Ladies and gentlemen, keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times, or Rey Maualuga might just take them to the house...you're about to enter the Trojan Depo.

McDonald said that the first time he brought up the play with Carroll, the Buckeye DB coach at the time, the coach got annoyed.

"He said, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah. How'd you like to play now?'" McDonald said. "I said, 'Coach, we're on the same team!"

On the field before the 2004 Rose Bowl, the game in which USC beat Michigan and won the Associated Press national championship, McDonald approached Carroll to chat about the Wolverines.

McDonald said, "And Pete said, 'So Kevin Williams was right about here, right? He caught it around the 10-yard line? … I never should have called the blitz. I never should have called the blitz."

When the free safety blitzed, McDonald called an audible to send Williams deep and put his offensive line in maximum protection. Only thing was, Williams never heard the audible.

On the sideline, McDonald said, Williams told him, "I started jogging off the line of scrimmage because it was a running play. Then I said, 'Wait a minute. I think it's a pass to me,' and I just took off."

In the NFL, McDonald ran into Mike Guess, the Ohio State corner beaten by Williams.

"We're talking about the play," McDonald said, "and Mike said, 'I would have had Kevin Williams. He faked me. He started jogging off the line of scrimmage.'"

McDonald has still yet to inform Carroll that he beat him on a broken play.

Rose To Remember [ESPN]

ESPN College GameDay Appearances By School

Rank School Shows
1. Florida 28
2. Ohio State 22
3t. Florida State 21
3t. Michigan 21
5t. Notre Dame 18
5t. Oklahoma 18
7t. Tennessee 17
7t. Miami (Fla.) 17
9. Nebraska 15
10. Southern Cal 14

Note: The list takes into account that Corso and the gang roll into Gainesville this weekend for Steve Spurrier's favorite matchup.

Interesting that LSU, Georgia, Texas, West Virginia, and other traditional powers don't make the list. I guess that just goes to show how dominate Nebraska, FSU, and Miami were in days gone by.

Comment on Top 10 ESPN GameDay appearances ranked by team...

For entertainment purposes only. And if I'm wrong, I'm guessing you'll be entertained.

Oregon State 24, Stanford 20: This smelled like a potential Stanford upset, but then the Cardinal got hit with a couple of injuries on the OL and at WR, so the Beavers get the nod in a game that figures to be low scoring. Oregon State's biggest edge is at the skill positions, and here's a guess that QB Lyle Moevao will be much smoother this season distributing the ball.

Oklahoma State 38, Washington State 24: The Cougars were hit hard by bad news this week with DT Andy Roof being kicked out of school and OT Dan Rowlands retiring due to recurring shoulder problems. The Cougars are thin on both lines. Meanwhile, the Cowboys' offensive line boasts 89 career starts, which makes this a mismatch up front.

USC 42, Virginia 10: The biggest point of interest here is how well USC QB Mark Sanchez plays after his rapid recovery from a dislocated knee. It's also worth watching to see how Pete Carroll distributes the ball among his six tailbacks. And you might want to catch the nation's best defense. Virginia is rebuilding, with just 11 starters back, and the Trojans don't do that. 

California 28, Michigan State 24: This might be the best matchup of the weekend. Kevin Riley surged late to win the Bears QB job over Nate Longshore, but Longshore is expected to see some action. Will TB Jahvid Best put on a show? Speaking of shows, Spartans tailback Javon Ringer and a huge OL will test the Bears' new 3-4 look.

Oregon 35, Washington 24: Justin Roper takes over Oregon's spread-option offense after Nate Costa went down with a knee injury, and his strong performance in the Sun Bowl suggests he is fully capable. He'll get a lot of help from Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount in the backfield and an offensive line that should have its way with the young Huskies front. A Washington upset will require a spectacular performance from QB Jake Locker, which is not beyond the realm of possibility.

Arizona 44, Idaho 20: Arizona needs a fast start and it will get it here. The veteran Wildcats offense should look good out of the gate, even without outstanding TE Rob Gronkowski. Moreover, the young defense probably will build up its confidence against an overmatched Idaho offense.

Arizona State 48, Northern Arizona 17: The Sun Devils get a preseason game. They might want to recall Appalachian State at Michigan a year ago and remember to show up.

Tennessee 27, UCLA 17: New UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel's debut is a tough one, with an SEC power coming to town. The UCLA defense and special teams could keep this one close, but the offense  -- even with guru Norm Chow calling the shots -- figures to struggle mightily against a tough Vols DL.   

If USC athletes had competed as a country in 2008, they would have placed 13th in the overall medal standings in the Beijing Games (and tied for eighth in golds).

Texas and Florida each earned 14 medals. Michigan 12.

USC Athletes Win 21 Medals At 2008 Beijing Olympics [USCtrojans.com]

You hear it a lot.  Way too much, in fact.

Now, here’s the thing.  The SEC is currently the top conference.  It was amazingly good last year and will be amazingly good this year.

But it is not set in stone that the SEC is the default top conference every year, or at least it shouldn’t be.  Yet, that seems to be the prevailing opinion among the college football media, year-in, year-out.

To refute this notion, I present to you… the data provided by the indispensable CollegeFootballDataWarehouse.

The CFBDW has a ranking of teams and conferences based on (1) Winning Percentage Points (2) Schedule Points (3) National Championship Points and (4) Big 4 Bowl Points.

For the period 2000-2007, the BCS conferences are ranked as follows (total points is the first bit of data, followed left to right by the previously mentioned totals):

As you can see, the SEC is on top in this decade (941 total points), but it’s not a slam dunk.  And, the real reason for the top ranking is due to the SEC having 12 teams to accumulate its points vs. 10 teams for the Pac-10.  The Pac-10 (923 points) gets to No. 2 largely on the strength of its schedule, while the SEC is dragged down somewhat by playing the fourth-toughest schedule among the six major conferences.  Averaging the total points per team per conference, the Pac-10 averages 92.3 and the SEC averages 78.4.

If you look at the top 25 programs for 2000-2007, another interesting piece of data is revealed:

Which first-year players have a chance to be the next Peterson in 2008? Here’s my list:

Jermie Calhoun, RB, Oklahoma–I think Calhoun is well-positioned to have an excellent freshman season. He enters a situation where the two backs ahead of him are both coming off injuries. He’s an awesome talent, with size and speed and he’ll have an outstanding line to run behind.

Sam McGuffie, RB, Michigan–An ideal running back for Rich Rodriguez’ spread offense, McGuffie is a lightning-quick water bug who should get a chance to shine early. There will be some offensive struggles as Michigan transitions to the spread, but McGuffie could be a bright spot. Like another great back of yore, John Arnett, he has a background as a gymnast and a track athlete.

Chris Polk, RB, Washington–The Huskies need all the help they can get in the running game to take the load off of Jake Locker. Polk, an exciting multi-threat, could be just that guy.

Julio Jones, WR, Alabama–The nation’s top prep receiver could be the difference between the Tide going to just any old bowl, or maybe making some major noise in the SEC West.

Da’Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson–Bowers should start from Day One for the Tigers. He’s got the potential to be a top five draft pick three years from now.

Arthur Brown, LB, Miami–Anyone who saw Brown’s high school tape couldn’t help but be amazed by his explosiveness. He’s a bit undersized, but that’s the traditional Miami ‘backer, right? He’s a playmaker and a future star.

Will Hill, DB, Florida–With the recent attrition at the safety spot for UF, expect Hill to step in and star right away. He’s a phenomenal athlete.

This is just a few of the first-year players we’ll soon be hearing about.  Feel free to add your fab freshmen in the comments section.

I just wasn't seeing the production and when you get in a situation where you don't see the production and you have a young group of receivers that are emerging, I felt like it was in the best interest to let him go at this point. Hopefully Mike can hook on someplace else...[Williams] still has potential, hopefully he'll realize it someplace else.

I don't know if anyone can really be surprised by this news. After attending USC at the same time as Williams, I have been hopeful that his pro-career would mirror his collegiate success. But now it seems that his greatest accomplishments are fading further and further behind him. So you Trojan faithful, let's just pretend Williams declared for the '04 draft and disappeared into the sunset. Let's remember him for the 2002 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year award, the 2003 Consensus First-team All-American and the CBS National Player of the Year. Let's remember him for the last game he ever played, the 2004 Rosebowl victory over Michigan and the AP national championship.

Ah, Notre Dame. Those two words immediately conjure up images of Rudy, Touchdown Jesus and blowout losses in bowl games (and your favorite Catholic priest joke). Last season must have felt like an epic tragedy (as did this); for the rest of us, it was like making love to a super model. We never wanted it to end.

After taking over the program, Charlie Weis has had two seasons of nine wins or more, but it was last year’s 3-9 run—with two wins coming against Stanford and Duke—that had Notre Dame fans aghast. Last season the Domers endured the struggles that any team would when faced with starting underclassmen at quarterback, running back and on the offensive line. That should not be an issue this time around.

According to Rivals.com, Notre Dame will start 17 upperclassmen this season—including eight seniors and a sophomore QB Jimmy Clausen—and should look drastically different than a year ago. The Chuckster is coming off of three consecutive top-8 finishes in recruiting, which should produce someone who can get the ball into the end zone. Last year Notre Dame tied for 117th in offense, averaging only 16.4 points per game. It was enough to perhaps prompt Weis to go back to spying on his opponents.

While last year’s schedule was daunting, the same cannot be said for this year’s joke of a slate. Notre Dame has six games in which they should triumph —San Diego State, Stanford, UNC, Washington, Navy and Syracuse—meaning all they have to do is beat a bad Michigan team, Purdue at home and a rebuilding Boston College squad to reach nine wins and a trip to a BCS game (fine; maybe that last part was a stretch).

As much I would like to see Weis and his gigantic ego take another hit, I am afraid that Notre Dame should be poised for a seven-to-nine win season. They have the schedule and the experience to make a run which, sadly for us, means that ESPN will trot out bumbling Lou Holtz to offer us up some gold.

I like Notre Dame to finish 8-4 with losses to Michigan State, Purdue, Pittsburgh and USC, giving Lou Holtz a chance to be the first person to campaign for a four-loss team to be crowned national champs.

[Ed. Just for kicks, we've added the highlights from USC-Notre Dame in Oct. 2005. Awesome game.]

Notre Dame: Weis assistant guarantees big season for ND

 

June 5, 2008

 

CHESTERTON -- Region Notre Dame football fans got some good news, and a guarantee, about the upcoming season Wednesday night from an Irish assistant coach.

"I guarantee you (Irish fans) that you won't be disappointed this season. Mark it down, we're on a mission," Bernie Parmalee, tight ends coach, told members of the Notre Dame Club of Northwest Indiana in St. Patrick's church hall.

There's no way but up for the Irish after last fall's forgettable, regrettable 3-9 debacle.

ND set school records for worst start (0-5), most losses (9), sacks allowed (58) and 38-0 losses to both Michigan and USC -- the worst shutout margins in the history of the rivalries.

"It was hard on you but even harder on us, the staff and players," Parmalee said. "Sometimes you get spoiled. A young team, we went through the fire and hung together as a team. We played the most freshmen ever. Our young kids gained experience and had a great spring.

A few highlights....

Champs Sports Bowl ... Virginia vs. Illinois
Meineke Car Care Bowl ... Florida State vs. Pitt
Texas Bowl ... Colorado vs. Rutgers
PetroSun Independence Bowl ... Nebraska vs. Arkansas
Alamo Bowl ... Michigan State vs. Kansas
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl ... Texas vs. Oregon
Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl ... Wake Forest vs. Alabama
Chick-fil-A Bowl ... Boston College vs. South Carolina
Outback Bowl ... Michigan vs. LSU
Konica Minolta Gator Bowl ... Miami vs. Notre Dame
Capital One Bowl ... Penn State vs. Auburn
AT&T Cotton Bowl ... Oklahoma vs. Tennessee

Rose Bowl presented by Citi ... Wisconsin vs. USC
CFN is basically rubber stamping the winner of USC - Ohio State into the National Championship game. From the outcome of this prediction, I guess CFN is throwing in with the Buckeyes. This one looks dead on to me, unless USC ends up in the championship game, then this one becomes tOSU against the Sun Devils.

Allstate Sugar Bowl ... Georgia vs. Virginia Tech
By putting the Bulldogs into the Sugar, CFN is calling the WLOCP the defacto SEC championship. Take that as you will, Georgia fans. Va Tech looks like the class of the ACC, but CFN pulls them into the Sugar as an at-large. If there's one conference that has proven itself to be way to whacked out to predict, it's the ACC. I think Georgia/Arkansas are safe SEC picks, but give me Clemson from the ACC side.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl ... Missouri vs. West Virginia
The Fiesta gets its traditional first pick of the at-large teams and takes the 'Eers. I'm not sure that Missouri will be the Big XII champs. CFN is hedging, with Texas Tech as their second choice, but... I wouldn't count out the Sooners... ever. I think Oklahoma - West Virginia makes more sense.

FedEx Orange Bowl ... Clemson vs. Texas Tech
If there is one prediction that I think is off the mark, it's CFN's prognostication for the Orange. I would be willing to take the field here at any odds, because I don't see a Tigers - Red Raiders matchup in Miami. I think the Hokies are the most likely candidate here for the ACC, versus an at-large team. For my prediction, give me VaTech (ACC Champs) versus Arizona State (at-large) or maybe even Utah (at-large).

FedEx BCS National Championship ... Ohio State vs. Florida
The Buckeyes and Gators in the National Championship game... where have we seen that before? This one is just as likely to be USC-Florida, which would probably be the highest rated college football game ever. If Florida gets to the BCS title game and wins, I think you will have seen the last of #15 in orange and blue. Just sayin'.

Comment on CFN posts its 2008 Bowl Game Predictions...

Based on an initial count, NFL teams drafted 10 players from USC over the weekend, more than from any other college. That included four players in the first round and seven in the first two rounds. Those figures also ranked first for this draft. Virginia Tech had eight players drafted, followed by LSU (seven), Michigan (six), Arkansas (six) and California (six). Miami had three players taken from the 31st through 71st overall spots, but that was it.

USC 12

Virginia Tech 11

Arkansas 8

LSU 8

Cal 7

Oklahoma 7

Texas 7

Michigan 7

Baylor 0