You can be sure that when Weis takes over at Notre Dame, one of the Irish’s strengths will be play-calling. Weis called the plays for three Super Bowl-winning Patriots teams. When the Trojans visit South Bend next fall without Chow, that is one area they will be forced to concede.

Kiffin and Sarkisian could turn out to be splendid offensive coordinators someday, but they’ll suffer next season and maybe beyond because of the apparently disrespectful way they muscled in after Chow was ushered out. (Conspiracy theorists point to the shouting match between Kiffin and Chow at an Orange Bowl practice.) At the first sign of slippage, fans will demand answers and assess blame. That won’t be a phenomenon specific to USC; that’s the way it happens around any sports team.

The stakes are also higher for Carroll and the young turks he has designated to replace Chow because Matt Leinart chose to pass up a sure NFL signing bonus worth at least $10 million in order to play one more season for USC. He made that decision believing Chow would hang around. Now that Chow is gone – with the lingering perception that Carroll pulled a Kobe – the new offensive braintrust has some Heisman-winning feathers to smooth.

One of USC’s great advantages right now is recruiting, a tribute to Carroll’s personality and work ethic. Each year they reload in astonishing fashion with top-tier talent. If the offense sputters next season, word will spread that playing for the new offensive regime is not the quick ticket to the NFL that it was under Chow. Slowly, the recruiting advantage will diminish, and so will USC’s competitive advantage on the field.

Chow’s departure is the most significant blow to the program, but not the only one. USC has lost a total of five assistant coaches since trouncing Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, including defensive line coach Ed Orgeron (now head coach at Mississippi) and offensive line coach Tim Davis (now assistant offensive line coach with the Miami Dolphins).

All of this is obviously doom-and-gloom. It could be that Carroll and Chow genuinely like and respect each other, but like any two people in a relationship, they might have grown weary of each other’s habits and attitudes and longed for a change. It’s conceivable that with the foundation built under Chow, the collaboration of Kiffin, Sarkisian and Carroll (yes, the head coach and defensive coordinator wants a larger role in the offense) could produce an even scarier unit to unleash upon opposing defenses.

But right now, Carroll might want to take Kobe Bryant out to lunch one of these days and pick his brain on dealing with fan and media backlash. He may never need the advice, but it’ll be nice to have, just in case.

MORE FROM COLLEGE FOOTBALL

College football Section Front

Florida’s Meyer says Notre Dame not an option CFT: End-of-season award finalists announced Bowl Projections: Penn State in BCS picture   Vote: Who should be ranked No. 1? Heisman Hopefuls: Race is tight down stretch Bama's defense rolling, Auburn's struggling   CFT: Colorado coach regrets having son as QB QB Robinson resumes throwing for No. 11 Cowboys CFT: Pike returns to Cincinnati starting lineup CFT: Leach blasts Mangino ‘witch hunt’ College football Section Front   Add College football headlines to your news reader: