Bellotti Denies Lucrative USC Offer

Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti denied a report Friday that USC is trying to lure him to Southern California with one of the most-lucrative contracts in college football.

Speaking before his team’s afternoon practice in Eugene, Ore., Bellotti said that, contrary to an ESPN.com report, USC had not presented him with a package totaling $1.6 million in base salary and incentives.

When asked if he had been in contact with anyone from the university, Bellotti said: “I’m not going to answer any questions about that.”

Later, he said: “I can tell you honestly that I have been contacted by several schools in the past week about whether I’d be interested. They’ve talked, I’ve listened and that is as far as anything has gone.”

USC administrators declined to comment.

It had been reported that USC would meet with Bellotti during his recent recruiting trip to Northern California. Oregon officials said they were aware that USC was impressed with their coach after the Ducks went 9-2 this season.

Though the reported offer represents a substantial jump in salary, sources close to Bellotti have said he might not be inclined to leave Oregon because he enjoys living in Eugene. His two sons and a daughter are still in school and he recently built a new home.

Meanwhile, further north, Oregon State Coach Dennis Erickson remained an outside possibility.

Sources say Erickson spurned an initial overture from USC, but more recent reports had him rethinking his position. Thursday, Erickson said he planned to stay in Corvallis, but did not rule out a change of mind.

His 10-1 Beavers are waiting to hear if they will be invited to the Fiesta Bowl and he is scheduled to play host to a group of recruits at the university this weekend.

While the Trojans continued to search for a coach, the talent pool shrank Friday:

* Dennis Franchione announced he will jump from Texas Christian to Alabama for a seven-year contract that pays between $1.2 and $1.4 million a year.

* Dirk Koetter, a bright young coaching talent, left Boise State for Arizona State.

* Randy Walker signed a long-term extension with Northwestern.

* In previous days, Toledo’s Gary Pinkel went to Missouri and a handful of teams filled their openings with top offensive and defensive coordinators.

There remain potential candidates in the NFL, including Mike Riley of the San Diego Chargers. Also, Pete Carroll, former New England Patriots coach, has reportedly expressed interest in the job.

USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett has said that he prefers a coach with a track record in the college game.

Bellotti has a 48-22 record and has guided the Ducks to five bowl games in the last six seasons.

His contract totals $700,000 with incentives, according to Oregon Athletic Director Bill Moos, who said he has already broached the subject of negotiating a more-lucrative extension for Bellotti and his assistants.

There is some question about how much more Oregon can afford to pay, since the university has already committed to a multimillion-dollar renovation of Autzen Stadium.

Moos told the Register-Guard in Eugene that he has mixed emotions about other schools pursuing his coach.

“Part of me thinks it’s flattering to our program,” he said, “but the other part says, ‘Hey, Arizona State and USC coaches ought to aspire to be at Oregon.’ ”