Even though USC and the NCAA released precious little information about their meeting in Tempe, Ariz. — to the extent that “Less Than Zero” replaced “A Few Good Men” as the du jour movie analogy – the three-day affair still provided much to digest. (And from the sound of things, it resulted in more than a few upset stomachs.)... more »
Spring is often cited as a time of renewal, and in recent years that has held true in Pac-10 football. USC would renew its lease atop the conference annually, no matter who had bolted for NFL riches. <!--photo1-->But this spring a different bird is chirping. It's a Duck, er, quacking. After seven seasons of USC dominance, Oregon is the... more »
USC is in front of the NCAA Infractions Committee in Tempe, Ariz., today and the next two days, a reckoning four years in the making since of star running back Reggie Bush's lucrative farewell season hit the news in 2006. Fans were impatient about the NCAA's response in 2007. In four to six weeks, finally, we'll have our resolution... more »
Yes, there are lots of USC teams in our list of the "best Pac-10 teams of the decade." Not sure how you get around that. From 2002 to 2008, the Trojans finished ranked in the nation's top four. During that span, no other conference team topped the Trojans in the national rankings. One team not listed, however, merits special mention:... more »
Here's a chart comparing Pete Carroll and Lane Kiffin's first year as a college head coach. Note that I do not endorse any suggestion that this means USC will win seven straight Pac-10 titles under Kiffin. OVERALL RECORD: Carroll 6-6; Kiffin 7-6. CONFERENCE: Carroll 5-3 Pac-10, 5th Place; Kiffin 4-4 SEC-East, 2nd Place. NON-CONFERENCE: Carroll 1-2; Kiffin 3-1. BOWL... more »
The Pac-10 decade started with parity and a rising Northwest. It ended that way, too. In the middle, it was all about the Trojans, with USC winning a pair of national titles -- and playing for a third -- and at least sharing seven consecutive conference championships. The Pac-10 decade featured a run of remarkable stability at the top... more »
Ric Francis - ASSOCIATED PRESS View full size photo » Ed. Note - Joey and I collaborated this piece together...P Norm Chow is not going to be the USC offensive coordinator next season. Relax, deal with it, and let’s move on. It’s time to start focusing on rounding out the rest of the staff instead of constantly thinking about... more »
Two lines of negative thinking hang over the USC football program at present, and it's possible neither is true. No. 1: The NCAA is about to hammer the football program for a lack of institutional control. No. 2: Potential severe NCAA sanctions make becoming USC's next head football coach far less appealing. Both may be true. But it's not unreasonable to entertain... more »
So pretty much every key victory in the Crimson Tide's undefeated run through the 2009 season was followed by an opposing fanbase crying foul and insisting that their team really deserved to win. Sadly though, victories are still awarded to the team with the most points on the scoreboard when time expires. But we here at Roll Bama Roll... more »
A group called Playoff PAC is running this ad in an attempt to change the current BCS system. The ad will air in Dallas, Salt Lake City and Boise, Idaho before Thursday’s Texas vs. Alabama game.
When you are accustomed to watching USC win Pac-10 championships and Rose Bowls, anything short of that is a disappointment. By those lofty standards, the 2009 season was a disappointment (and hopefully just a down year). When talking about an upcoming season for the USC Trojans, you will hear the words "Rose Bowl" and "National Championship" along with it. It is a sign of where USC football is and where it expects to be. That alone tells you that in the college football world, the high standards at USC are the exception, not the rule.
Consider this: a down year for Notre Dame and Michigan is finishing 3-9. A down year for Pete Carroll's USC is finishing 9-4 and comfortably in the Top 25. If finishing 9-4 and remaining in the Top 25 is a down year for USC, I'll take it!
One man's trash is another man's treasure. To translate that, one bad season for USC is another team's dream season. This year the Temple Owls had their best season in 30 years. Guess what their record was? 9-4. Illinois had their miracle season in 2007 when they made it to the Rose Bowl (and was blown out by USC 49-17). Their record was also 9-4. And there are plenty of other teams, too many to count, who wish they finished 9-4.
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