The Best Season? USC Trojan Football Season.

2006-11-13T06:16:00.000-08:00

It was one crazy weekend. Four of the top ten all lost.

Old Rankings (Win/Loss)
1. Ohio State (W)
2. Michigan (W)
3. Texas (L)
4. Louisville (L)
5. Florida (W)
6. USC (W)
7. Auburn (L)
8. California (L)
9. West Virginia (W)
10. Wisconsin (W)

New Rankings (Last Week) record
1. Ohio State (1) undefeated
2. Michigan (2) undefeated
3. USC (6) one loss to Oregon State
4. Florida (5) one loss to Auburn
5. Notre Dame (NR) one loss to Michigan
6. LSU (NR) two losses to Auburn and Florida
7. Wisconsin (10) one loss to Michigan
8. Arkansas (NR) one loss to USC
9. Rutgers (NR) undefeated
10. Louisville (6) one loss to Rutgers
11. West Virginia (9) one loss to Louisville
12. Texas (3) two losses to Ohio State and Kansas St
13. California (8) two losses to Tennessee and Arizona
14. Auburn (7) two losses to Arkansas and Georgia
15. Wake Forest (NR) one loss to Clemson
16. Boise State (NR) undefeated

2006-11-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

Old Rankings (Win/Loss)
1. Ohio State (W)
2. Michigan (W)
3. West Virginia (L)
4. Texas (W)
5. Tennessee (L)
6. Louisville (W)
7. USC (W)
8. California (W)
9. Auburn (W)
10. Florida (W)

New Rankings (Last Week) record
1. Ohio State (1) undefeated
2. Michigan (2) undefeated
3. Texas (4) one loss (to Ohio State)
4. Louisville (6) undefeated
5. Florida (10) one loss (to Auburn)
6. USC (7) one loss (to Oregon State)
7. Auburn (9) one loss (to Arkansas)
8. California (8) one loss (to Tennessee)
9. West Virginia (4) one loss (to Louisville)
10. Wisconsin (NR) one loss (to Michigan)

2006-10-31T11:20:00.000-08:00

Old Rankings (Win/Loss)
1. Ohio State (W)
2. Michigan (W)
3. USC (L) – Weak, seriously weak.
4. Texas (W)
4. West Virginia (Off)
6. Louisville (Off)
7. Tennessee (W)
8. California (Off)
9. Auburn (W)
10. Florida (W)

New Rankings (Last Week) record
1. Ohio State (1) undefeated
2. Michigan (2) undefeated
3. West Virginia (4) undefeated
4. Texas (5) one loss (to Ohio State)
5. Tennessee (6) one loss (to Florida)
6. Louisville (7) undefeated
7. USC (3) one loss (to Oregon State)
8. California (8) one loss (to Tennessee)
9. Auburn (9) one loss (to Arkansas)
10. Florida (10) one loss (to Auburn)

2006-10-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

Old Rankings (Win/Loss)
1. Ohio State (W)
2. Michigan (W)
3. USC (Off)
4. Texas (W)
4. West Virginia (W)
6. Louisville (W)
7. Tennessee (W)
8. California (W)
9. Auburn (W)
10. Florida (Off)

New Rankings (Last Week) record
1. Ohio State (1) undefeated
2. Michigan (2) undefeated
3. USC (3) undefeated
4. West Virginia (4) undefeated
5. Texas (4) one loss (to Ohio State)
6. Tennessee (7) one loss (to Florida)
7. Louisville (6) undefeated
8. California (8) one loss (to Tennessee)
9. Auburn (9) one loss (to Arkansas)
10. Florida (10) one loss (to Auburn)

2006-10-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the abbreviated post. It has been a busy week.

New Rankings (Last Week) record
1. Ohio State (1) undefeated
2. Michigan (3) undefeated
3. USC (4) undefeated
4. Texas (5) one loss (to Ohio State)
4. West Virginia (6) undefeated
6. Louisville (7) undefeated
7. Tennessee (8) one loss (to Florida)
8. California (10) one loss (to Tennessee)
9. Auburn (9) one loss (to Arkansas)
10. Florida (2) one loss (to Auburn)

2006-10-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

What I Learned Last Saturday

Dallas Sartz = Chump

Chauncy Washington is almost as awesome as his name.

Booty needs to stop staring down his recievers

Our D overuns every play -- its amazing that they make any stops at all

Our D plays zone and is proud of it, Don't even try to disguise it.

2006-10-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

Old Rankings (win or loss) - Thoughts
1. Ohio State (W) – Another win, barring a loss later in the season Ohio State has put a lock on #1 for the rest of the season. The showdown with Michigan will be one hell of a game.
2. Auburn (L) – Last week they looked rusty and this week they just fell apart. I am not really sure what happened to them…besides losing.
3. USC (W) – Same question as last week, where was the defense? That is now two weeks in a row that the Men of Troy looked bad on defense. The offense in the first half looked ok. But all those field goals in the second half. Needless to say I am a little worried about how good we are at this point. At least we didn’t lose to Arkansas.
4. Florida (W) – Pushed around the Tigers in the swamp. Florida is looking good but still has a brutal schedule.
5. Michigan (W) – A good win verses the in state rivals.
6. Texas (W) – Beat up OU. I am happy to see the Okies lose but I am still not convinced how good the Texans errr Longhorns are.
7. Georgia (L) – Sad.
8. West Virginia (Off) – Wow you beat an SEC team…you must be a contender in the National Title race…oh wait it was Miss. St.
9. LSU (L) – Bummer. What else to say.
10. Louisville (W) – These guys score. But do they have the defense to beat a top 5 team?

New Rankings (Last Week) record
1. Ohio State (1) undefeated
2. Florida (4) undefeated
3. Michigan (5) undefeated
4. USC (3) undefeated
5. Texas (6) one loss (to Ohio State)
6. West Virginia (6) undefeated
7. Louisville (10) undefeated
8. Tennessee (NR) one loss (to Florida)
9. Auburn (2) one loss (to Arkansas)
10. California (NR) one loss (to Tennessee)

Any other thoughts?

2006-10-04T06:23:00.000-07:00

I know I bitch a lot about teams taking on I-AA opponents. But it is true. For a football program to be committed to taking on the best opponents every week says something about that program. Scheduling no cupcakes is key to becoming one of the preeminent programs in the nation. You are making a statement that you will go out and never inflate your stats.

Sadly, there are only seven teams that have not played a I-AA opponent since the Divisions were set up in 1978. They are Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, UCLA, USC and Washington.

Take a good hard look at those schools; they are the best football programs in the nation. If you go over the stats since 1978 I would guess that the wins and losses would back that up.

And for those of you tallying up the conferences that is three Big Ten Schools, three Pac-10 Schools, and one NBC School.

2006-10-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was pretty standard besides Georgia Tech beating up on poor Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. As I am sure the Tech faithful truly believe that the game was stolen from them. I am sure it was at least a dozen bad calls by the officials that led to the loss of the prodigious Hokies. I am still not really sure what a Hokie is at this point. I guess it is a Turkey of some kind. But other than that all of the Top 10 won or were off.

Old Rankings (win or loss) - Thoughts
1. Ohio State (W) – A good quality win against Iowa. They really look like the best team in the country.
2. Auburn (W) – They had a little trouble with the "other USC" but they pulled out a win.
3. USC (W) – What happened to our defense? For 3 weeks it was like a brick wall and last weekend it was like Wazzu could move the ball easily. I guess I was right to be worried about the defensive backfield. Oh, and did anyone else come to play besides Booty and Steve Smith?
4. Florida (W) – I guess payback is a bitch for Bama
5. Texas (W) – Please, please play more Div. 1-A schools next year. Your non-conf. schedule (save OSU) is kind of a joke. Thank god you are playing Oklahoma.
6. West Virginia (Off) – Nov 8 is your only test
7. Michigan (W) – Yee haw you won the little brown jug…what is it? I don’t know, but winning it is cool.
8. Georgia (W) – The dogs are a much less impressive team after that Colorado game a couple of weeks ago. And you only beat Ole Miss 14-9 but in the SEC that is a shootout.
9. LSU (W) – If not for that loss to Auburn they would be in the top 5.
10. Louisville (Off) – Nov 8 is your only test

New Rankings (Last Week) record
1. Ohio State (1) undefeated
2. Auburn (2) undefeated
3. USC (3) undefeated
4. Florida (4) undefeated
5. Michigan (8) undefeated
6. Texas (5) one loss
7. Georgia (7) undefeated
8. West Virginia (6) undefeated
9. LSU (9) one loss
10. Louisville (10) undefeated

Any other thoughts?

2006-09-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was pretty boring for the most part. These rankings are pre (Auburn Game) Thursday night.

Old Rankings
1. Ohio State (W)
2. Auburn (W)
3. USC (W)
4t. Texas (W)
4t. Florida (W)
6. West Virginia (W)
7. Georgia (W) – The Buffs looked like a football team. It was really weird, but a win is a win.
8. Michigan (W)
9. LSU (W)
10. Louisville (W)

New Rankings
1. Ohio State (1)
2. Auburn (2)
3. USC (3)
4. Florida (4t)
5. Texas (4t)
6. West Virginia (6)
7. Michigan (8)
8. Georgia (7)
9. LSU (9)
10. Louisville (10)

2006-09-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

A Real Scoop in the Reggie Bush Saga (by a source with no ! in its name)

I just read this, its quite interesting for 2 reasons. 1. If Dan Wetzel really did gain the info under false pretenses its notable because he had no living source, thus the potential for misunderstanding (ie maybe Ornstien is on the level about being paid back) is huge -- way to go Yahoo. 2. New Era's lawyer states, "Brian Watkins, an attorney for New Era's founders, called Cornwell's denial "crazy. They still owe rent and they never paid rent and they were evicted on that basis," Watkins said Friday." It seems to me opposing counsel just admitted that it was not an extra benefit but rather a simple rent agreement gone bad. If it was an extra benefit he should have said, "My client let the Bush family live there on the understanding that Bush would sign with them, yada yada yada." A players parents being crappy tenets is not an issue for the NCAA, nor is a Landlords reluctance to evict for whatever reason.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/usc/la-sp-upshaw23sep23,1,3705948.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-coll-usc

2006-09-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

The Tap Sends Condolences on loss of Another Fullback

Following the USC - Arizona tilt, Pete Carroll and his team received condolences from an unexpected source, the landmark simulated rock group Spinal Tap. Michael St. Hubbins and Nigel Tufnill, two surviving members of the group reportedly sent condolences, and a special warning for former walk-on and 4th srtinger Mike Brittingham; beware the threat of spontanious combusation.

two other stories of note from the Arizona game,

It has been reported by unconfirmed French sources that during the game Trojans Offensive Coorindator Lane Kiffin was possesed by the unholy undead spirit of former Trojans coach Paul "the'll never expect a run up the gut" Hackett. This speculation may have been caused by the Trojans inability to find any recievers open more than 3 yards from the line of scrimmage, and a fondness for alternating between throwing 4 yard comebackers on 3 and 7, and keeping it between the tackles on 3rd and 11. This haunting may be contagious as it was reported that the Hackett's spirit was featured as a special guest coordinator for Nebraska last weekend.

In a related devolopment USC has been contacted by SEC officals citing copywright infringment on the SEC's "exciting" brand of football. It is reported that SEC officials are worried that fans of low scoring games featuring disinterested and apparantly confused offense may be drawn away from that vernerable southern conference. Our sources tell us that USC remains unworried, as they managed to make 2 extra points in the game -- a feat no SEC team has accomplished in more than a century.

2006-09-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

Just one more reason Oklahoma Sucks

Oklahoma v. Oregon

Ok, Yeah, Oklahoma got screwed. The onside kick call might have been wrong (though I wasn’t as convinced as everyone else was). The pass interference was wrong. In college football it happens.

Perhaps Oklahoma should have been playing some defense in the 4th quarter. Isn’t Bob Stoops some defensive guru? How does an Oregon receiver get as open as Brian Paysinger did at the end of that game. Shouldn’t there have been a Safety around there somewhere?

Oh and lets not forget Oklahoma didn’t make a field goal that would have sealed the game.

And now Oklahoma wants the game expunged from the season. Weak. Oklahoma also wants its game with Washington in 2008 to not have Pac-10 officials. Weak. Hey Bob, did you ever think that maybe you just aren’t as good a coach as you think you are? You lost. Though it was a close and controversial game…you still lost.

2006-09-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

Why We Love LenDale

Whether its eating a "can" of his grandma's Mac n' chee or speaking out for Reggie Bush, LenDale is always entertaining.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/la-sp-chargersider18sep18,1,1756035.story

2006-09-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Will the real Notre Dame please stand up?

What is going on with Notre Dame? I told everyone to stop drinking the Kool-Aid but no one believed me. They looked so crappy against Georgia Tech, and then they look awesome against Penn State then they didn’t even show up against Michigan. So which team is the real Notre Dame? Or does how they played really reflect on how good the other teams are. Do we know how good Georgia Tech, Penn State, and Michigan are? I would say probably not. But still Notre Dame played so differently in the 3 different games. Still, I certainly didn’t see Michigan taking Notre Dame to the woodshed.

2006-09-18T06:44:00.000-07:00

My Old Rankings - and thoughts.
1. Ohio State – (W) – They were losing for a good chunk of the first half until they turned on the jets in the second half. A solid win. I really hope Tressel loosens up the offense he still looks like he is holding back.
2. Auburn – (W) – Well, they won. Obviously not by much. But that is SEC football for you. All defense and no offense.
3. USC – (W) – I would say the offense still isn’t ironed out yet. But they looked very good at times. I was very happy to see the Men of Troy playing in the Coliseum again.
4. Texas – (W) – Who did they play?
5. Notre Dame – (L) – OK, I told everyone to stop drinking the Kool-Aid but no one believed me.
6. LSU – (L) – Yea, nothing says SEC football like losing 7-3.
7. West Virginia – (W) – Oh Terp nation. If you would have only kept Steve Slaton.
8. Florida – (W) – Big time quality win. The end of this game was really fun to watch. Florida might have the magic this year.
9. Georgia – (W) – Another win. This has become the norm at UGA in the last couple of years. Another game, another win.
10. Florida State – (L) – Another Boring Bowden Bowl…Barf.

My New Rankings – Last Week
1. Ohio State (1)
2. Auburn (2)
3. USC (3)
4t. Texas (4)
4t. Florida (8)
6. West Virginia (7)
7. Georgia (9)
8. Michigan (new)
9. LSU (6)
10. Louisville (new)

Where is Notre Dame? Does it matter? Out of the top 10 would be my answer. But if you must know I have them at 11.

Any other thoughts?

2006-09-15T14:59:00.000-07:00

SCOOP!!!!!

For those of you that have been caught up in the Internet explosion that is the Recent Yahoo "Scoop" regarding Reggie Bush, lets examine this.

1. We already knew that Bush's parents took a bunch of stuff from New Era

2. We know that its all very tawdry

3. We now know that Bush's agent Mike Ornstein may have fronted / given Bush's parents 2 Suits, 2 Tickets to Oakland, and a ride to the Cal game.

I will not say that this is right, in fact its rather tawdry, and naughty. But is it a Scoop? No its a small addendum to a story published last spring. The NCAA will do as it pleases, like it always does, but I'm not sure that this makes USC any more or less responsable.

2006-09-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

Funniest College Football Story of the Day

West Virginia sophomore tailback Steve Slaton grew up wanting to go to Maryland.

He got a scholarship offer from Maryland.

His scholarship got rescinded from Maryland.

He went to West Virginia (cue the banjos).

Steve Slaton is averaging 154 yards per game in 2006.

What is Terrapins coach Ralph Friedgen (aka Fatso) reasoning behind rescinding Slaton’s scholarship? "I just had too many running backs."

I hope West Virginia wipes the floor with Terp Nation.

2006-09-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

My Old Rankings - and thoughts.
1. Auburn – Looked really dominant…but then again it was Miss St.
2. USC – Week off.
3. Ohio State – A huge win against Texas. I was very happy to see those Longhorns go down.
4. Texas – I do give Ohio St. and Texas credit for playing a tough opponent in a non-conference game. Takes balls.
5. West Virginia – Weakest schedule imaginable. Are they going to try and put some high schools on the schedule next year?
6. LSU – Quality win. Though Arizona might totally suck.
7. Florida – Does beating up Central Florida even count as a win?
8. Florida State – Troy looked dangerous for a while. They pulled out a win though.
9. Georgia – Beat the other USC…I must admit I totally didn’t care about that game.
10. Notre Dame – Ok Irish, you can now move up in the rankings.

My New Rankings
1. Ohio State
2. Auburn
3. USC
4. Texas
5. Notre Dame
6. LSU
7. West Virginia
8. Florida
9. Georgia
10. Florida State

Any other thoughts?

2006-09-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

Does the Pac 10 Suck?

Halfway through watching UCLA struggle to put away Rice (RICE!!!) I got to wondering, is all the east coast bias stuff crap, is the Pac 10 actually as bad as everyone says it is? Stanford did lose to San Jose State, and Oregon State beefed it at Boise St. That's pretty bad. The Pac 10 is not off to a good start

2006-09-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

Recap of the first weekend of College Football.

I will go through my previous Top Ten and tell you what I saw from their games.

1. Ohio State – Their game was closer than I thought it was going to be.

2. Auburn – Rolled over Wassu.

3. West Virginia – Played very well. I wish there was another good team in their conference.

4. USC – Answered a lot of questions. They should be formidable all season.

5. Notre Dame – By far the least impressive game of the top ten…well, besides Cal. No more drinking the Kool-Aid. If they keep playing like this they will never get through September undefeated.

6. Texas – Looked impressive…but they did play North Texas Community College

7. Miami – Not enough firepower on offense. Can’t the U recruit a Running Back?

8. Florida – Won without a problem.

9. Cal – Weak…seriously, weak.

10. LSU – One cupcake done.

New Rankings

1. Auburn
2. USC
3. Ohio State
4. Texas
5. West Virginia
6. LSU
7. Florida
8. Florida State
9. Georgia
10. Notre Dame (who are now officially capped at #5 until they beat a real team)

2006-08-31T09:55:00.000-07:00

Trojan Wire Pac-10 Power Rankings

A truly hilarious article...excellent analysis as well.

32 more hours!

Fight On!!!

2006-08-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

Yes!!!

Order now while supplies last!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/USC-GameCocks-Steve-Spurrier-Year-of-the-Spur-NR_W0QQitemZ200020314916QQihZ010QQcategoryZ20144QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

2006-08-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

My Biggest Concerns this Season

Offensive Line – We are replacing 3 veteran Offensive Lineman, it doesn’t matter how good your Backfield is if you don’t have the big fellas to pancake the Defense.

Tailback – I suppose I would feel better if Hershel Dennis or Desmond Reed were ready to go (because at least they have at least one start under their belt). I am sure there is a lot of talent in our corps of TB’s but there is a lot left to prove.

Special Teams – The only guy last year that played well on special teams was #5 and we all know what happened to him. Maybe this year we can tackle somebody.

Corners/Safety’s – Last season our defense sucked; I think our DB’s did in particular, Bing should never have been allowed to wear #20. He just never showed the magic that he could have been capable of.

Notre Dame – Yes, they are being hyped big time…but what do you expect. They almost beat us last year. If they play like that this year then the real BCS bowl game will be played Nov 25th at 8 pm ET (not that I am looking forward to it or anything).

QB – I feel a whole lot better about this slot than most of the others on the team. I think Booty will be good in the position. Probably not as good as Leinart but maybe as good as Palmer. Hopefully he won’t get hit in the back.

Cal/Oregon/UCLA – I suppose I always worry about the other good teams in the Pac-10 so that is pretty standard.

Stanford – Ok, so The Farm suck and has sucked for a few years now. But we never play very well in the Bay area. I don’t know why, maybe it is something in the air, call me paranoid but our closest games are always up there. Look it up. Maybe it is because we don’t see them coming.

3-4 Defense – I have never been a big fan of the 3-4 Defense, I think it opens you up to much to a good running team. But if they play a LB more like a DE then I will feel a little better. But I still don’t like it.

Nick Holt – I really don’t know if this guy is a good coach I figure he is. But Carroll has had his stamp all over the Defense since 2001 and it seems to have worked pretty well.

2006-08-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

Perched on the Edge of the Season

As we approach the month of September, minds clear form their midsummer haze and begin to contemplate the return of College Football, and I thought it might be nice to share a few thoughts about the season to come.

1. I think it is sad that USC has eliminated the Yell Leaders. Sure, they were goofy, and a little, well, um, Alternative (not that there's anything wrong with that), but they are a tradition, and when you choose to end a tradition you make that choice not just for yourself, but for all those that come along after you. I find it hard to believe that no one at the University was willing to step forward and continue the tradition.

2. I could care less that USC moved its band to the Sun Deck. The seating location of the band is not a tradition, just an allocation of space. I do object to the name of this reborn Sun Deck -- Trojan Nation -- who are we Maryland?

2006-08-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought I should share my preseason rankings with you.

1. Ohio State – Trust me, I am not sure they belong there either. But they were the only other team besides USC to give Texas a run for their money. And, their offense was playing way better at the end of the season than it was in the beginning. The D is still a question but we will see.

2. Auburn – A lot of players are coming back, both on the offense and on the defense. Oh, and the SEC are idiots and gave them 8 home games. No team is better at scheduling cupcake opponents as Auburn. I think next season they are going to try and play Army.

3. West Virginia – I can hear the banjos already. Again another team with a favorable schedule. But they did play really well in their BCS game last season.

4. USC – This might be me just hoping for an excellent season but the Trojans have the level of talent to keep them in the top 5. But now it is just time to execute. New offense players and a new defense lead to a lot of question marks. And hopefully this season the special teams will show up. The end of the season will be murder; Cal, Notre Dame, and UCLA in the last weeks of the season. Fight On!

5. Notre Dame – A lot has been said about fatso and pretty boy and I won’t repeat it all here, but seriously, Weis is a good coach and Quinn is a good QB. And if they play up to the level they played against USC last year they might be 1 or 2 at the end of the season.

6. Texas – Now which team has lost more USC or Texas? I think the general consensus is that USC has; but I would submit that Texas has. The Longhorns were much more one dimensional on offense than USC but I still think that D will keep them in most of their games and they just need to score a little to win.

7. Miami – The new ACC is going to be impossible to get through undefeated (plus it is lame that they don’t have geographic regions) but Miami has the best chance. Always loaded and always fast it will be hard to catch up.

8. Florida – I think this might be the year for Urban Meyer in Florida. That is if he doesn’t stress out Leak too much. The schedule will be tough. The SEC is never easy.

9. Cal – Great running back, Great D, now all they need is a good QB. It sure isn’t Ayoob. I think that he was the MVP for USC in the Cal USC game last year.

10. LSU – Did anyone see them play Miami in their bowl game last year? They looked really good. But this season they get games at Auburn, at Florida and at Tennessee...that won’t be fun.

Anyone else have thoughts?

2006-08-01T05:35:00.000-07:00

So, what is the worst thing about college football? Well, for me it is the length of the season. We only get 3 full months of football. Though bowl season is awesome I only get to see Trojans once during bowl season. So, that means from the kickoff of the season to the crowning of the champion there is only 4 months. Kind of a bummer. But I do love it.

Fight On!

2006-07-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

Well, one more week done, and one more week closer to the kickoff of football season. I don't know about the rest of you but I can't wait.

I have also been thinking recently about tacky fans vs. classy fans.

Tackiest fans - Virginia Tech (Now that I live in the Old Dominion I am regularly relegated into running into these fans. They can’t help themselves talk about how much better their football team is than yours. Even if you beat them.)

Runner up tackiest fans – UCLA (Just goes without saying)

Classy fans - Notre Dame (When ND fans get drunk and riled up all they yell at me is the date of the next game. Of course I always yell back that I am looking forward to that date)

Anyone else have any thoughts?

2006-07-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

Great Article to read. Gets me ready for November.

News and Views from the Board Ops: Notre Dame's Greatest Rival