The Love Pyramid (Mark Sanchez, Pete Carroll, & The NFL)

ITS NO FUN WITHOUT YOU!
Former USC Coach Pete Carroll and QB Mark Sanchez both end up in the NFL, but are no longer standing next to each other on the sideline.

• 1/15/07 USC quarterback Mark Sanchez has officially announced that he will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.

• 1/16/07 Carroll told the gathered media, "We don't see this decision the same. ... Mark is going against the grain on this decision. He knows that. He knows that coming out early is a tremendous challenge for a quarterback. And the statistics don't back up that it's easy to be successful the way he's going about it. We know that, he knows that. ... I don't agree with the assessment of the decision."

• 4/25/09 The New York Jets drafted USC Quarterback Mark Sanchez with the fifth overall pick at the 2009 NFL Draft.

• 7/30/09 USC and football Coach Pete Carroll under investigation for NCAA violations. Carroll employed a former NFL tactician last season to help with the team's punting and kicking game, an arrangement that may have violated NCAA rules that prohibit consultants from coaching.

• 1/3/10 Rookie QB Mark Sanchez and New York Jets shut out Cincinnati Bengals, 37-0, to clinch playoff berth and set up Wild Card rematch.
  

• 1/9/10 Sanchez nearly flawless in first career playoff game. Jets beat Bengals 24-14 and advance to Divisional Championship Game.

• 1/10/10 Pete Carroll is preparing to sign a contract to return to the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks, according to a league official with direct knowledge of the coaching search. The Los Angeles Times reported that Carroll decided Sunday night to resign from USC and take the job with the Seahawks.

Maybe the turf is greener on the other side-- we will see in the 2010-2011 season!