devils staff as an offensive line coach, the same role he served at Notre Dame from 2005-08. He was Akron's offensive coordinator the past two seasons.

Former Irish quarterback coach (2007-09) Ron Powlus joined Weis' Kansas staff Dec. 13.

Matt Fortuna says Dayne Crist made the right call in going to Kansas.

It is this time of the year when Twitter is the most useful and the most dangerous tool we have as sportswriters. The layoff between the regular season and bowl games is when coaches are hired and fired, transfers are decided upon and the rumor mill kicks into full swing.

It is through social media that much of the speculation and reaction is made upon such news, with nearly every move throwing a portion of the Twittersphere up in arms.

That is, of course, unless you are Dayne Crist and you just decided where you will play your final year of college ball.

"After a long & difficult decision making process, I'm incredibly excited to join the Kansas football team. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!" Crist posted at 11:59 a.m. ET.

That was the news. Within minutes, the reaction would have made you think Crist was taking all of Notre Dame with him:

• Tight end Jake Golic: "Congrats to my long lost brother @dcrist10 for committing to Kansas!"
• Nose guard Brandon Newman: "My man @dcrist10 made the best decision for himself & thats why I am super proud of him! Go win some football games buddy! #RockChalkJayHawk"
• Defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore: "Happy for my guy @dcrist10 and his decision. High character guy that will fit in perfectly. Great leader on and off the field. #rockchalk"
• Center and Braxston Cave: "Just became a huge Kansas football fan for a year! Nothing but love for my bro @dcrist10"
• Nose guard Louis Nix: "@dcrist10 Hell Yea…im going to miss u alot bro. Congrats!"
• Center Mike Golic Jr.: "But I do love @dcrist10 and am very happy he's made the best decision for himself. Know he's gonna kill it next year."

Reading what Crist had to say to Douglas Farmer of the student paper Wednesday, it's easy to see why his former teammates felt this way.

The hiring of former Irish coach Charlie Weis no doubt helped with the decision immensely, as Crist will get one final shot with the coach who recruited him and in a system he is familiar with. Kansas was a two-win team last year and is a basketball school, so expectations will be tamed.

Wisconsin, believed to be the other finalist, would have been in better position to win its third straight Big Ten title after Tuesday's bowl ban placed on Ohio State, but it may have lost its hope as offensive coordinator Paul Chryst leaves to become Pitt's head coach.

Regardless, this is one final shot for Crist, who committed to Notre Dame as ESPNU's No. 2 quarterback from the Class of 2008. As colleague David Ubben points out, Landry Jones, Blaine Gabbert and Andrew Luck were all ranked behind him. Only Terrelle Pryor was ranked ahead of Crist.

Season-ending injuries in each knee and bad breaks on the field have spoiled Crist's opportunities, leaving many to wonder whether this last chance will actually provide a happy ending. That remains to be seen. For now, all it takes is a brief glance at Twitter to know nobody deserves one more than him.

Can we talk about defense?

No, not quarterbacks. They're great. The best in the nation. No, not running backs. They're great, too. Or tight ends or receivers or NFL-quality offensive linemen. The Pac-12 is fine on offense.

Yes, defense. Let's take a look at the numbers. Yeesh.

Hey, did you say something about quarterbacks?

Defense, the part of football they say wins championships, has been mostly lousy in the Pac-12 as we close in on the midseason mark.

No team ranks among the top-25 in total defense (Stanford is No. 26 and California is No. 27). Eight rank 50th or worse.

Well, scoring is really what defense is about, right? Right. And nine conference teams rank from No. 55 to No. 112 in scoring defense. Nine teams give up between 24.3 and 37.6 points per game. (Stanford is No. 6 in scoring defense, while Utah is 25th and Arizona State is 32nd).

And we can't entirely excuse these numbers by pointing to the super-awesomeness of Pac-12 offenses. We're only two or three games into the conference slate.

Arizona might own the second-worst defense among AQ conferences (Kansas is almost comically bad). The Wildcats' numbers are so bad writers spent much of the weekend finding fun ways to illustrated their badness -- here and here.

USC ranks 67th in total defense and 68th in scoring defense, terrible numbers for a unit with tons of talent that is coached by Monte Kiffin, a certifiable coaching legend. Things are worse across town, where UCLA ranks 105th in scoring and 98th in total defense. Who was stupid enough to write about UCLA's defense being "sneaky good" anyway? Never listen to that guy again.

So what gives? Does the conference just not care about defense?

Injuries are a legitimate excuse. The Wildcats have been missing three starters and a key reserve the entire season, and defensive tacle Justin Washington is now hurt. Arizona State is missing four top players. In fact, there are lots of big names out, including Washington defensive end Hau'oli Jamora, Stanford linebacker Shayne Skov and USC defensive tackle Armond Armstead, to name a few.

Still, every team has injuries.

Some guys who looked like budding stars have been disappointing so far: Washington, Washington defensive tackle Alameda Ta'amu, Oregon cornerback Cliff Harris and UCLA defensive end Datone Jones come to mind.

But, really, it comes down to this: No Pac-12 team has scary talent on all three levels. I'm not talking about LSU in 2011 scary or USC under Pete Carroll scary or Washington in 1991 scary. I'm talking Stanford in 2010, UCLA in 2006, Washington State in 2003, California in 2004 or Oregon State in 2000 scary.

If Arizona State had cornerback Omar Bolden, defensive back James Brooks, linebacker Brandon Magee and defensive back Junior Onyeali, it probably would be a top-25 defense. Stanford is good but took a step back when its leader and best player, LB Shayne Skov, was lost for the season with a knee injury.

Who has a pair of lockdown corners who are able to press at the line of scrimmage and handle man-to-man coverage? Who can consistently get pressure with a four-man rush? Who can stonewall an opposing running game and force a team to throw to win? Who can beat you without using risky stunts every other play?

In the early going, it appears Stanford has the conference's best defense. Oregon's defense is probably better than its early numbers suggest (its yards per play -- 4.84 -- is better than Kansas State, which ranks 16th in total defense and is a top-30 number). California has young talent on all three levels. Washington has shown improvement he past two weeks. Utah is well-coached and solid across the board. USC can't possibly be this mediocre. Arizona State has been above average, despite the injuries.

Defense might not win championships in the Pac-12, but here's a bet that the two teams playing for the Pac-12 title on Dec. 2 will rank in the top-third of the conference and top-50 in the nation in most major defensive statistical categories.

And when the smoke clears on the 2011 season, conference teams might need to figure out a way to kick up the defensive recruiting a notch or two.

To remind us that the expansion game -- it is such a fun game, isn't it -- is all about surprises, the ACC decided to be the conference that crossed the Rubicon as we head toward a superconference future.

Syracuse and Pittsburgh are bolting the Big East for the ACC. It's a done deal, unlike the just-about-done deal for Texas A&M to the SEC, which is only being held up by Texas folks who hate free markets and love frivolous lawsuits when their self-interests are involved.

So, at this moment, the ACC is at 14 and the SEC is just about 13. That means the days of 12 are numbered, not unlike the precarious existence of the Big 12 and Big East.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott has repeated the same series of phrases -- politely and with an admirable energy that almost makes his message seem fresh -- over and over. He likes the Pac-12. He's perfectly happy staying at 12. Heck, the Pac-12 is the world's richest college sports conference! But the conference won't be left behind. If others start the superconference trend, the Pac-12 will then play its strong hand and add teams.

And so we have Texas' and Oklahoma's boards of regents meeting Monday. Here's a guess that the subject of expansion is going to come up, though the regents won't specifically vote to jump conferences or not, but only to tell their president to do what he thinks is best for the institution.

First, no one knows the endgame. Did you read anything about imminent moves to the ACC from Syracuse and Pittsburgh before this weekend?

But the general feeling is Oklahoma is tired of Big 12 instability and wants to join the Pac-12 and that Oklahoma State would follow. So that's 14, which for a variety of reasons isn't a good number for a conference (which is why we should assume the ACC and SEC aren't done).

What about Texas? The smart move for Texas, as it was when it was first approached by Scott during the previous round of expansion madness, is to join the Pac-Whatever.

I do not know how the parties compromise on the Longhorn Network. I only know smart people know how to reach compromises in business deals that enrich themselves.

And if Texas wants to go its own way, then Scott will look elsewhere, perhaps Kansas and Kansas State.

Or is the ACC about to pull the big whammy and get Texas and Kansas, too (and allow Texas to keep the LHN)?

Or does the Big 12 stage a miraculous 11th-hour rally and save itself?

As Scott told me at the USC-Utah game, no one knows the endgame, even him. There's too much "need-to-know-basis" information out there, with insiders owning disparate bits and pieces they can't put together any better than reporters, as well as plenty of misinformation and gamesmanship.

But it feels like each week the plot thickens. Which typically means in a thriller that we're getting closer to a dramatic climax.

Or an unsatisfying one.

For every love won, there is love lost. For every thrill of victory, there is an agony of defeat.

While we only wish you happiness on Valentines Day, here are six top heartbreaks from the Pac-12.

6. Cal gets Polked: Jeff Tedford had never had a losing season since he took over at California in 2002. And all his Bears had to do to maintain that impressive run was stop Washington on a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with two seconds left, which would then earn them a bowl berth. Nope. Chris Polk scores a TD for a 16-13 Huskies win. The Memorial Stadium crowd, with no postseason to look forward to, goes home grumbling. The Huskies ride the win to their first bowl game since 2002.

5.Thomas spurns USC for Oregon: DeAnthony Thomas, widely considered one of the most dynamic athletes in the 2011 recruiting class, was a long-time USC commitment. He was expected to be one of the jewels of the Trojans' top-five class. But he took a late visit to Oregon just before signing day, when he broke USC hearts by signing with the Ducks.

4. Trojans get kicked: USC lost consecutive games the first two weekends of October -- 32-31 to Washington and 37-35 to Stanford -- on last-second field goals. And there was much gnashing of teeth.

3. Buffalo slaughter: Colorado led Kansas 45-17 with 14:52 left. Stick a fork in this one, right? Hey, maybe there was some life in Dan Hawkins' Colorado team. And Kansas, after all, was a bad team in turmoil under first-year coach Turner Gill, having lost 11 consecutive conference games. But no. Kansas scored the final 35 points in the fourth quarter and won 52-45. Epic collapse or epic comeback? Either way, it was stunning.

2. James Brooks swats Alex Zendejas twice: A blocked extra-point attempt is rare. Two in one game -- by the same guy -- is even more rare. And two PATs blocked by the same guy in game-deciding situations in a rivalry game? Well, that's great theater. But the thrill for Arizona State's James Brooks -- the mad swatter -- was pure agony for Arizona kicker Alex Zendejas. Brooks rejected Zendejas' PAT late in the fourth quarter, which forced overtime. He then turned away a Zendejas PAT in the second overtime, giving the Sun Devils an improbable upset win, 30-29.

1. Dyer circumstances: Auburn's freshman running back Michael Dyer looked down, tackled by Oregon rover Eddie Pleasant. If you watch the replay, you can interpret it any way you want, as many have. But the bottom line is Dyer's apparent short run late in the national title game turned into a controversial 37-yard scamper, which set up the Tigers' winning field goal as the clock expired in a 22-19 victory. One word: Ouch.

Washington State's 31-14 win at Oregon State was impressive and significant in many ways, not the least of which was it ending a 16-game Pac-10 losing streak.

But let's face it: Planets often align in strange ways in the college football universe. Just in the past few years we've seen FCS teams win at powers such as Michigan and Virginia Tech. We saw Stanford, as a 41-point underdog, win at USC with its backup quarterback. We saw Alabama get physically manhandled by Utah in the Sugar Bowl.

This year, we've see Kansas lose to South Dakota State in its opener, beat then-No. 15 Georgia Tech in Week 2, then lose to Baylor and Kansas State by a combined count of 114 to 14 on consecutive weekends, then score 35 consecutive fourth-quarter points to beat Colorado 52-45.

So freaky, unpredictable stuff happens all the time.

But nothing about the Cougars win feels "freaky." And this victory -- their first on the road since 2007 -- is about more than a long-awaited payoff for the Cougars. They have repeatedly played well into the second half and even the fourth quarter this season.

To me, the most significant reference point that highlights their improvement is the 42-0 loss at Arizona State on Oct. 30. That's the point in which many, including me, thought the Cougars were waving the white flag over coach Paul Wulff's tenure.

That game seemed to indicate exhaustion and malaise had set in. It seemed to say that Wulff's players had lost their faith and, subsequently, their will. On the Tuesday Pac-10 coaches conference call after that dreadful performance, Wulff said a number of things that could have been used to make a case against him.

Said Wulff, "It felt like we played with a tank that was empty with emotion."

Said Wulff, "We just didn't get a response."

Said Wulff, "That ultimately comes back on me. I've got to get us ready emotionally."

Said Wulff, "I try not to gauge the state of the program on one game."

Said Wulff, "I'm not really worried about retaining for next year. We're in year three of a major rebuilding project. I don't know if I'd state it we have to win these games. Were playing in a lot of ways to our potential and what we are capable of doing. We're close."

All of that could could easily fall into a column about why Wulff shouldn't be back in Year 4. Wulff was being himself -- an honest, stand-up guy -- but it wasn't hard to construe "ultimate defeat" from his words.

But, instead, this is a column about why the only sensible decision is to retain Wulff.

In a nutshell, he got the feckless team that lost 42-zip at Arizona State to become the team that won at Oregon State 31-14 two weeks later. One word: leadership. Wulff got his players, who had fought hard all year -- until the Arizona State game -- to reinvest after they'd hit an emotional nadir. If you've ever been in charge of a group of people, you know how hard that is. Wulff could offer them little incentive; a bowl game wasn't a possibility. His players probably were aware his job status was shaky, so if they quit on him, they'd get a fresh start in 2011 with a new coach.

All Wulff could say was, "We're in this together. Let's show some pride and compete." And guess what happened? The message stuck and then resonated in what was produced in Reser Stadium.

According to the Sagarin Ratings, Washington State has played the second-toughest schedule in the nation, one that has included No. 1 Oregon, No. 6 Stanford, No. 10 Oklahoma State, No. 20 USC (AP) and No. 22 Arizona. Moreover, they've played 11 consecutive weeks without a bye.

That's at tough road, period. But the Cougars have done it playing a bevy of young players. Of the 60 Cougars who played at Oklahoma State in the season-opener, 24 were making their college football debuts. The Cougars have played 10 true freshman this season. Of the 113 players on the Cougar roster, only 17 have been in the program more than three years, or prior to head coach Wulff’s arrival in December of 2007. On defense alone, 14 of the 22 players on the current depth chart are freshmen or sophomores.

Oh, and that defense, which is statistically terrible based on the entire season, held Oregon, Arizona and Stanford below their season averages for both points and yards. It held California to just 20 points. And it completely stuffed Oregon State.

In other words, maybe we should have seen the Corvallis Cougars Crusade coming.

Wulff inherited a disaster -- things were much worse than the average fan realized -- and his first two seasons ended up exactly that way. But the black smoke is clearing, and a program appears to be reemerging.

Every coach in the Pac-10 has remarked that the Cougars are different this year -- faster, more physical and less sloppy. The list of young talent coming back in 2011 is impressive: quarterback Jeff Tuel, wide receiver Marquess Wilson, Safety Deone Bucannon, defensive end Travis Long, defensive tackle Brandon Rankin, linebacker C.J. Mizell, etc.

We're not ready to proclaim a return to the run from 2001-2003 when Washington State finished ranked in the the final top-10 three consecutive seasons. The Cougars in a bowl game in 2011, in fact, probably will be seen as a longshot.

But you saw what just happened, didn't you? We just typed "Cougars" and "bowl game" in the same sentence and you read it without flinching or doubling over in laughter.

Lane Kiffin thinks USC deserves a break. And not just from media and USC fans who have been beating up on the Trojans for their performances in the first two games.

Kiffin also thinks the Trojans deserves a break from Kiffin.

After all, he's the one who said this after USC improved to 2-0: "I hope you can tell the disappointment. We're not getting it done. It's the most miserable 2-0 locker room I've been in, which is good."

After a few days in which he could digest that being one of 43 2-0 teams isn't the worst thing ever, Kiffin took a longer view.

"Our standards are so high because we are at 'SC and because we have high standards in general, coaches and players," he said. "I think everyone, including ourselves, forgets that it is our first year. We expect our players to have picked up three new systems. There's only one coach here from last year out of all the 10 coaches. We do sometimes forget that because we expect our guys to play great and never make mistakes in our new schemes."

So is Kiffin talking about the "P" word? You know: Patience?

Yep.

"Were probably not doing a very good job of that because we have our expectations set so high," he said. "We do probably need to have a little more patience with them."

Though it seems like most of Kiffin's motivational coaching shtick involves directly challenging his players in person and through the media, he changed tack this week and gave them a little bit of positive reinforcement when he pinned a printout on every door of Heritage Hall, which compared the season to a 13-round heavyweight boxing match and featured a picture of Muhammad Ali glowering over a fallen Sonny Liston. It exhorted the Trojans to "Stay focused!" and "Toughness and Discipline!"

USC faces another long trip Saturday to an opponent that should be overmatched. Minnesota, after all, lost at home to South Dakota last weekend.

When asked if his team might yawn at the prospect of facing the wounded Gophers, Kiffin was quick to point to the Kansas case study: Bad enough one week to lose to North Dakota, but good enough to beat No. 15 Georgia Tech the next.

And if USC plays as bad on defense as it did against Hawaii, and as bad on offense as it did against Virginia, it could lose this one.

But that's seeing the glass as half-empty. The offense played great at Hawaii, while the defense was solid vs. the Cavaliers.

"The positive on that is we know we can play well on both sides of the ball," Kiffin said.

Two things are particularly hurting USC. In both games, the Trojans seemed to get tired. Kiffin said that was due to playing starters too many snaps. The plan is to play backups more, even if that makes the coaches nervous.

The second issue: penalties. USC ranks 119th in the nation in penalties, averaging 12 flags for 120 yards per game.

Kiffin said penalties have been an area of emphasis -- avoiding them, not getting them -- since he started in the spring. He said the coaches talk about limiting penalties endlessly. So his new approach is this: silence.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said when asked about the penalty issues.

Perhaps that's an answer in itself. Kiffin and USC need to lighten up a bit and recognize that he's a first-year coach leading a depleted roster during a tumultuous time for the program. Things are much different than when Kiffin was the offensive coordinator back in 2005.

So, as the wise men of Guns N' Roses once noted: Maybe we all just need a little patience.

Of course, selling that to demanding USC fans might not be that easy.