USC Cattle Call

1. Tim Floyd -- Word on the street is that USC senior associate athletic director Daryl Gross reached out to Floyd over the weekend. Floyd is attractive to USC because he's available immediately. Oh, and he also won a few games at Iowa State.

2. Jamie Dixon -- Where there's smoke, there's fire. Though I didn't consider him a flight risk, the Pittsburgh coach, a North Hollywood native, is a confirmed candidate for the USC gig.

3. George Karl -- How many ESPN analysts can USC pursue? (Up next: A return by Dick Vitale to the coaching ranks?) Karl is interested in USC. If Gross and athletic director Mike Garrett can't ink one of the two above and know of a skeleton in Paul Westphal's closet, they'll look to history and go with an NBA vet. Why? Pete Carroll's success.

4. Bob Knight -- And I thought Lubbock was another name for paradise! I can't imagine Knight's high-wire act flying in low-key Southern California. But if the school is looking for a big-name, they'll look no further than the General. Unlike Floyd and Dixon, Robert Montgomery sought out the USC administration. (Though he did so via intermediaries. Which begs the question: If an inquiry with another school is sure to become public knowledge, why go through private associates? Propriety? Or, in Knight's case, more likely ego).

5. Paul Westphal -- Again, where there's smoke, there's fire. USC passed over Westphal in the first go-round. After Majerus' resignation, the Pepperdine coach was the natural choice. But Southern Cal's delay suggests that despite his pedigree and the support of several ex-Trojans, something about Westphal is keeping USC from pulling the trigger. At this point, hiring Paul will be understood -- and rightly so -- as little more than a failure to recruit a coach the administration actually desired.

6. Steve Fisher? Mark Few? Steve Lavin? How about Gene Keady, a candidate in USC's 1996 search? The Purdue mainstay thinks he has a few more good years left.