How USC stays in the game, despite NCAA sanctions

• USC is ranked No. 17 despite severe limitations on the number of scholarships it can offer
• A well-timed appeal period helped the Trojans sign a full recruiting class in February 2011
• The toughest times on the field might not come until quarterback Matt Barkley has departed

When the NCAA's enforcement hammer fell on Southern California football two years ago, coach Lane Kiffin brought a binder — maybe 4 inches thick, athletics director Pat Haden recalls — to a meeting on how to handle the sanctions.

The outlook was grim. The Trojans faced a two-year bowl ban, losses of 30 scholarships over a three-year period (10 fewer per year) and a limit of 75 total scholarships, 10 fewer than the maximum.

But inside the binder was a detailed plan the coach hoped would somehow cushion the blow. Kiffin had spent several days poring over the USC roster, planning how best to manage the talent on hand and forecasting how best to recruit within the limits.

"Lane has done a fantastic job of having a plan," Haden said, "and visualizing how he's gonna get through it."

Despite lofty expectations — USC was No. 3 in the USA TODAY Sports preseason coaches poll, and No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press media poll — the Trojans have not returned to their former standards. A loss last week at Arizona dropped USC (6-2) to No. 17 and lowered the stakes for Saturday's matchup with No. 2 Oregon.

It's likely the Trojans were overrated after a strong finish in 2011, which included a victory at Oregon. The roster remains thin, with very little margin for error. Yet Matt Barkley and receivers Marqise Lee and Robert Woods remain plenty dangerous. If USC has fallen out of contention for the national title, a ]Pac-12 championship and the Rose Bowl remain within reach.

Considering USC hasn't been to a Bowl Championship Series game since 2008 — or to any bowl since the 2009 season — and with the program still in the midst of dealing with the sanctions, to be in that position is remarkable. The Trojans aren't back. But they're not half-bad, and the reasons go back to that binder and the plan Kiffin designed.

Some of the ideas sounded good in theory but didn't work in practice. Tackling, for example, needed to be worked on in practice. Without much depth and hoping to prevent injuries, Kiffin limited tackling during practices last season, but reinstated full contact after the Trojans struggles to tackle in games.

In large part, dealing with the sanctions involved delaying them, utilizing the extra time afforded by an appeal to sign a full recruiting class in February 2011. The Trojans hoped for relief and a reduction in penalties — "We were thinking we'd win (the appeal)," Kiffin said — but it allowed USC to put off the scholarship limitations for a year. Although Haden and Kiffin say it was simply fortuitous timing, the Trojans began serving the two-year bowl ban with the 2010 season. With early enrollees who counted against the previous year's total, USC's haul was 31 signees rather than the usual 25.

"I really think this is not beating the NCAA, by any means," Kiffin said. But he added: "It was critical for our future to be able to sign that bigger class."

Seven players transferred after the sanctions were handed down; USC had only 67 players on scholarship in 2010. With walk-ons who have been put on scholarship, the Trojans reached 75 to start this season, but with injuries they're hovering below 70. (According to Haden, USC's travel roster for the Stanford game — a loss — was 56 scholarship players and 14 former or current
walk-ons.)

It wasn't simply numbers, though. In that 31-player class of 2011, Kiffin signed two quarterbacks and redshirted both. He also signed a punter, kicker and long snapper. Where in the past, USC seemed to simply stockpile talent, regardless of position, the strategy involved planning for deficits at certain positions.

Several contributed immediately. Lee became a star.

"We were really looking at it in a long-term plan," Kiffin said, "and not just signing the best players. We just sat down and spent a lot of time and figured out what was best for us long-term."

Last February, USC signed only 12 players. Next February, if the Trojans add three early enrollees (who would count back to 2012), they'll be able to sign 18.

Could the strategy become a blueprint for schools such as Penn State — or perhaps Oregon, which awaits word from the NCAA on an investigation into its recruiting practices? Maybe. But Haden said USC's situation, particularly the timing of the appeal, was unique. Kiffin said the school is unique, too, that the allure of one of college football's glamour programs helped attract recruits even with the sanctions.

"Another place couldn't do it like 'SC," Kiffin said.

There were other important factors. Much has been made of Barkley's decision last December to return for his senior season rather than declare for the NFL draft. But what did it mean to the program when Barkley chose not to transfer after the sanctions were announced? And to not only stay, but to actively recruit current and future teammates?

"That's incredibly significant," Haden said. "He's a great player, a great leader, and people follow him."

Much of the strategy was designed with the hope of making a run at the national championship this season, with Barkley as a senior leading an experienced team.

That won't happen, and Kiffin can't help but wonder: "What would our record have been (in 2011) if those guys hadn't transferred? … What would this year be like with 10 more players on the roster? Do you lose the Stanford game with more depth? Those (sanctions) are already hitting us."

The hits might be more obvious in the next two seasons, after Barkley has departed. It's hard to know how USC will fare before returning to full strength in 2015.

"Then, we'll turn the corner," Kiffin said. But for now, he said, "I think we've found a way to maximize it."