We asked this question to our Pac-12 football panel on the man who is at the center of the conversation at USC:
If Alex Grinch can’t outcoach Notre Dame’s atrocious offensive coordinator, Gerad Parker, should he be tarmac’ed in South Bend?
Matt Wadleigh: Yes, yes and yes. Truth be told, again, Alex Grinch should’ve been canned. Will it happen midseason? Probably not, but the point is that it should.
Matt Zemek: Yes. If Grinch fails against Notre Dame, the problem wouldn’t be the “Notre Dame” part of the equation; it would be the Gerad Parker portion of the situation. Gerad Parker is squandering Sam Hartman’s talent at Notre Dame. The Irish are clearly not scheming their receivers into good positions. Parker is in way over his head as a coordinator, having previously served as a tight end coach. If Grinch can’t outcoach Parker, that’s absolute rock-bottom. You can’t get any worse than that. It would be a clear sign that USC will never, ever improve to a championship standard (or anything close to it) under Grinch. He should pack his bags if he gets smoked by Gerad Parker. This game against Notre Dame is a low bar for Grinch to clear. If he can’t clear it, that should be it. Done. Gonzo. Finished.
Zachary Neel: Should Alex Grinch be fired, you’re asking? That’s a question that is about two years too late, my friend.
*
Follow Fighting Irish Wire for more on Notre Dame as the Irish prepare to face USC.
Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.
Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football leading into the big game against Washington on October 14.
Prominent Pac-12 sports journalist thinks USC is likely to fire Alex Grinch before season’s end.
USC and Lincoln Riley need to have a plan in place if Alex Grinch coaches poorly and loses to Notre Dame.
Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator might actually be worse than Alex Grinch, a fascinating plot point heading into the October 14 renewal of Irish-Trojans.
Brent Venables is coaching Oklahoma far better this year than Lincoln Riley is coaching USC. It’s up to Riley to change that reality against Notre Dame and Utah.