Last November the choice for new athletic director Mike Bohn was clear: Wait until USC football was eliminated from winning the South division, then fire Clay Helton.
After two tumultuous seasons on the field and the recruiting trail, it was time. The Trojans were once again underachieving with their talented roster. The Rose Bowl victory of 2016 and Pac-12 title in 2017 felt like distant memories, replaced by a sobering 5-7 catastrophe in 2018 and dismal losses to BYU, Washington, and Oregon in 2019.