Lane Kiffin and Sarah Palin — Bridges to Nowhere?

Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle says he stands in awe of USC's Lane Kiffin.

"The man has become a celebrated coach without doing anything. There's nobody quite like him. Or is there?

"I was talking with KNBR's Brian Murphy, who mentioned that Kiffin is exactly like another public figure who skyrocketed to national prominence despite an almost complete lack of credentials, but with confidence bordering on arrogance. Assets: Nice hair, gift of gab, refusal to be deterred by being in over one's head in terms of job qualification.

"Yes, Kiffin is the Sarah Palin of sports."

Ostler points to Kiffin's recruitment of a seventh-grade quarterback.

"I wasn't aware USC had 13-year-old recruiting hostesses. This was the first letter-of-intent signed in crayon.

"Now USC faces a possible NCAA investigation into the recruiting of young David Sills, in the wake of reports that the Tooth Fairy left him an Escalade."

Thanks to Image of Sport.

Comments

[RIck]

Pretty much like obama - did not accomplish one thing but became President and has that certain "arrogance" you speak of.....funny isn't it....

[Matt]

Rick--Obama has more on his resume than Sarah Palin did. At least Obama finished out a term in his station.

No, I'm not an Obama fan at all, but I'm even less of a Palin fan--both are twits that are ruining the country in their own fashion.

Now, can we get our politics out of our sports, please?

[Bruce]

didn't Kiffin recruit many top level guys to SC the first time there and this recent class; and as offensive coordinator USC set school records for yards and points. Let's say he never takes the head Raider or UT job, he stays in house another 3-4 years, he's got to be a candidate to replace Carroll in that situation as well, right?

[RIck]

Matt - I agree with your comment about keeping "politics out of sports"...I was surprised to see it on this site.

[Westy]

Actually, not that it matters, but Plain as inexperienced as she is/was, still has much more legislative experience than our current President, who had zilch. Not that it matters on a college football site.

[scioto]

History update for Fox viewers - Obama was an Illinois senator from 1997-2004, a US senator from 2004-2008.

The story was spot on. Kiffin's accomplishments are minimal, just like the Quitta from Wasilla. Wink. You betcha.

[Matt]

Westy--Scioto is 100% right. Sorry.

Granted, Palin does have 13 years of overall experience to Obama's 11, the breakdown of those years do not benefit Palin:

10 years at Municipal
3 years at State

Compare that to Obama:

7 years at State
4 years at Federal

And while Palin has the edge in the number of years of service, where she did the majority of her service does not typically benefit or prepare her from an experience standpoint where Obama did his.

(To get this back to a sports level), it is like the high school coach from Southlake Carrol in Texas that went from being a high school head football coach to a college head football coach w/o doing any time at the college level. As a result, that coach was a fish out of water, so to speak, and continues to flounder around. Had he spent more time at the college level before taking a head coaching gig, he may have been more prepared for the rigors of FBS College Football.

And Rick, you're 100% correct. I was surprised too. Oh well, it's the offseason, I suppose. Better this than me hammering the lack of logic in people thinking the Big 10 would take a Mizzou or Pitt over Nebraska.

[meatybob]

Whatever Palin tells me what to do in a bikini, I will do.

[Jaxon]

I'm not sure how Obama leaked into the comparison here, but Kiffin is part of a new American phenomenon, the PR savvy Charlatan. Kiffin was not the Trojan offensive mastermind, it was Sarkisian (sp?) and this will all play itself out, as it did in Oakland and Tenn.

I still cannot get that Tenn/WVU bowl game out of my mind. Tenn was disorganized, undisciplined, and then they quit the game. I'm thinking USC will carry more than a few of those traits into the season next year.

[Westy]

Please also outline those years of "experience" the current President accrued, as you have outlined above, that he was actively campaigning for another position. Hard for Lane to recruit for Tennessee when he is campaigning for the USC job.

I am no Palin fan, but I don't see how anyone can throw stones when the woman has more executive experience and just as scant legislative experience as the current President.

[Jaxon]

I think the best argument for why sports blogs should not have politics weaved in are some of these comments about Palin's experience v. Obama's. Pretty clear there are not any Poli Sci majors in this crowd. Sheesh. Dom some reading folks, please, and not the kind of reading she admitted to Katie Couric.

[moz]

NO POLITICS. Shit man. I can't escape them. My favorite ROCK STATION hired some DJ that rants his political views all day in between songs, and not my college football is getting tainted?? STOP. I like/hate discussing politics like everyone else, but I need a separation in my life.

[Pandoval]

Westy says: "Actually, not that it matters, but Plain as inexperienced as she is/was, still has much more legislative experience than our current President"

Please tell me what legislative experience "Plain" (sic, lol) had?

[Rob]

Obama wasn't and still isn't prepared to run the country and Palin would have no chance of running the country. Throw them all out and get someone in there who is not from Chicagoland's corrupt thug politics or Alaska's small time politics. That being said, maybe Kiffin is qualified to run for president in 2012.