Washington’s Chris Peterson Favored to be USC Head Coach in 2019

• With Trojans on brink of losing season, coach Clay Helton’s job at risk
• Petersen has led Washington Huskies to four straight winning campaigns
• Del Rio, Fisher top lengthy list of NFL bench bosses among USC coaching candidates 

The USC Trojans find themselves in unfamiliar territory entering the final date on their 2018 schedule.

After coming up short in four of five outings, the Trojans are in desperate need of a win to maintain bowl eligibility as they prepare to host the undefeated Notre Dame Fighting Irish, as 11-point underdogs on Saturday night.

The Trojans’ dire straits have placed head coach Clay Helton on the hot seat, and have lifted Chris Petersen to a strong favorite to take over bench boss duties at USC for Game 1 of the 2019 season.

Odds to be USC Head Coach Week 1 of 2019

Huskies Have Thrived Under Petersen

Petersen has been a steadying force in his five seasons as head coach of the Washington Huskies.

In addition to guiding the squad to winning records in his first four years at the helm, Petersen led the squad to its first conference championship in 16 years in 2016.

And now he has the Huskies poised to claim top spot in the Pac-12 North Division with a win in Saturday’s clash with Washington State as 2-point underdogs.

From last night: Despite the all of the season’s ups and downs, the Huskies still control their Pac-12 fatehttps://t.co/j49KJvaICV

— Andrew Hammond (@ahammTNT) November 18, 2018

If the Trojans are serious about landing Petersen, they will have to open the vault. The Huskies made Petersen the highest paid coach in Pac-12 history when they inked the 30-year coaching veteran to a contract extension that will pay him $4.875 million per year through the 2023 season.

Helton has led the Trojans to consecutive winning seasons and six bowl game appearances since taking over as head coach in November 2015, and is also under contract to USC through the 2023 campaign.

Eerie Comparisons to USC’s Last Losing Season

However, eerie comparisons can be drawn between the Trojans’ current situation and the last time the squad failed to achieve bowl eligibility due to a losing record.

I did not realize USC hasn't endured a losing season since the turn of the century, going 5-7 in 2000 under Paul Hackett. Beating #NotreDame would keep that streak alive.
Thanks to @joeyrkaufman for pointing that out.https://t.co/OAFw1oNDKG

— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) November 22, 2018

USC closed out the 2000 campaign with a 5-7 record, and without bowl game eligibility, following a season-ending 38-21 loss to the Fighting Irish.

The loss spelled the end of Paul Hackett’s three-year run as USC coach, and set the stage for former New England Patriots bench boss Pete Carroll to take over for the Trojans.

NFL Bench Bosses among USC Coaching Candidates

Carroll is now one of several NFL coaches currently listed among the candidates to succeed Helton.

But with one year left on his current deal with Seattle, and the Seahawks entering NFL Week 12 still in the hunt for a playoff spot, Carroll lags as a +2000 bet to return to USC.

Jack Del Rio has been unemployed since being fired by the Oakland Raiders at the end of last season. An NFL bench boss for parts of 12 seasons with the Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars, Del Rio enjoys a history with USC.

Report: Jack Del Rio 'Positioning Himself' For USC Football Job https://t.co/nuB5x8gWxQ

— The Spun (@TheSpun) November 1, 2018

The former NFL linebacker enjoyed a four-year collegiate career at USC, and has been widely mentioned as a leading candidate to resume his coaching career with his alma mater, fueling strong +550 odds to replace Helton.

With the Baltimore Ravens far from assured of advancing to the NFL playoffs, current Ravens head coach John Harbaugh trails at +600, while further down the odds, former Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson is pegged at +1800.

Former Trojans Star Fisher Providing Value on the Odds

The most intriguing wager may be Jeff Fisher, who joins Carroll at +2000.

Fisher joined Del Rio at the top of the list of candidates during the Trojans’ coaching search ahead of Helton’s hiring in 2015, but bowed out of the process to focus on his responsibilities as head coach of the St. Louis Rams.

Jeff Fisher wants to coach again, says 'there's been interest' from teams https://t.co/ov36ugcxV7

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) January 18, 2018

However, the California native and former USC star cornerback has been idle since getting fired by the Rams in 2016, and has been vocal about his desire to return to the coaching ranks.