Lane Kiffin votes USC No. 1 after saying “I would not vote USC No. 1″
USC coach Lane Kiffin voted his team No. 1 — after saying he wouldn’t. (Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
USC coach Lane Kiffin voted his team No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sport Coaches’ Poll, after telling reporters that he would not vote the Trojans No. 1, reports USA TODAY‘s Brent Schrotenboer.
“I would not vote USC No. 1, I can tell you that,” Kiffin had told reporters earlier in the week.
USA TODAY revealed that Kiffin had in fact voted for the Trojans as the top team in the nation. (Coaches’ votes are confidential, except if they make what appear to be “false or misleading” comments about their vote publicly.)
Kiffin clarified his comments to USA TODAY on Thursday. He said that he meant that if he was a member of the media or another coach, he wouldn’t pick the Trojans because the program is still under scholarship restrictions.
“We have less players than everybody else,” Kiffin told USA TODAY. “So looking at it from the outside, I wouldn’t (vote USC No. 1). Did I? Yeah, I did. That’s not based off of 75 vs. 85. That’s based off of (USC players) Matt Barkley, T.J. McDonald and Robert Woods and Marqise Lee. When everybody has the same record, I can’t go into a meeting with our players and have them say, ‘You put that team and that team ahead of us.’ That’s why I did that.”
If people would look up some pix of Kiffins wife....They just might like the guy a little more. You dont get a wife like that because your a tool, you get a wife like that because your a decent guy.
I can't stand the guy, but his reasoning on this deal makes perfect sense.
Every coach is a homer, if they dont vote their own team then they should be coaching their team!
Given the way the NC is selected, I don't see why people are making a big deal about him voting for his own team. Hell, if you even have a CHANCE at playing for a title and don't vote for your own team, especially in a preseason poll, your school should fire you. BTW, I believe one of the reasons he said "[he] wouldn't vote USC #1 if [he] was another coach" was running back depth. That has since been remedied by Silas Redd. Just out of curiosity, what was the timing of the statement and vote? Did he make the statement before getting Redd and cast the vote after they got him? Even if it wasn't, his job is to prepare his team, keep them motivated. If he thought telling them "we shouldn't be #1" would keep them fired up, then so be it. Say whatever you need to in order to keep them on their toes. That was the biggest problem when Pete Carroll was there, hence USC losing a game every year or two to a big underdog. Had Carroll done the same thing maybe there'd be an extra crystal trophy or three in Heritage Hall. The actual votes were supposed to be confidential, period. Pretend this wasn't Lane Kiffin, let's say it was Les Miles or Nick Saban -- would this even be news? I'm guessing no, it's only being reported because it's Lane Kiffin. If it were Miles or Saban people would say "they're keeping their team motivated" and that would be that.
T.j.Cofield: What do you mean you, ".....never come to Kiffin's defense.?" You just have, so never say never.... And do you think that casting that vote was never discussed by Kiffin and his assistants and/or the shills in the athletic office?
Do you also believe in the Tooth Fairy???
Actually, in Kiffin's defense (and, trust me, I never come to Kiffin's defense), he probably did not even vote in the poll. Most coach's votes are cast by assistants or someone in the athletic office.
well put clemente
Well, is anyone surprised that the self-serving egomaniac did that?