USC will be looking to get back to its winning ways this week as the team returns to Pac-12 play with a Saturday night game against Oregon State. The game itself won't be the only attraction at the Coliseum, though.
At halftime of the contest, the school will be introducing the 16 inductees that make up the Class of 2015 for the USC Athletic Hall of Fame. Among the inductees will be Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, former basketball star Harold "Baby Jordan" Miner and former MLB All-Star Mark Prior.
There's only one problem. Carroll won't be in attendance on Saturday night.
A Seahawks spokesman told the The Orange County Register that Carroll was "traveling," but is still expected to be at the induction dinner in May. His absence from Saturday's ceremony is likely to disappoint the Trojans fans in attendance as the national championship-winning coach has not been back on campus all that often since leaving for the NFL in 2010.
As for Del Rio, the homecoming of sorts might bring split allegiances to the contest. He was a standout linebacker during his time with the Trojans and even played catcher for the school's baseball team. However, Del Rio's son Luke is Oregon State's No. 2 quarterback, backing up starter Sean Mannion. Luke Del Rio attended Alabama before transferring to play for former USC offensive coordinator Mike Riley in Corvallis.
Carroll spent nine seasons at USC and led the team to highs rarely experienced by any football program. The Trojans won 87 percent of their games under his watch, went to seven straight BCS bowls and captured two national titles. He has been criticized, though, for leaving L.A. prior to the school receiving severe NCAA sanctions. Carroll has said he would have stayed at USC had he known that sanctions were imminent.
The energetic coach has returned to USC a handful of times the past few years but never in a capacity related directly to the football program.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
