2009-10 USC Basketball Season in Review

After the dust settled on the 2008-09 basketball season, one where we won the Pac-10 tournament, beat Boston College and pushed Michigan State, the national runner-up, to the limit in the NCAA tournament, USC fans were left thinking, what now? Goodbye Taj Gibson. We hardly knew you, Demar DeRozan. Good luck in Italy, Daniel Hackett. Good riddance, Tim Floyd. At least we have a good recruiting class, whoops! hello Arizona. Kevin O'Neill? Guess we should give him a shot. So let's see who we have left: Dwight Lewis, and, um, Evan Smith. Fantastic. I would have voted us 10th, not 9th in the preseason poll which looked like this:

1. California
2. Washington
3. UCLA
4. Arizona
5. Oregon State
6. Oregon
7. Arizona State
8. Washington State
9. USC
10. Stanford

So saying there were no expectations for this team going into this season would have been an understatement. Coupled with the fact that we started the season with a six man rotation (Lewis, Marcus Simmons, Nikola Vucevic, Kasey Cunningham, Donte Smith, and Evan Smith) meant for a long season.

Things started off well, with a 10 point win over UC Riverside, USC's first win in a home opener at Galen Center ever, so Coach O'Neill already had that stat over his predecesor. But things got ugly quick. If you had game 2 in the "When will Kasey Cunningham tear one of his ACLs?", come on down to collect your prize! Only five guys played after Cunningham went down as Loyola Marymount used their depth (when does a West Coast Conference team have more depth than one from the Pac-10?) to pull away for the upset.

But help was on the way, in the form of Alex Stepheson. Or maybe not. Stepheson has such an impresive physique, but is so damn raw in terms of talent. So frustrating. If I had Stepheson's body, I'd be in the NBA right now. Oh well. Didn't matter against an overwhelmed Coppin State team. But the hardest stretch of the season proved too much for USC to overcome. Nebraska stole a win in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series. Then the Trojans played some scrappy ball in Austin to stay in strking distance with #2 Texas until they pulled away when Vucevic fouled out.

Then came the sour note on the season, the egg USC layed at Georgia Tech, falling behind 19-0, with Lewis being pulled after 6 minutes of action. In a season of ups and downs, struggling to score against a zone, holding opponents to 37 points, I stuck with the team as long as they played hard. After their third straight loss and playing uninspired ball, it was easy to give up on an already lost season. It was the first time there was no sure NBA talent on the roster (Nick Young, O.J. Mayo, DeRozan), the team was full of transfers (Johnson from UConn, Stepheson from Carolina) that were just stop gaps until the program could back on track, and there was no real likeable guy on the team. Until...

The team got back on track with home wins against Sacramento State and Idaho State. Then Tennessee came into town. After holding off Idaho State by 6, things looked bleak as the #9 Volunteers took the court. But little did most of us know the older looking white kid with the messy hair had in store. Mike Gerrity, fresh off sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules, made his USC debut, sporting the #44, was one of three Trojans with a double-double, as he had 12 points and 10 assists. But more impressive was how he weaved through Tennessee's full court press, which I don't blame them for employing, as no one else for USC could have broken their press. For this first time since Ryan Francis, USC had a true point guard. I fell in love with Gerrity on the spot, despite his 1-7 performance. This performance also ensured I would catch at least one game USC played in Hawaii in the Diamond Head Classic.

Gerrity led the team in scoring in wins over Western Michigan and Saint Mary's, scoring 17 points in each game. The Trojans rotation became complete when Leonard Washington became eligible for the game against the Gaels. USC sported a eight man rotation with Vucevic, Stepheson, Johnson, Lewis, and Gerrity starting and Simmons, Donte Smith, and Washington off the bench. Not too shabby. In the championship game of the inaugural Diamond Head Classic, the Trojans used suffocating defense to hold UNLV to 34% shooting to win the championship. Gerrity was named tournament MVP with Johnson also being named to the all-tournament team. USC was on a roll heading into Pac-10 play, something most of the conference could not say. The Pac-10 did not have a marquee win, other than USC's upsets over Tennessee and UNLV while struggling with mid majors (Loyola Marymount, Portland, Cal State Bakersfield, Seattle, etc.). It would be a down year for the conference to say the least.

USC continued their strong play to open conference play, sweeping the Arizona schools at home, including holding Arizona State to a paltry 37 points. Then the hammer dropped on the poor USC team, as athletic director Mike Garrett announced sanctions due to the O.J. Mayo fiasco; loss of scholarships, recruiting hours, vacating all the wins from Mayo's lone season at USC, and the big one, no postseason play, including a ban from the Pac-10 tournament. It seemed like Garrett wanted to avoid most, if not all, penalties for the football program by laying down the law on the basketball team. I'm fine with the loss of scholarships (take away Lil Romeo's) and the loss or recruiting hours I can deal with. Vacating the wins was fine too, USC will never be in the discussing as a dominant basketball program, so losing 21 wins and a first round loss to Kansas State was no big deal. But to punish this team, with only Dwight Lewis being around when O.J. was here, a new coach who had nothing to do with Floyd's wrong doing was wrong. Take away more scholarships or more recruiting hours. Do anything but take away what this team was playing for, a chance to defend their Pac-10 tournament championship, and a chance to play in the Big Dance. But sorry, Lewis, Gerrity, and Johnson, your season will end at Arizona with no chance at post season glory, just so the football team can get off scott free. And where's Floyd's penalty? He's currently an assistant coach with the Hornets. What happens if the football team gets slapped with sanctions for stuff that happened under Pete Carroll? Does he lose scholarships with the Seahawks? One of the many problems with college sports, where everyone but the student-athletes see the money they generate, where coaches can jump from school to school while the kids have to sit out a year due to transfer rules, where there is no playoff to name the national champion in college football. Ugh. And USC and Angels radio announcer Rory Markas died too. Not a good week for USC.

Anyway, when the Trojans went up north, their eight game win streak was snapped against Stanford, no big surprise there after what happened during the week. USC also lost to Cal before heading to Pauley Pavilion. The Trojans jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back, going on to their largest margin of victory ever at UCLA (67-46). Despite blowing out Washington 87-61, USC finished the first round with a whimper, losing to bottom dwellers Washington State at home and the Oregon schools on the road. So all that good (blowouts of UCLA, Washington) was quickly wiped out by the bad (losing to Oregon, Oregon State). USC finished 4-5, going 3-1 against the top 4 and 1-4 against the bottom 5 of the conference. Wonderful.

The Trojans rebounded to start off the second round of conference play, taking care of Stanford and the conference leader Cal at home. UCLA game into town, and despite the Trojans ability to foul three point shooters, USC earned the first regular season sweep of the Bruins since 2004. The Trojans stole a game from Washington on the road before the bottom fell out on the season. USC finished the season on a five game losing streak, dropping games to Washington State, at home to Oregon and Oregon State, at Arizona State, and at Arizona in the Tim Floyd Classic, ending in double O/T. The Oregon games were brutal, as USC scored 44 points in each, never figuring out the zone defense. It's easy, don't dribble into the zone where the other team wants to trap you and swing the ball around. Oh, and the free throw line is ALWAYS open. Flash Lewis there for a easy midrange jumper. But there I go with logic again. Despite their five game losing streak, USC still finished tied with UCLA and Oregon State for fifth in the conference, more a reflection of the poor play of the Pac-10 than anything. The Trojans would have entered the tournament as the #5 seed using the tiebreaking process:

• Results of collective head-to-head competition during the regular season among the tied teams (Oregon State, UCLA, USC went 2-2 against each other)
• If two or more teams are still tied, each of the tied team’s record vs. the team occupying the highest position in the regular season standings, and then continuing down through the standings until one team gains an advantage. 
• Oregon State, UCLA, USC went 1-1 against #1 California
• UCLA and USC went 1-1 against #2 Arizona State, Oregon State went 0-2
• USC went 2-0 against #3 Washington, UCLA went 1-1 USC went 2-0 against UCLA, either way, we win

Yeah that's not complicated... But I would like our chances in the wide open conference, as USC did not lose a Pac-10 game by more than 10 points (both times to Oregon, who finished ninth in the conference). The Trojans would be matched up with Arizona in the first round, a team USC beat at home and pushed to double overtime, where Vucevic fouled Kyle Fogg on a three point shot, who hit all three and sent the game to double O/T where Arizona won with a layup with one second left.

So USC finished the season 16-14 (8-10 Pac-10). USC was in position to win the conference before their five game losing streak. But I'd still rank this season as a B-. Great were wins over Tennessee, UNLV, sweeping Washington and UCLA, and winning the Diamond Head Classic. And Mike Gerrity. Terrible were being swept by Washington State, Oregon, and Oregon State and the no-show at Georgia Tech. A decent recruiting class coming in next season leads to hope, but who's returning from this year? Marcus Simmons, defensive stopper with an average offensive game. Nikola Vucevic, my pick for Pac-10 Most Improved Player of the Year (a little biased). Alex Stepheson, hopefully he goes from "raw" to "medium rare" over the summer. Leonard Washington, hopefully he stays out of trouble. Donte Smith, only as a backup point. So year, the cupboard more half empty than half full...

My picks for the all-conference awards (I won't do defense, cause I can't rate the top 5 in the conference) (oh, and here are the actual winners):
Player of the year: Quincy Pondexter, Washington
Coach of the year: Herb Sendek, Arizona State
Freshman of the year: Derrick Williams, Arizona

Most improved player of the year: Nikola Vucevic, USC

All-Pac-10 First Team
Ty Abbott, JR, Arizona State (12.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 41.8% 3pt FG)
Patrick Christopher, SR, California (16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds)
Jeremy Green, SR, Stanford (16.9 points, 3.7 rebounds)
Landry Fields, SR, Stanford (22.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 steals)
Quincy Pondexter, SR, Washington (20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 54.3% FG)
Jerome Randle, SR, California (18.7 points, 4.5 assists, 40.4% 3ptFG)
Theo Robertson, SR, California (13.8 points, 4.7 rebounds)
Isaiah Thomas, SO, Washington (17.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists)

Klay Thompson, SR, Washington State (19.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals)
Derrick Williams, FR, Arizona (15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 58.8% FG)

All-Pac-10 Second Team

Malcolm Lee, SO, UCLA (12.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists)
Dwight Lewis, SR, USC (13.8 points, 1.2 steals)
Michael Roll, SR, UCLA (13.5 points, 3.6 assists, 42.0% 3pt FG)
Nikola Vucevic, SO, USC (10.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.3 blocks)
Nic Wise, SR, Arizona (14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.8 steals)


All-Pac-10 Freshman Team
Solomon Hill, Arizona (6.6 points, 4.3 rebounds)
Tyler Honeycutt, UCLA (7.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.2 blocks)
Reggie Moore, Washington State (12.9 points, 4.1 assists)
Reeves Nelson, UCLA (11.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 63.3% FG)
Derrick Williams, Arizona  (15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 58.8% FG)

Best of Inside the NBA

Watched the Best of Inside the NBA show after the Rookie/Sophomore challenge Friday night. Haven't laughed that much in a while. Here are some of the best ofs from the show:

Yo're an idiot!


Kenny's Jersey is Retired


Kenny's New Shoe (f/ Kobe's Fake Laugh)


Barkley Changing Diapers


Teleprompter Fun (f/ Sponsor for EJ's Neato Stat)


Aqua Man


Barkley kisses Kenny's Ass


Barkley vs. Bavetta


Kenny's Birthday

Lack of Institutional Control at USC?

A look at the off-field incidents of the USC football team under Pete Carroll, starting with the latest story which may be the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of the NCAA citing the athletic department with a lack of institutional control:

1. December 2009 - RB Joe McKnight was reportedly seen driving a SUV registered to a Santa Monica businessman. The owner, Scott Schenter, has said that the car belongs to McKnight's girlfriend but it is under his name because her family did not qualify for the loan. In any case, McKnight should have known better and will be lucky to get away with just a slap on the wrist.
2. July 2009 - LB Jordan Campbell and DE Everson Griffen were cited for being loud at a party in Nantucket, MA, which was better that what was first reported, that they were arrested for a breach of peace. Knuckleheads...
3. September 2008 - CB Shareece Wright was charged with resisting a police officer after not leaving a party,  ignoring a cop's orders. A plea agreement was made where Wright pled no contest to disturbing the peace. Wright was already out for the 2008 season with a neck, and missed 2009 due to a brain fart.
   
4. March 2008 - DT Fili Moala was arrested for obstructing an officer and resisting after a bar fight. Moala was smart enough to leave the scene of the crime but for some reason ran back into the bar and was arrested. Moala was, surprise, not charged for the incident. But it did not stop Todd McShay from predicting he would be the number 1 pick in the 2009 draft.
   
5. May 2007 - CB/FS Josh Pinkard was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. He plead guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 36 months of probation.
6. August 2006 - CBs Brandon and Ryan Ting decided to leave the team. It was later discovered that Brandon tested positive for steroids. Good bye to their 3.9 GPA and lowering out APR score. I don't remember, but hopefully Brandon was the good one.
   
7. June 2006 - WR Dwayne Jarrett shared an apartment with Matt Leinart, but paid less than his share of the rent. Leinart's father paid for most of the rent, and was viewed by the NCAA as a violation. Jarrett was reinstated once he donated the difference Leinart's father paid in rent to a charity of his choice.
8. April 2006 - RB Reggie Bush allegedly took improper benefits from prospective agents while playing out his junior (Heisman) season at USC. His parents were said to be living in a house rent free, as the rent was paid by Michael Michaels (that's really his name), a marketing agency investor. In April 2009, the NCAA combined the Bush investigation with that of O.J. Mayo to see if USC is lacking institutional control. Death Penalty here we come!
   
9. April 2006 - QB Mark Sanchez was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault by a woman who claimed that Sanchez made unwanted advances on her. Charges were dropped due to lack of evidence, as the case was essentially a one-on-one allegation. Sanchez also used a fake ID when he was arrested and was cited for underage drinking. He had also broke a window at a frat party in an earlier indicent. Sanchez took a rape awareness class at USC and was later reinstated. 
10. January 2006 - Possible recruiting violations arise at Papadakis Tavern, where some recruits are treated to an expensive dinner miles away from campus. A visit to the restaurant has since been removed from future recruiting visits.
    
11. December 2005 - QB Matt Leinart was briefly ineligible for the 2006 Rose Bowl game (Vince Young's coming out party) after filming a promotional bit for ESPN.  He was reinstated by the NCAA after USC petitioned; apparently it was a money issue for them.
    
12. November 2005 - LB Rey Maualuga was arrested for allegedly punching another student at an off-campus party. Maualuga was allowed to play in the game that same weekend. No charges were filed against Maualuga, showing he did indeed "own the police."
    
13. August 2005 - DE Frostee Rucker was charged with spousal abuse (charges were filed in June the following year, after he left USC). Rucker settled with a plea agreement.
14. May 2005 - DT Manuel Wright failed to qualify academically and declared for the NFL Supplemental Draft.  Wright was also arrested on three misdemeanor charges, including assaulting one of his roommates and assault with a deadly weapon. Nick Saban also made him cry at one of his first Dolphin practices.
    
15. March 2005 - CB Eric Wright was arrested on suspicion of rape at an on-campus apartment. The charges were dismissed due to lack of evidence, even though 136 Ecstasy pills were found in his apartment. He transferred to UNLV a few months later.
16. August 2004 - RB Hershel Dennis was investigated for sexual assault after he had sex with a female who was drunk. He was reinstated after the investigation was dropped due to, surprise, a lack of evidence. Too bad Reggie Bush and LenDale White had already established themselves.
17. April 2004 - WR Mike Williams declared for the NFL Draft on the heels of Ohio State RB Maurice Clarett challenging the NFL's three years out of high school rule. Courts later ruled that decision void, and Williams was unable to regain eligibility at USC.
    
18. March 2004 - OT Winston Justice was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after he shot at another student with a pellet gun. It was Justice's second arrest in eight months; he was arrested for soliciting prostitution from an undercover police officer. He plead guilty on a lesser charge, exhibiting a replica firearm, and was suspended for two semesters.

I'm sure I'm missing some incidents. But in addition to these, players being academically ineligible also hurt the program, in terms of APR scores and the number of scholarships the school gets. Here's a list of players who were academically ineligible during Carroll's tenure:

1. Darnell Bing: 2002 
2. Stanley Havili: 2009 (Spring semester; Rose Bowl only)
   
3. Whitney Lewis: 2004 (redshirt)
4. Anthony McCoy: 2010 (Spring semester, will miss Emerald Bowl)
   
5. Joe McKnight: 2008 (Spring semester)
6. Tyron Smith: 2010 (Spring semester, will miss Emerald Bowl)
   
7. Matt Spanos: 2006
8. Averell Spicer: 2010 (Spring semester, will miss Emerald Bowl)
   
9. Troy Van Blarcom: 2007 (Dismissed)
   
10. Chauncey Washington: 2004 (redshirt) and 2005
11. Manuel Wright: 2005 (declared for Supplemental Draft)
12. Shareece Wright: 2009

Again, probably missing some from this list as well. Feel free to add to this.

I remember... 6 years

Stealing this from GarryP's post on WeAreSC, (and it's just 6 years for me, cause I'll admit, I didn't follow USC, let alone college football until I got to SC. But am I a bandwagon fan for jumping aboard my freshman year at the school, which happened to be the 2003 national championship year? Find me next September at the Coliseum with my 2010 football season tickets...):

2003:

• My first taste of USC football, the 2003 season opener at #6 Auburn. Watching the game in the common area of New/North dormitory. Free pizza (mmm pizza). Matt Leinart's first career pass being a touchdown to Mike Williams. Dominating a team that had Jason Campbell, Ronnie Brown, and Carnell Williams in the backfield.
• My first taste of the Coliseum, the 2003 home opener against BYU. Jumping out to a 21-0 lead before the Cougars stormed back with 18 straight. Leinart's 3 picks and the boos from the crowd. The Trojans scoring 14 points to end the game. The first smell of victory dogs.
• Beating Hawaii 61-32. Seeing Hawaii play live for the first time, in Los Angeles ironically. Timmah Chang.
• Losing to Cal in triple overtime. Watching the Gamecast while working in the computer lab at King Hall, cheering as the Trojans came back from down 14 and being depressed when we lost.
• Beating Notre Dame 45-14 in South Bend.
• #3 USC against #6 Washington State. To this day, I don't understand why there wasn't much hoopla over this game between two top 6 teams. Wazzu went on to beat Texas in the Holiday Bowl. 
• Beating UCLA 47-22, including leading 40-2 at one point. Seeing a male Bruin cheerleader waving the UCLA fan after they converted a blocked PAT into a safety, cutting the margin to 30-2. Mike Patterson rumbling 52 yards to score. Singing "Tusk" at a UCLA game.
• Beating Oregon State 52-28 in the season finale. Mike Williams' one handed catch. Singing "Pour Some Sugar on Me" at the end of the game, and saying "Beat the Sooners!" while "Conquest" played.
• Watching the BCS selection show the next day to see that Oklahoma, despite losing to Kansas State 35-7, would play in the Sugar Bowl against LSU for the BCS National Championship. Also the same day I lost faith in the BCS.
• Beating Michigan in the Rose Bowl 28-14. Leinart lateral to Hershel Dennis lateral to Mike Williams pass to Leinart for touchdown. Keary Colbert going beast mode on the Wolverine secondary. USC Trojans, the 2003 National Champions. Finished 12-1, #1 in the AP poll, Pac-10 champions.
  

2004:

• Beating Virginia Tech 24-13 in D.C. Reggie Bush announcing his arrival to the college football world with three receiving touchdowns. The Hokies would go on to win the ACC in their first year of membership.
• First weekender trip, a 31-28 win over Stanford. Being shocked by the Farm's long TD run to end the first half up 28-17. USC's comeback and defense smothering Stanford. Chanting "We are SC!" at the end of the game.
• Beating Cal 23-17. The stand. Cal drove the ball to the USC 9 yard line with about a minute and a half remaining. The sequence of plays went: Aaron Rodgers pass incomplete, Rodgers sacked for a 5 yard loss, Rodgers pass incomplete, Rodgers pass incomplete, ball game. Loudest I've heard the Coliseum. Ever. First time College Gameday came to the Coliseum, and it was hella fun. 
• Beating Oregon State 28-20 in the Fog Bowl. Watching the game at a Hooters. Dominique Byrd's one handed catch. Reggie's punt return.
• Beating Notre Dame 41-10 in the Coliseum. College Gameday came back!
  
• Beating UCLA 29-24 behind Reggie and on the strength of Ryan Killeen's five field goals. Dwayne Jarrett's crushing block on a Bruin defender on Reggie's first TD. Carrying oranges into the game and holding them up high after the game ended. Matt Cassel's most important play of his USC career: recovering an onside kick to seal the deal.
• Tom "The Bomb" Malone.
• Matt Leinart winning the Heisman Trophy.
  
• Beating Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl 55-19. Leaving no doubt. Watching the game and thinking how unreal it was that we were destroying the Sooners. Steve Smith going beast mode on the Sooner secondary. USC Trojans, the 2004 National Champions. Finished 13-0, ranked #1 in both polls, Pac-10 champions.

2005:

• Scoring 70 points in the home opener against Arkansas.
• Reggie Bush, lol.
• Trailing Arizona State 21-3 at the half. Missed the first half because of an engineering career fair. Huge comeback to win 38-28.
• Beating Notre Dame 34-31 in South Bend. Samardzija's punt return. Brady Quinn's drive to take the lead. 4th-and-9. Leinart to Jarrett. Leinart's gutsy audible in a loud (understatement) Notre Dame Stadium. Jarrett having blurry vision in one eye. Leinart fumbling out of bounds at the one yard line. Time running off the clock. The Bush Push. Charlie Weis getting a 10 year contract extension after losing this game.
• Revenge at Cal, 35-10. 
• Beating Fresno State 50-42. The wildest game I had seen in person (at the time). Reggie Bush going beast mode on the Bulldog defense. Punching my buddy in the face on accident after Darnell Bing returned an interception for a TD (called back for a penalty). 
• Beating UCLA 66-19. Too bad we paid for that a year later. College Gameday, woot. Yelling "Arizona" at them Bruins (they lost to them 52-14).
  
• Reggie Bush winning the Heisman Trophy.
• Vince Young beating USC in the Rose Bowl/BCS National Championship game 41-38. The only thing I remember is VY running towards us with 19 seconds left to put the Longhorns up 39-38. USC's 34 game win streak snapped. But I remember applauding the team after the loss. Nothing to be ashamed of after that one. Finished 12-1, ranked #2 in both polls, Pac-10 champions.
  

2006:

• Booty Booty Booty Booty rockin' everywhere!
• Beating Nebraska 28-10. College Gameday again.
• Losing to Oregon State 33-31. But it seemed like the turning point of the season after winning the previous three games by 7 points or less. The Trojans fell behind 33-10, then rallied for 21 straight points before Booty's 2 pt conversion was tipped at the line of scrimmage. But wasn't too upset after that loss.
• Beating Cal 23-9. It was a slugfest, yet included a 49 yard field goal by back-up kicker David Buehler. Gutsy fourth-and-2 call to up USC up by two scores from Booty to Steve Smith.
• Beating Notre Dame 44-24. Dwayne Jarrett went into beast mode on the Notre Dame secondary. College Gameday was there.
• Losing to UCLA 13-9 while ranked #2 in the nation, poised for a return to the national championship. This one hurt, and was probably where USC's dominance started to dwindle.
• Beating Michigan 32-18 in the Rose Bowl. Mario Danelo's last game. Dwayne Jarrett and John David Booty going beast mode on the Wolverine defense. Finished 11-2, ranked #4 in both polls, Pac-10 champions.
• Mario Danelo's death. Sigh, this one hurt. I may or may not have cried when I heard this.

2007:

• The missing man (kicker) formation after USC scored their first TD against Idaho. Get the chills everytime I see the video.
• Rolling over Nebraska 49-31. The team got to cocky, as you could tell after escaping Washington 27-24 and....
• Losing to Stanford 24-23. Disgusting. Booty broke a finger on his throwing hand, and golden boy Sanchez apparently wasn't ready to play. Against Stanford. A 43 point underdog.
• Beating Notre Dame 38-0 in South Bend.
  
• Losing to Oregon 24-17. USC's Pac-10 reign should have ended after this. Then Dennis Dixon's knee exploded.
• Weekender at Cal, winning 24-17. The driving rain made for an awesome atmosphere. I was soaked and chilled to the bone, yet we won, so all was good.
• Beating UCLA 24-7. Singing "Tusk" at the end of the game. Revenge never felt so good.
• Beating Illinois in the Rose Bowl 49-17. Rey Maualuga going beast mode on Juice Williams in the second quarter. Finished 11-2, #2 in the coaches poll, #3 in the AP poll, Pac-10 champions.

2008:

• Mark "Dirty" Sanchez making his debut at Virginia, winning 52-7.
• Beating Ohio State 35-3 in the Coliseum. Let down game coming in 3, 2, 1,
• Losing to Oregon State 27-21, falling behind 21-0. I guess coming out flat is very trendy for this team.
• Beating Notre Dame 38-3 in the Coliseum. Missed this game (Vegas).
• Beating UCLA 28-7. Back to the scene of the crime, getting sweet revenge against the Bruins.
• Beating Penn State in the Rose Bowl 38-24. Yeah not really a remarkable year after beating Ohio State and losing to Oregon State. Finished 12-1, #2 in the coaches poll, #3 in the AP poll, Pac-10 champions.

Not a bad list at all. Probably a lot more memories that I'm missing. One down year is not bad at all, and Pete doesn't face too much flack for beating Notre Dame and UCLA. A lot of teams would kill to have an entire history with these accomplishments, let alone a six year stretch. And I didn't even list the 2002 season, with a Pac-10 championship, finishing 11-2, ranked #4 in both polls, and Carson Palmer winning the Heisman. Next year, we lose a lot again (entire secondary, Damian Williams), but hopefully the coaching staff won't have too much turnover. The schedule is easier, but I like that fact that there is no marquee matchup that the team gets super pumped for, avoiding having a slump or hangover after that game.

UCLA fans will now light themselves on fire.

Trojans come up Poinsettias... huh?

Kick USC when they're down, Pac-10 teams, because when the Trojans bounce back (maybe not next season, but the season after), they will come back with a vengeance. Wait, who am I kidding? The talent gap has closed on USC to the point where they can't just win games on talent anymore. The Trojans can't just show up to a game and sleepwalk to a 30 point win. Coaches are finding the chinks in the armor and USC can't make the adjustments to make use of their advantages. Games are being decided on which team has the most heart, and in most of the games this season, the team on the opposite on the end of the field has had more desire to win the game. Maybe not due to a lack of desire to win the game as much as overconfidence on the Trojans' part. Take a look back at this season, game-by-game, and let's figure out which team wanted the game more.

• USC 56, San Jose State 3 - The Spartans dominated the first quarter before USC remembered they were USC and overwhelmed San Jose State.
• USC 18, Ohio State 15 - Sluggish game where both teams wanted the win equally. But at this point in the season, Ohio State was still Ohio State, who faltered in big games while USC still dominated Big Ten teams.
• Washington 16, USC 13 - The Trojans were so overconfident (like the year before against Oregon State) that they thought they could sleepwalk into Husky Stadium for a win. Jake Locker willed the Huskies to the win while the armor started to crack for the defense.
• USC 27, Washington State 6 - The score may not show it, but if you watched this game, the Cougars moved the ball on the vaunted Trojan defense. QB Jeff Tuel, in his first action of the season, gave the defense fits all game.
• USC 30, California 3 - The last complete game of the season. Cal had just come off a demoralizing loss to Oregon (42-3) as the 6th ranked team in the nation. The Trojans wanted this one more. Last time all season I felt confident of a game going into halftime.
• USC 34, Notre Dame 27 - USC started off fast, but Notre Dame wanted to win this one, badly. A furious comeback was cut short as time expired on the Irish. This was kind of like the Penn State Rose Bowl game where USC jumped out to a big lead only to hold on late to save the win.
• USC 42, Oregon State 36 - Oregon State wanted this one more, and they had the weapons to do it. Somehow Matt Barkley put together his first coherent drive since the Ohio State game to work the last five minutes off the clock to hold on.
• Oregon 47, USC 20 - Look at the score and tell me who had more heart. I believe it was 24-17 at the half. 
• USC 14, Arizona State 9 - Fluke pick-6 and 75 yard screen play or USC is 7-5 right now.
• Stanford 55, USC 21 - 27 fourth quarter points by Stanford. I think they may have had more heart that game.
• USC 28, UCLA 7 - A competent Bruin offense probably moves the ball on USC, turning enough punts into field goals to give UCLA the win. But both teams were equally bad in this one.
• Arizona 21, USC 17 - Arizona wanted to go to the Holiday Bowl. USC just wanted a nightmare season to end.

That's just one time all season where USC showed more effort and heart through out the game than their opponent. In years past, I would complain about how turnovers and penalties would shoot the Trojans in their foot. but those teams at least had the heart to not get blown out by 34 points at home. I mean at certain points in the game, you can look at the body language of the team and tell that we're not going to win the game. Against Oregon when we could not stop their offense. Against Stanford when Toby Gerhart ripped off another huge gain. Against Washington as Jake Locker dissected the defense. Against Arizona as Will Harris jogged over to help on the game winning touchdown. At least in the past, you could say USC would always have a chance to win the game, even though their mistakes put them in a losing predicament.

Hard to find a favorite loss, but I look back to the Oregon State loss in 2006. USC fell behind 33-10 early in the third quarter and it was almost time to turn off the TV. But that team would not allow USC to get blown out. They would not allow the Trojans name to be sullied by a blowout to Oregon State. So the made a HUGE run at the game, cutting the margin to 33-17, then 33-25, then 33-31 before Booty's pass to Jarrett on the conversion was tipped at the line. At the time, the loss hurt, it was the first regular season loss since 2002. But I came away with a lot of positives from that game. How the team showed heart and almost pulled off the comeback of the ages. How that team would not allow the program to suffer such a blowout. The UCLA loss in 2006 was disheartening because of how poorly the offense played that day. The Stanford loss in 2007 hurt because the Cardinal were such huge underdogs and made a comeback of their own, down 9 points in the fourth quarter. The Oregon loss in 2007 was fine, as Mark Sanchez was filling in for an  injured Booty, and we were driving to tie in the final minutes. The Oregon State loss in 2008 was brutal only because we looked so good against Virginia and Ohio State only to stumble in Corvalis, and the Trojans could not close the 21 point halftime margin.

But the most disappointing thing of this year's team is their inability to finish games. Pop in the 2004 USC Trojans DVD. What is the one thing Carroll is shouting to his team in the locker room after game?

Carroll: "Can you win the game in the first quarter?"
Team: "Hell no!"
Carroll: "Can you win the game in the second quarter?"
Team: "Hell no!"
Carroll: "Can you win the game in the third quarter?"
Team: "Hell no!"
Carroll: "But can you win the game in the fourth quarter?"
Team: "Hell yeah!" (Insanity ensues.)

That was one thing you could always count on from a Pete Carroll coached team, that they would always finish games strong. For some reason, this year's team has played their worst in the fourth quarter. Last season, USC outscored their opponents 98-15 in 12 regular season games (a TD against Oregon State on a 2-yard drive, and a TD against Stanford to end the game). This year? They were outscored 70-88 (skewed a bit by a 27-0 shellacking by the Cardinal, but still). That's not finishing strong Pete. Is it the conditioning? Don't we still have the same guy we've had since 2002 (if not further back)? Is it the injuries wrecking havoc to the depth chart? Is it the coaches being out-coached? What changed at the end of the third quarter against Notre Dame? It's hard to put a finger on it.

But its nice for all the Bruins out there to put this 8-4 season in perspective, how they would be elated if they were 8-4 this year and going to a bowl game not in Middle-of-nowhere, Idaho or Cold-as-fuck, Michigan. And it was a great run from 2002 to 2008, winning seven straight Pac-10 championships and finishing in the top 4 every year while going to a BCS game. With the parity in the Pac-10 and balance of talent across the board, it would be hard for any team to break USC's record 3 straight Rose Bowl wins (and 4 appearances in a row), so we have that to look forward to. But when will the Trojans elevate back up the Pac-10 pecking order? It doesn't look like next year, with the Stanfords and Oregons and Oregon States looking to run shit in the conference while USC is finally, officially in rebuilding mode. Carroll may think Matt Barkley is the golden boy, but until he can learn to set his field, stop staring down receivers, and avoiding his requisite interception every game, he is not the next Mark Sanchez, Matt Leinart, or even John David Booty.

What will help him and the team out? No coaching turnover. I think that, more than anything, wrecked havoc on the team this year. Even if the coaches failed to improve any player this year (Barkley made more mistakes at the end of the season, offensive line unit was ranked #1 nationally and disintegrated as the year progressed, ditto for the secondary, receivers did not improve through the year and were mishandled (short routes to Damian Williams, burning DeVon Flournoy's redshirt, tight ends not named Anthony McCoy having no confidence), special teams (outside of the punt return unit) not improving even with a special teams coach) having the continuity of the staff will help the young players grow (then again, the lack of improvement could again be placed on the arrogance of the players, thinking that they're better than the other team). Half of last year's staff is in Washington right now, and it looks like the better half is running things in Seattle. But the staff, as is, is fine, as long as it can stay intact through the spring and into next season.

The one thing I like about next season's schedule is that there isn't one game everyone is circling, like Ohio State or Nebraska from the past few years. There will be no big game let down for next year's team, allowing them to take one game at a time and not look past the opponent of the week. @ Hawaii, Virginia, @ Minnesota, and Notre Dame is a very manageable out-of-conference, but then again, we all know Carroll's problems lie in conference. Having Oregon and Cal come to the Coliseum, helps, then again, we lost by 34 at home to Stanford this year.

Will things change this offseason? Hard to see the administration putting heat on Carroll after his great run from 2002-2008, especially with that gaudy 18-2 record against rivals UCLA and Notre Dame. Every great team of this decade has had their poor seasons. Oklahoma started the aughts (2000's) by winning the National Championship and made it to three more games (2003 loss to LSU 21-14, 2004 loss to USC 55-19, 2008 loss to Florida 24-14) but went 8-4 in 2005 (those wins were eventually vacated thanks to Rhett Bomar) and 7-5 in 2009 (minus Heisman winning QB Sam Bradford). Miami looked to run shit after winning it all in 2001 but falling short in 2002 (double-overtime epic loss to Ohio State 31-24) but went 7-5, 5-7, and 7-6 between 2006 and 2008. Ohio State won the 2002 national championship but lost in 2006 and 2007 and finished 7-5 and 8-4 twice. USC started off slow (5-7, 6-6 in 2000 and 2001, respectively) but dominated the rest of the decade before this year, which could still end in a not bad 9-4. LSU won it all in 2003 and 2007 but was 8-5 in 2000 and 2008 and was is the only national champion with 2 losses. Texas, I think has won double digit games every year in this decade. If they win the title this year, they may be the team of the decade, since Florida had to endure the Ron Zook era. Wow too much info there... might have a team of the decade power rankings after the national championship.

Anyway, the Pac-10 rankings heading into the bowl season:

1. Oregon (10-2, 8-1) - Pac-10 Coach of the Year will be Chip Kelly, not only for winning the Pac-10 championship in his first season as coach, but also for turning what could have been a disastrous season after the Blount sucker punch and embarrassing display against Boise State in the season opener. What a difference three months make, as they looked to be the laughing stock of the conference. Just two things Oregon: Don't shit the bed in the Rose Bowl against Ohio State like you did against Boise State, and stop rushing the field every time you win a game that means something. Act like you've won before.
2. Arizona (8-4, 6-3) - Arizona finally got paid off for waiting for the Mike Stoops era to payoff, and it should culminate in the Holiday Bowl against a Nebraska team that can't score if their lives depended on it. Four field goals didn't beat Texas, and it probably won't be the Wildcats. By the way, Trojan fans, QB Nick Foles was playing with a broken left (non-throwing) hand while they were down to their back-up tail back and still won on the road. I'm just sayin'.
3. Oregon State (8-4, 6-3) - Rose Bowl or bust indeed. Holiday Bowl already passed on the Beavs, the Sun Bowl has a no-repeat clause (Oregon State beat Pitt last year in a barn-burner, 3-0), so its down to the Vegas or Emerald Bowls. Probably the Vegas since the Emerald wants its pick of the NorCal teams (Stanford, Cal). The Beavs probably will get Utah in Vegas since BYU has played there in the past 32 seasons.
   
4. Stanford (8-4, 6-3) - USC's loss is the Cardinal gain, right? El Paso against Texas Tech or Oklahoma looks likely for Stanford. Too bad Toby Gerhart had to play on a four loss team, as he should win the Heisman on production alone, but Mark Ingram being productive on a 13-0 Bama team will win the Tide their first Heisman (hard to believe, I know). Gerhart should be the Pac-10 offensive player of the year, though.
   
5. California (8-4, 5-4) - USC won the head-to-head here, but Cal, despite a disappointing loss to Washington, finished the season stronger, and would probably be 10-2 had Jahvid Best not been knocked out of the Oregon State game. That back-to-back with Oregon and USC lingers though. Probably head to the Emerald Bowl again, unless the Sun Bowl gets frisky and sends the Bears to El Paso and keeps Stanford in the Bay Area. Either way, Boston College awaits as long as the Gator Bowl can host the Bobby Bowden Memorial Bowl between Florida State and West Virginia (the last two teams he's coached).
   
6. USC (8-4, 5-4) - What's prettier, a Rose or Poinsettia? Well at least some Trojan fans got what they asked for, a bowl game not in Pasadena. Still stuck in Southern California, though I guess that was the goal coming in, playing in one of the Rose Bowl games this year. Disappointment, sure. The question is, will Mitch Mustain get some reps in the Poinsettia Bowl against BYU? Because this defense is not holding the Cougars to less than 28 points, which is bad since the offense can't eclipse 21.
7. Washington (5-7, 4-5) - Finished the season strong by winning the Apple Cup and destroying Cal. That hail mary by ASU literally cost the Huskies a chance to play in a bowl this year. I bark for Sark, and I think he is a close runner-up to Chip Kelly for coach of the year. A five win turnaround is not bad at all.
8. UCLA (6-6, 3-6) - Yes, bowl eligible, but hard to overlook that six game losing streak. Notre Dame's loss is the Bruins' gain, as they should (as long as Navy beats Army) get called by a bowl with an at-large spot, most likely the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho, unless Roady's wants Louisiana-Monroe or Louisiana-Lafayette to fill that spot. Idaho is a virtual lock in the other spot of the bowl, so instead of toothless Wyoming people taunting the Bruins, we'll have toothless Idaho people throwing potatoes at them. Good times all around.
9. Arizona State (4-8, 2-7) - Man that 10 win season feels like years ago, even though it was in 2007. Seems like Dennis Erickson has some of the pieces in place, they just need time to gel. At least they won't finish last in the conference for some time...
   
10. Washington State (1-11, 0-9) - At least they didn't finish winless, and they beat a team going to a bowl game! Looks like the only gimme on the slate for any team next year.

And the overall rankings (though I've failed to follow college football after USC lost to Stanford):

1. Alabama (13-0) - Had osme hiccups along the way, but they were able to pull out the close games and take care of teams they were supposed to. Up next is the BCS National Championship likely against Texas.
2. Texas (13-0) - Man that would have been awesome had Nebraska pulled off the upset. Oh well. Hard to pick against Bama winning it all though.
3. Cincinnati (12-0) - 3-5 don't really matter anymore. I just put Cincy up here since they've gone through a tough Big East slate (no joke) and beat Oregon State in Corvalis. Probably Sugar Bowl against Florida? Man the Cincy offense against Florida's D is a sick matchup.
   
4. Texas Christian (12-0) - Weak schedule (though you can't fault them, as they traveled to Virginia and Clemson), though hard to ignore their body of work against the Mountain West. Another dream match between TCU and Boise in a BCS game? Poinsettia had the game last year and it finished 17-16, TCU. Though the Fiesta Bowl was rumored to favor a TCU/Big Ten matchup with Iowa or Penn State.
   
5. Florida (12-1) - Hard to ignore being blown out by Alabama and only had one true test during the season (at LSU). Sugar Bowl against Cincinnati would be a fun one to watch.
   
6. Boise State (13-0) - Has the most impressive win of Cincy, TCU< and themselves in their win over Oregon, but hasn't done much to impress since. Probably get dragged out to the Orange Bowl against Georgia Tech.
   
7. Oregon (10-2) - Rose Bowl bound against Ohio State. Terrell Pryor needs to be on target if the Buckeye offense wants to keep up with the Ducks.
8. Ohio State (10-2) - Rose Bowl bound against Oregon. Weird with the Buckeyes' dominance of the Big Ten throughout the decade that this is their first trip to the Rose Bowl in ages.
9. Georgia Tech (10-2) - Bounced back from being upset by Georgia by winning the ACC. Orange Bowl against Boise State is probable.
10. Iowa (10-2) - Will still get rewarded for a good season with a trip to the Fiesta Bowl.
    

First to 24 wins

Noticed a trend in USC games where the first team to score 24 points usually won the game. So looking back at the Pete Carroll era, I listed the score of the game when a team scored 24 points, then the outcome of the game. In 97 games where at least one team scored more than 24 points, only 3 times they did not win. In honor of Ralph Lawler's Law, the voice of the Los Angeles Clippers, here's Caesar's Law, the first to 24 wins, it's the law:

1. 09/13/01 - Oregon 24, USC 22 (final score)
2. 10/06/01 - Washington 24, USC 17 (Washington 27, USC 24)
3. 10/13/01 - USC 28, Arizona State 10 (USC 48, Arizona State 17)
4. 10/20/01 - Notre Dame 27, USC 16 (final score)
5. 10/27/01 - USC 24, Arizona 10 (USC 41, Arizona 34)
6. 11/10/01 - USC 28, California 10 (USC 55, California 14)
7. 11/17/01 - USC 24, UCLA 0 (USC 27, UCLA 0)
8. 09/02/02 - USC 24, Auburn 17 (final score)
9. 09/14/02 - USC 27, Colorado 3 (USC 40, Colorado 3)
10. 09/21/02 - Kansas State 27, USC 6 (Kansas State 27, USC 20)
11. 10/05/02 - Washington State 24, USC 14 (Washington State 30, USC 27, O/T)
12. 10/12/02 - USC 24, California 21 (USC 30, California 28)
13. 10/19/02 - USC 24, Washington 7 (USC 41, Washington 21)
14. 10/26/02 - USC 27, Oregon 19 (USC 44, Oregon 33)
15. 11/09/02 - USC 28, Stanford 10 (USC 49, Stanford 17)
16. 11/16/02 - USC 27, Arizona State 13 (USC 34, Arizona State 13)
17. 11/23/02 - USC 28, UCLA 7 (USC 52, UCLA 21)
18. 11/30/02 - USC 24, Notre Dame 13 (USC 44, Notre Dame 13)
19. 01/02/03 - USC 24, Iowa 10 (USC 38, Iowa 17)
20. 09/06/03 - USC 28, Brigham Young 18 (USC 35, Brigham Young 18)
21. 09/13/03 - USC 24, Hawaii 6 (USC 61, Hawaii 32)
22. 09/27/03 - California 24, USC 21 (California 34, USC 31, 3 O/T)
23. 10/04/03 - USC 24, Arizona State 17 (USC 37, Arizona State 17)
24. 10/11/03 - USC 27, Stanford 0 (USC 44. Stanford 21)
25. 10/18/03 - USC 28, Notre Dame 14 (USC 45, Notre Dame 14)
26. 10/25/03 - USC 26, Washington 14 (USC 43, Washington 23)
27. 11/01/03 - USC 29, Washington State 10 (USC 43, Washington State 16)
28. 11/15/03 - USC 28, Arizona 0 (USC 45, Arizona 0)
29. 11/22/03 - USC 24, UCLA 0 (USC 47, UCLA 22)
30. 12/06/03 - USC 28, Oregon State 7 (USC 52, Oregon State 28)
31. 01/01/04 - USC 28, Michigan 7 (USC 28, Michigan 14)
32. 08/28/04 - USC 24, Virginia Tech 13 (final score)
33. 09/11/04 - USC 28, Colorado State 0 (USC 49, Colorado State 0)
34. 09/18/04 - USC 28, Brigham Young 10 (USC 42, Brigham Young 10)
35. 09/25/04 - Stanford 28, USC 17 (USC 31, Stanford 28)
36. 10/16/04 - USC 28, Arizona State 7 (USC 45, Arizona State 7)
37. 10/23/04 - USC 24, Washington 0 (USC 38, Washington 0)
38. 10/30/04 - USC 28, Washington State 0 (USC 42, Washington State 12)
39. 11/06/04 - USC 28, Oregon State 13 (USC 28, Oregon State 20)
40. 11/13/04 - USC 28, Arizona 9 (USC 49, Arizona 9)
41. 11/27/04 - USC 27, Notre Dame 10 (USC 41, Notre Dame 10)
42. 12/04/04 - USC 26, UCLA 17 (USC 29, UCLA 24)
43. 01/04/05 - USC 28, Oklahoma 7 (USC 55, Oklahoma 19)
44. 09/03/05 - USC 28, Hawaii 3 (USC 63, Hawaii 17)
45. 09/17/05 - USC 28, Arkansas 7 (USC 70, Arkansas 17)
46. 09/24/05 - USC 24, Oregon 13 (USC 45, Oregon 13)
47. 10/01/05 - USC 24, Arizona State 21 (USC 38, Arizona State 28)
48. 10/08/05 - USC 28, Arizona 14 (USC 42, Arizona 21)
49. 10/15/05 - Notre Dame 24, USC 21 (USC 34, Notre Dame 31)
50. 10/22/05 - USC 27, Washington 10 (USC 51, Washington 24)
51. 10/29/05 - USC 28, Washington State 6 (USC 55, Washington State 13)
52. 11/05/05 - USC 24, Stanford 0 (USC 51, Stanford 21)
53. 11/12/05 - USC 28, California 3 (USC 35, California 10)
54. 11/19/05 - USC 27, Fresno State 21 (USC 50, Fresno State 42)
55. 12/03/05 - USC 24, UCLA 0 (USC 66, UCLA 19)
56. 01/04/06 - USC 24, Texas 23 (Texas 41, USC 38)
57. 09/02/06 - USC 30, Arkansas 7 (USC 50, Arkansas 14)
58. 09/16/06 - USC 28, Nebraska 10 (final score)
59. 09/30/06 - USC 28, Washington State 15 (USC 28, Washington State 22)
60. 10/07/06 - USC 26, Washington 20 (final score)
61. 10/14/06 - USC 28, Arizona State 21 (final score)
62. 10/28/06 - Oregon State 30, USC 10 (Oregon State 33, USC 31)
63. 11/04/06 - USC 28, Stanford 0 (USC 42, Stanford 0)
64. 11/11/06 - USC 28, Oregon 3 (USC 35, Oregon 10)
65. 11/25/06 - USC 28, Notre Dame 10 (USC 44, Notre Dame 24)
66. 01/01/07 - USC 25, Michigan 11 (USC 32, Michigan 18)
67. 09/01/07 - USC 28, Idaho 3 (USC 38, Idaho 10)
68. 09/15/07 - USC 28, Nebraska 10 (USC 49, Nebraska 31)
69. 09/22/07 - USC 27, Washington State 7 (USC 47, Washington State 14)
70. 09/29/07 - USC 24, Washington 17 (USC 27, Washington 24)
71. 10/06/07 - Stanford 24, USC 23 (final score)
72. 10/20/07 - USC 24, Notre Dame 0 (USC 38, Notre Dame 0)
73. 10/27/07 - Oregon 24, USC 10 (Oregon 24, USC 17)
74. 11/03/07 - USC 24, Oregon State 3 (final score)
75. 11/10/07 - USC 24, Cal 17 (final score)
76. 11/22/07 - USC 27, Arizona State 17 (USC 44, Arizona State 24)
77. 12/01/07 - USC 24, UCLA 7 (final score)
78. 01/01/08 - USC 28, Illinois 10 (USC 49, Illinois 17)
79. 08/30/08 - USC 24, Virginia 7 (USC 52, Virginia 7)
80. 09/13/08 - USC 28, Ohio State 3 (USC 35, Ohio State 3)
81. 09/25/08 - Oregon State 27, USC 14 (Oregon State 27, USC 21)
82. 10/04/08 - USC 27, Oregon 10 (USC 44, Oregon 10)
83. 10/11/08 - USC 28, Arizona State 0 (final score)
84. 10/18/08 - USC 27, Washington State 0 (USC 69, Washington State 0)
85. 11/01/08 - USC 28, Washington 0 (USC 56, Washington 0)
86. 11/15/08 - USC 24, Stanford 17 (USC 45, Stanford 23)
87. 11/29/08 - USC 24, Notre Dame 0 (USC 38, Notre Dame 3)
88. 12/06/08 - USC 28, UCLA 7 (final score)
89. 01/01/09 - USC 24, Penn State 7 (USC 38, Penn State 24)
90. 09/05/09 - USC 28, San Jose State 3 (USC 56, San Jose State 3)
91. 09/26/09 - USC 27, Washington State 0 (USC 27, Washington State 6)
92. 10/03/09 - USC 30, California 3 (final score)
93. 10/17/09 - USC 27, Notre Dame 14 (USC 34, Notre Dame 27)
94. 10/24/09 - USC 28, Oregon State 16 (USC 42, Oregon State 36)
95. 10/31/09 - Oregon 24, USC 17 (Oregon 47, USC 20)
96. 11/14/09 - Stanford 28, USC 14 (Stanford 55, USC 21)
97. 11/28/09 - USC 28, UCLA 7 (final score)
    

Record - 94-3 (96.9%)

Ding-dong the Witch is Dead: Ducks end Trojans' Pac-10 Reign

Well no more excuses. The Trojans got beat, and they were beat badly. In the past, USC could look at one stat or point to a key injury to explain their loss. Here? The lack of coaching adjustments, especially on defense (understatement of the year) led to USC's demise and likely end of the Trojans' reign of terror over the Pac-10. Although not mathematically eliminated, USC would need to win out and have Oregon to lose three of their final four games to return to Pasadena. No sugarcoating 392 rushing yards allowed. No pointing to turnovers (only one late Barkley INT) or excessive penalties (6 false starts, the Autzen Stadium didn't get to Barkley, but it sure got to his O-line). Maybe point to injuries (TE Anthony McCoy, WRs David Ausberry and Travon Patterson, FB Stanley Havili, RB Stafon Johnson, C Kris O'Dowd missed action), but how the hell do we suffer so many injuries? It seems like we always have a rash of injuries with bite USC at the wrong time, but you don't hear the elite teams having the same problems. Maybe it's our training regiment:



But unlike USC's other losses, I'm not upset over this one. In fact, I saw this coming: from my season preview:

"USC will probably split the Oregon/Cal road games, both of which could decide the Pac-10 crown this year. Cal is a dangerous team with prolific runner Jahvid Best, and the Oregon schools always give USC trouble in the state of Oregon:

October 24, 1998 - L @ Oregon State (17-13)
September 25, 1999 - L @ Oregon (33-30, 3 O/T)
September 30, 2000 - L @ Oregon State (31-21)
September 22, 2001 - L @ Oregon (24-22, Oregon made field goal with 12 seconds left)
October 26, 2002 - W @ Oregon (44-33, trailed 19-14 at the half)
November 6, 2004 - W @ Oregon State (28-20, fell behind 13-0 to start game)
September 24, 2005 - W @ Oregon (45-13, fell behind 13-0 to start game)
October 28, 2006 - L @ Oregon State (33-31, trailed 33-10 midway through third)
October 27, 2007 - L @ Oregon (24-17)
September 25, 2008 - L @ Oregon State (27-21, trailed 21-0 at halftime)

3-7 in the last 10 games in the state of Oregon, and trailed in every game? Not good..."

I also said USC would most likely finish 10-2 (8-1) with losses to Ohio State and Oregon. And right now? I would trade losing to Washington to lose to Ohio State in a heartbeat, as that extra loss to the Huskies will keep us out of the Rose Bowl. But maybe this is a good thing long term for the program. Having a change of pace; no longer being the king of the conference. No longer having the target on their back. No longer being favored to win every game by 20+ points. Then again, I hoped we would have the same change after the 2007 Stanford game, but no dice there.

Back to the game, what happened to the defense? Is there one thing we can point to that occurred after USC jumped up 34-14 on Notre Dame? From that point on, the Trojans have allowed an astonishing 96 points in 9 quarters. USC allowed 93 points in 12 regular season games last year. But in a span of 9 quarters, I've gone from feeling comfortable with the defense on the field to having the offense on the field. I went from knowing the Trojans would hold the opposition to less than 20 points on a gamely basis to hoping the defense can hold to a field goal. Oregon marched the ball down the field, with the USC defenders just being pesky on their way to the end zone. It seems that teams have made adjustments to USC's defensive scheme and USC hasn't made changes to what they've done. Maybe because Pete Carroll was content with winning shootouts. But that's not USC football. And that's not how you win big games on the road.

I remember back to the 2004 Rose Bowl game, when USC made it's mark on the football world. The defense was spectacular that day, with their takeaways and sacks on Michigan QB John Navarre. Especially on those sneaky corner blitzes. And their dominance over Oklahoma in the 2005 Orange Bowl. The Wolverine and Sooner offenses were so basic and simple compared to what Oregon ran today. It seems Pete Carroll has stayed the same while everything around him has changed. Teams are going to spread offenses with quarterbacks that can run and throw. We saw seeds of doubt of our defense sown against Washington State, when freshman QB Jeff Tuel, pushed into relief, moved the Cougars down the field on what was a stout defense. The Cal game aside, USC has allowed at least 27 points in their last three games. Not good.

But again Oregon was the much better team on the field. They were more prepared, made the correct adjustments, and deserved this win. This is why I'm not too upset with this loss. USC didn't give this game away. Oregon won it on the field. On to the Pac-10 Rankings:

1. Oregon (7-1 overall, 5-0 Pac-10) - Have fun in Pasadena Duck fans. Keep up the Pac-10 dominance over the Big Ten please. Just don't shit the bed. I'm pulling for you guys to either finish 8-4 or 11-1. The latter is more likely and more deserving.
   
2. Arizona (5-2, 3-1) - Scary offense will give fits to teams down the road, led by QB Nick Foles. Then again, you don't really need a good QB to give Washington State a hard time.
3. USC (6-2, 3-2) - With the Rose Bowl berth out of reach, will the Trojans finish strong the rest of the season to play for a BCS at large berth, maybe the Fiesta Bowl? All USC needs is 9 wins and a top 14 BCS rankings, not out of the question, depending on how far the Trojans fall after the blowout.
4. Oregon State (5-3, 3-2) - Almost let UCLA hang around too long. Then again, how did the Beavers defense allow two Bruin offensive touchdowns and two-point conversions? Washington State still remains on the schedule, so Oregon State should easily make another bowl game. Just no more 3-0 classics...
   
5. California (6-2, 3-2) - Screwed around after taking a 14-0 lead over Arizona State before needed a field goal in the final minutes to pull out the win in Tempe. Can't fool around with Oregon State, as this game may help round out the bowl pecking order.
6. Stanford (5-3, 4-2) - Finishes with a brutal stretch of Oregon, @ USC, Arizona, Notre Dame. Not sure where win #6 lies in that schedule.
   
7. Arizona State (4-4, 2-3) - Their reward for coming close to upsetting Cal? A visit from a banged up Trojan squad, who will either be demoralized after being embarrassed on prime-time national TV, or be looking to bounce back to make a trip back to, ironically, Tempe for the Fiesta Bowl. The Sun Devils needs to steal one from USC, Oregon, or Arizona to become bowl-eligible.
   
8. Washington (3-5, 2-3) - After all the rebuilding Sark has done in Seattle, a loss to UCLA next week will put the Huskies in the 9-hole where they spent most of last year, except for the last few weeks they were #10 after losing in last year's Apple Cup.
   
9. UCLA (3-5, 0-5) - Shows how much respect Prime Ticket is showing UCLA this year, as their game against Oregon State was shown on a tape-delay in L.A., which is unheard of in this day and age. Even the USC/UCLA soccer game was on live on Prime Ticket Friday night. Last gasp to become bowl eligible starts with a win over Washington next week.
10. Washington State (1-7, 0-5) - Poor Cougs. I hope that paycheck they got for being the sacrificial lamb to Notre Dame on national TV (NBC) was pretty hefty. Side note: ESPN was making fun about how New Mexico State had to take a game against Ohio State late in the season to help pay for food for the team during summer camp. They were made light of it, but the truth hurts for the Aggies. Almost as bad as the University of Hawaii showers not having soap in them.

And the top 10:

1. Florida (8-0) - Alabama's struggles against Tennessee last week and their bye this week along with Florida's dominance over Georgia put the Gators back at #1. Rankings #1-3 don't matter unless one of Florida/Alabama/Texas loses, which won't happen unless something really bizarre happens.
2. Texas (8-0) - Early season struggles, but they've put it together in all three areas of the game and look ready to make it back to the BCS championship game. Just no Heisman for Colt McCoy in my opinion.
3. Alabama (8-0) - Byes shouldn't cause teams to fall, but Texas looked really good on the road against a decent Oklahoma State team. But it won't matter as long as an undefeated Florida meet an undefeated Alabama in the SEC Championship game.
4. Cincinnati (8-0) - Even with a backup QB, the Bearcats are taking care of business. Couldn't say the same about, oh, USC about 6 weeks ago. Still have to get past a very good Pittsburgh team, but I don't see them having a problem getting to 12-0.
5. Oregon (7-1) - Still impressed with how they demolished the Trojans. Which makes me wonder if they had played Boise State later in the season... Best one loss team, hands down. If something happens to #1-2-3, Oregon is more deserving than Boise or TCU to make the national championship. I'm just saying.
6. Texas Christian (8-0) - 12-0 TCU goes in over 13-0 Boise. Period. Even if Oregon goes 11-1, the Horned Frogs would have defeated Clemson (ACC Atlantic leader), Virginia, and BYU, and gotten past a very good Utah team. Boise?
7. Boise State (8-0) - Just that win over Oregon, which continues to be more impressive by the day. But if the Broncos had to play the Ducks' schedule, where would they be? Hard to answer.
8. Iowa (9-0) - Yeah, I dropped them after playing sloppy games, but an even an undefeated Iowa does not deserve to be in anything greater than the Rose Bowl, which they should be content with. But please, Terrelle Pryor, please show up for a big game. As much as the college football universe loves to see upsets, I'm a traditionalist and like to see the big name schools (Texas, Ohio State, Florida, USC....) be in the BCS bowl games.
9. Georgia Tech (8-1) - Triple option, triple option, triple option. Love to see it in play, would have a heart attack if the team I rooted for ran it every down. Knowing USC, the Trojans would fumble one out of every five laterals. Just saying.
10. Louisiana State (7-1) - Can rock the world by knocking off Alabama in Tuscaloosa next weekend. Would make the season more interesting when we can say the #4 and #5 teams have a shot of being in the national championship game. But it would lead to a boring slugfest in the SEC championship game. Oh well.