USC Football Roundup: Pac-12 cracks showing and more (5/15)

The internet debated the Pac-12’s shortcomings while Clay Helton’s first-year salary was revealed. Here’s the USC football roundup for May 15th.

On Tuesday morning, the Pac-12 Twitter community was swamped in a discussion over the state of the conference thanks to a piece written by Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports.

“The sky is not falling out West but cracks are beginning to appear in a once-solid foundation,” Dodd wrote in a critique of the Pac-12 which included damning quotes from chancellors and athletic directors and even more damning numbers.

While the collective bemoaning of the conference’s woes was to be expected, there was also an interesting conversation about the natural disadvantages faced by the Pac-12 from analysts on Twitter.

Michael Felder of Bleacher Report explained the issues particularly well in a Twitter thread.

Boiling it down, the Pac-12’s revenue lagging behind other conferences is a complex issue which can’t be explained just by winning, losing and TV deals. There are geographic and demographic hurdles for the conference to deal with on the west coast which make the climb even harder. West coast college football fans are generally more casual and require more incentive to turn up. That makes it harder on Pac-12 teams who have to schedule more aggressively in order to fill their stadiums.

CHECK OUT: Picking USC’s best player vs. every Pac-12 school

Does that excuse the Pac-12 for underachieving in revenue sports like football and basketball? Not at all. But it does explain why the conference will always struggle to match the likes of the SEC and the Big 10 in pure numbers.

As Felder points out, the biggest issue for the Pac-12 and USC in particular is the way college football has developed to put value in conference identity.

“In the Pre-BCS world of worrying about your own school, things were fine,” Felder tweeted. “But as the BCS revved up the conference identity discussion & league networks made it a bigger financial sticking point, the Pac-12 was & is in the toughest position.”

For USC, this is a problem, as the strength of the Pac-12 will always reflect on the Trojans own perceived strength. And while some may propose independence as a solution, the era of conference identity has only made that a less viable option.

In the short term, the best solution from a Trojan perspective is simply to leave no doubt.

Clay Helton’s salary

Joey Kaufman of the OC Register took a look at USC’s federal tax return for 2016 and found that Clay Helton made about $2.6 million as a first-year head coach.

Based on salaries from the 2017 season, that would place him around 11th among Pac-12 coaches.

SEE ALSO: What is Clay Helton’s record vs. USC’s 2018 opponents?

Helton signed an extension with the Trojans following the 2017 season, so it’s likely he is making more than $2.6 million at this point, but USC definitely isn’t breaking the bank on the head coach at this point.

Bowl plans?

The full schedule of bowl games for 2018 has been set, so it’s officially possible to start making bowl season plans. If you’re into that kind of pre-planning.

USC fans will obviously hope to spend Saturday, Dec. 29 in Florida or Texas with the CFP Semifinals played in the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl this year.

Based bowl tie-ins for the Pac-12, other potential bowl dates can be determined. Particularly unattractive dates include the Cactus Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 26 or the trio of the San Francisco Bowl, Sun Bowl and Holiday Bowl on Monday, Dec. 31.

The Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 15 would ensure an early end to bowl festivities for USC fans while the Alamo Bowl will feature just far enough after Christmas on Friday, Dec. 28.

Top 100 in the NFL

Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jurrell Casey took a big leap in NFL Network’s annual countdown of the Top 100 players in the NFL. He rose from No. 86 last year to No. 66 this year.

MORE NFL: How did USC’s rookies do in pro minicamps?

Change of plans

Former USC wide receiver Jalen Greene had originally committed to join Illinois as a grad transfer, but it seems he has had a change of plans.

The redshirt senior is now set to join Utah State instead, per Brian Phillips of 247Sports. It’s not clear why Greene opted to join the Aggies.

Trojan Trivia

USC has been a member of the Pac-12 since 1922, when it was the Pacific Coast Conference. The Trojans lead the conference with 39 conference titles, more than doubling UCLA’s 17 in second place.