Boise State head coach Chris Petersen withdraws from USC search, report says

Boise State head coach Chris Petersen has withdrawn his name from the USC coaching search despite mutual interest from both parties, ESPN's Joe Schad is reporting.

Boise State's Chris Petersen has withdrawn from USC coaching search after mutual interest.

— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) December 2, 2013

On Sunday, it was reported that Petersen and Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin were the top two candidates for the job, although Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian reportedly interviewed for the position, as did former USC linebacker and Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Interim head coach Ed Orgeron has not been ruled out, but after the Trojans' loss to UCLA it looks unlikely that they will go in that direction.

Originally from California, Petersen played college ball at UC Davis, beginning his coaching career there before eventually ending up as the Broncos' head coach in 2006. After seven straight double-digit win seasons to start out his coaching career, Petersen is in the midst of the worst season of his tenure -- his Boise State team finished 8-4 this year, with a 6-2 conference record good for second place in the Mountain division of the Mountain West.

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