After getting blown out 62-41 by the Arizona State Sun Devils and losing seven of their last 11 games, dating back to last season, the USC Trojans fired their head football coach, Lane Kiffin on Sept. 30.
Having claimed 11 national and 38 conference titles, the Trojans expect to compete for championships every year which has not been the case for Kiffin. After being ranked number one in the preseason last year, the team dropped out of the Top 25 by week 13 and finished the season with an overall record of 7-6. The Trojans started this season 3-2, which ultimately lead to Kiffin’s firing.
To make matters worse, the Trojans’s archrivals, the UCLA Bruins, are currently on the rise. They are 3-0 and ranked 12th in the AP Top 25, including a dominant 41-21 win at Nebraska.
It seems to me that USC’s decline and UCLA’s success is a part of the current trend in which the “younger brothers” of L.A. are challenging their older brothers for the title of Alpha Dog. In the NBA, the Clippers have overthrown the Lakers as top dog. The Lakers, like the Trojans, brought star players to their team and failed to meet expectations. The Clippers, on the other hand, have turned a once 32-50 team into a 56-26 team over the course of two years.
For the Bruins and the Clippers, the future is looking extremely bright. The Bruins have a team full of young, high potential players and have recently announced their plans to build a new training facility, which is destined to draw the attention of top recruits across the nation. The Clippers have built a dominant roster over the course of two years, featuring arguably the best point guard in the NBA, Chris Paul, and All-Star Forward Blake Griffin.
For the other two L.A. teams, it seems as if things cannot get worse. The Trojans still face recruitment sanctions and are currently in a state of distress. The Lakers currently have one of the NBA’s highest payrolls and their highest paid and best player, Kobe Bryant, has been sidelined with a torn Achilles, and it is still unknown when he will be able to return.
If you would have told me two years ago that the Clippers would have a better regular season record than the Lakers and that UCLA would be nationally ranked above USC in 2013, I would have laughed in your face and asked you to go take a hike. However, I would not be surprised anymore if the Bruins and Clippers become championship contenders in their respective leagues and earn the right to be called the “Kings of L.A.” within the next five years.