2009 USC Football Preview

Less than a week away from the start of the 2009 college football season! With the return of the NFL a week later, and the NBA at the end of October, the dog days of summer and baseball are nearing an end. What better time for a quick look to the reigning 7-time Pacific-10 conference and 3-time Rose Bowl champions, the USC Trojans? Hopefully I'll keep up with the Pac-10 ratings week in and week out like last year, baring another Stanford-like collapse. The Trojans have one of the toughest road schedules in the nation, travelling twice to the midwest to take on The Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, OH and the resurgent Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend, IN in out of conference action, not to mention going to Berkeley, CA to take on the California Golden Bears, the chic pick for the Pac-10 crown this year, and Eugene, OR to face the Oregon Ducks, a state where USC has not won since 2005. A weak finish to the season means that for USC to win their eighth straight Pac-10 championship and make another appearance in the Rose Bowl game, they need to take care of business against Cal and Oregon.

Quick look back at last season, where the Trojans finished 12-1 (8-1 Pac-10) to win their seventh straight Pac-10 championship and third straight Rose Bowl game. The season started with high expectations behind a defense returning 10 of 11 starters and the start of the Mark Sanchez era. Things started off well for USC, going all the way to Charlottesville, VA to take on the Virginia Cavaliers, where the Trojans scored early and often en route to a 52-7 romp. Mark Sanchez went 26-35 for 338 yards, 3 TD, and an INT while seven different players scored a touchdown.

After a bye, the class of the Big Ten, the Ohio State Buckeyes made a rare trip west to play the Trojans. The Buckeyes struck first with a short field goal after marching down the field under the direction of both senior QB Todd Boeckman and true freshman QB Terrell Pryor. But after that it was all USC, as Sanchez went 17-28 for 172 yards, 4 TD, and an INT, Damian Williams hauled in two third quarter touchdowns, and Rey Maualuga had a game-changing 48 yard interception return for TD. USC would go on to win 35-3 as things looked promising for USC, having passed their biggest test of the year.

But the Trojans' fast start was quickly derailed in Corvalis, OR by the Oregon State Beavers, who came into the game with a 1-2 record. USC struggled to move the ball in the first half and sustain any drives, while Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year Jacquizz Rodgers ripped the defense for 186 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. The Trojans found themselves down 21-0 at the half, but was able to cut it to a seven point game before a Sanchez interception was returned to the two yard line, which was quickly cashed in by Rodgers to put the game out of reach, which the Beavs won 27-21. While this loss did not look as bad the rest of the season as Oregon State finished the season with 9 wins, USC could not recover from this loss and were never really considered for the BCS National Championship the rest of the season. In fact, their string of conference championships were in doubt as Oregon State continued to defeat other teams in Pac-10 play.

USC did not have much time to lick their wounds as the always dangerous Oregon Ducks made their way down to Los Angeles. A quick start by the Ducks, down to their third string QB, Jeremiah Masoli, jumped out to a 10-3 lead, silencing the home crowd. But the Trojans were able to regroup, scoring 24 unanswered points heading into halftime to send the stunned Oregon team down 27-10 at the half. USC scored 17 more points in the second half to win 44-10 and start an unprecedented streak of unanswered points scored over the course of three games. Sanchez recovered from his poor game in Corvalis, going 19-28 with 332 yards and 3 TD while David Buehler scored 14 points and kept the Ducks with poor field position with his booming kickoffs.

The downtrodden Arizona State Sun Devils next came to the Coliseum, not having recovered from their upset at the hands of the UNLV Rebels and the spanking they received from the Georgia Bulldogs. USC rushed out to a comfortable 21-0 lead after Kevin Thomas returned a Rudy Carpenter pass 46 yards for a touchdown, but sloppy play dominated the rest of the game, as the Trojan special teams blocked two Thomas Weber field goals, USC committed five turnovers, including four on four consecutive possessions, Sanchez threw three interceptions, and both teams struggled to sustain any drives. At the end of the day, a shutout (28-0) is nice, but lack of consistency with the offense would rear its ugly head in future games.

But nothing the Washington State Cougars could do would prevent their demise, a 69-0 shellacking in Pullman, WA. Sanchez carved through the porous Coug defense, throwing 15-20 for 253 yards and 5 TD in the first half before coach Pete Carroll decided to pull back a bit. C.J. Gable had 16 rushed for 104 yards and 3 TD and Broderick Green rumbled for 126 yards on 18 carries and 2 touchdowns before he decided to transfer to Arkansas. That impressive streak of unanswered points mentioned in the Oregon paragraph? Add the 41 points to close the Oregon game, the 28 points in the ASU game, and 69 more against Wazzu, and that streak was up to 138-0. Not to shabby.

But also remember the lack of consistency in the offense from the ASU paragraph? It happened in Tuscon against the Arizona Wildcats, as they again came oh-so-close to knocking USC off its Pac-10 throne. Sanchez went 21-36 for 216 yards, a TD, an INT, and a fumble which led to Arizona tying the game at 10 midway through the third quarter. USC did just enough to win, though, as Sanchez found fullback Stanley Havili for a 30 yard bomb for the final margin of 17-10, and the defense held the prolific Wildcat offense to 188 yards and made a key fourth-and-1 stop late in the final quarter to hold on for the win. By the way, that unanswered scores streak ended at 141 after Jason Bondzio kicked a field goal in the second quarter.

The Washington Huskies would be the cureall for the Trojans' offensive woes, as they were in the midst of sleepwalking through a 0-12 season, which showed in a 56-0 USC win. USC jumped out to a 42-0 halftime lead behind Patrick Turner's 6 catches for 100 yards and 2 TDs and Gable's 10 carries for 108 yards and 2 TDs. The final true test of the season would be against the Cal Bears, knocking on the door for the lead in the Pac-10 after defeating Oregon the week before.

The defense would hold its own again in Los Angeles as the Trojans held off the California Golden Bears 17-3, the eighth time USC held their opponents to 10 points or less. USC milked their 10-3 halftime lead until a late score by Ronald Johnson in a game mired by Trojan penalties (10 for 105 yards), but allowed only 165 yards of offense, including a paltry 27 rushing yards to a team that featured Jahvid Best, the "best" running back in the conference. While the Trojans passed their final test of the season, they still had to wait for Oregon State, the team who started the season 2-3, to lose to another Pac-10 foe, as they held the slim lead in the conference by virtue of their win over USC.

But USC almost overlooked the team that made them human in 2007, the Stanford Cardinal. Sanchez had trouble passing against the second worst pass defense in the Pac-10 (Wazzu was last), and the Trojans needed a 93 yard kickoff return by Gable to tie the game heading into halftime. USC went to the ground game to wear out the Cardinal behind Stafon Johnson's 14 carries for 115 yards and 2 TDs, and Sanchez hit Havili for a 50 yard bomb to blow the game open. Stanford scored as time expired for the final margin of 45-24.

The weekend of November 29th was a perfect one for USC, as their archrivals UCLA lost to Arizona State 34-9 after the Sun Devils scored four defensive touchdowns, USC won their seventh straight against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and Oregon knocked off Oregon State in the Civil War, meaning USC was a victory over UCLA away from returning to the Rose Bowl game. But to the game itself, USC flexed its muscle against the Irish, downtrodden after their upset to lowly Syracuse in South Bend the week before. Joe McKnight ripped off a 55 yard run to blow the game open as the defense held the Irish to without a first down until the end of the third quarter and allowed 91 yards of total offense on the way to a 38-3 win.

The feisty UCLA Bruins, under new coach Rick Neuheisel, was the only thing standing between USC and the Rose Bowl, a similar scenario to 2006, when the Bruins upset then #2 USC 13-9, keeping the Trojans out of the BCS National Championship and starting Florida's reign of terror. And it looked like history would repeat itself, as UCLA turned a Gable fumble into a reverse pass from Dominique Johnson to Kahlil Bell for a quick 7-0 lead. But this time, the Trojans responded quick and often. Wearing their home cardinal in the Rose Bowl as a visitor for the first time in decades, USC scored three times to take a 21-7 lead into the half. By then, UCLA's offensive woes combined with USC's suffocating defense meant little the Bruins could do would change the outcome of the game. The Trojans held on to the ball for over 36 minutes as they won 28-7, clinching their fourth straight Rose Bowl berth and seventh Pac-10 conference championship, fourth outright.

Waiting for USC would be the Big Ten champion Penn State Nittany Lions, coming off a strong 11-1 campaign where they fell 24-23 at Iowa for their only set back. Featuring their HD offense, Penn State hoped to end the Big Ten's failure to appear in big games. But after trading first quarter touchdowns, USC scored 24 second quarter points to take a commanding 31-7 lead. Sanchez went 28-35 (setting a Rose Bowl completion record) for 413 yards and 4 TD and rushed for another score as the slow Penn State defense could not keep up with the speedy Trojan receivers, especially Williams, who had 10 catches for 162 yards and a TD. Penn State showed some fight late as USC was sloppy at the end of the game, making the final score a respectable 38-24. USC finished the season ranked #2 behind BCS champion Florida.

Ok, so maybe not so quick look back at the season. In the offseason, Sanchez declared early for the draft, offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian took the head coaching job at Washington and took defensive coordinator Nick Holt with him, causing a lot of shuffling in the coaching ranks. Taylor Mays opted to stay in college, hoping to have some continuity in the defense. Matt Barkley headlined another top 10 recruiting class that made more news for the players who signed elsewhere than the actual haul made by Carroll. So a look at the team that will take the field on Saturdays this year:

Offense

Quarterback
#7 Matt Barkley - Barkley will be the first true freshman to start the season opener in USC history. At least he will have a game to get his feet wet before the test against Ohio State. Checked him out at the mock game on Saturday, and I would give him an average grade. He obviously has the tools to be a four year starter here, but his decision making must improve quickly. There were several time he tried to force a pass when the obvious choice was to throw the ball away. Carroll had a quote saying that Barkley has the same problem that Sanchez had last year, trying always to make the big play, which led in part to John David Booty being a two year starter at USC, since Booty played smarter, even if he didn't have the big play ability of Sanchez. Aaron Corp was the save choice here, as he made better decisions with the ball and has the ability to scramble for yards when no receivers are open. Hopefully Corp will be able to get some reps in against San Jose State in case he is needed for Ohio State. Mitch Mustain and Garrett Green round out the depth chart.

Running Back
#4 Joe McKnight OR #2 C.J. Gable OR #13 Stafon Johnson OR #21 Allen Bradford - McKnight starts because he has that big play ability, as in he can break away for a touchdown on any run. But there are sometimes that a hole is open for a 5-7 yard gain that McKnight declines in hopes for a big play that just isn't there and runs in the wrong direction. Oh and there's that fumble issue that needs to be resolved pronto if he wants to be the next Reggie Bush. Gable should be the every down back along with Johnson (since we must insist on a stable of running backs), as Gable can block and catch out of the backfield. Johnson is the workhorse, especially near the goal line as he has a nose for the endzone. Bradford will most likely be in on kickoff coverage and as a fullback on those bootleg plays where he leaks out for a catch, but he showed his ability in the scrimmage, when he was in beast mode. If I had my wish, Johnson would bet 20+ carries a game and the rest would just take it, but it's awfully hard to keep such talented backs on the bench. Marc Tyler and Curtis McNeal should see mop-up time in blowouts.

Fullback
#31 Stanley Havili - Was academically ineligible for the Rose Bowl game against Penn State, but we need him back there, as a threat to catch the ball, and for those fullback dive plays which almost always seem to work. The only problems with him are to stay eligible for the season and stay healthy. D.J. Shoemate should share some time with Havili.

Flanker
#18 Damian Williams - Note to Barkley, look for D-Will early and often. Williams has the chance to be one of the best receivers in the conference, if not the nation, as long as Barkley uses him as a security blanket out there. Williams looked really smooth at the scrimmage, both as a receiver and punt returner. Barkley definitely has a lot of options at receiver out there, as will be noted soon enough, and if the offensive line can gel in front of him, all he would need to do is improve his decision making. Back to Williams, as he led the team in receptions (58) and yards (871) and scored 9 times last year. Travon Patterson and true freshman De'Von Flournoy should see time at flanker as well.

Split End
#8 Ronald Johnson #9 David Ausberry - Well this one hurt, as RoJo broke his clavicle in the mock game, which will keep him out of action for at least two months. Gone is Barkley's deep play threat and probably the fastest receiver on the team. Oh well. Ausberry is in the Mike Williams mold: big, physical receiver, and should be able to show his skills with ample playing time. Brice Butler is his backup, but should see a lot of time in three receiver sets.

Tight End
#86 Anthony McCoy - Quite the reverse from 2007, when Mackey Award winner Fred Davis led the Trojans in receptions, yards, and TDs, on a team that lacked depths at receiver, as in 2008, McCoy finished fifth in receptions and yards with only one TD. Could have been due to the QB too, or the drop off in talent from Davis to McCoy. Regardless, McCoy, now a senior, should provide a short range target for Barkley and another set of reliable hands for the true freshman. Looking at the set of receivers the Trojans do have, Williams, Havili, McCoy, and even Ausberry all can catch the ball and should help Barkley's transition to D-1 football.

Offensive Line
#71 Charles Brown (LT), #68 Butch Lewis (LG), #53 Jeff Byers (C), #56 Alex Parsons (RG), #70 Tyron Smith (RT) - A lot of experience, except at RT on this line. The O-line took a slight hit when USC lost C Kris O'Dowd with a knee injury for about a month, but Byers, on his Hershel Dennis memorial sixth year of eligibility, should hold down the center position until O'Dowd's return. This group should give Barkley ample time in the pocket, hopefully not long enough to make a bad decision out there...(yeah, still not feeling the Barkley decision...). Zack Heberer and Nick Howell are fifth year seniors who should be able to plug any holes on the line when needed.

Defense

Left Defensive End
#96 Wes Horton OR #97 Malik Jackson OR #8 Nick Perry - These three should do a decent job filling in for the injured Armond Armstead, who is out a couple of months with a broken foot. Shouldn't take a huge dropoff here, but big things were planned for Armstead.

Nose Tackle
#44 Christian Tupou - I guess Carroll saw a lot in Tupou to burn his redshirt to play him on a handful of downs in his freshman year. His wild hair flowing out of his helmet reminds me of Rey Maualuga, in that he will be a tenacious force on the D-line, but I also envision a couple of personal foul penalties on the opposing QB which may hurt us down the road. Another beast mode player, Hebron Fangupo, should cause trouble in the backfield as well.

Defensive Tackle
#91 Jurrell Casey OR #99 Averell Spicer - Man it seems like Spicer has been at SC forever. Casey made several plays in the scrimmage, and paired with Tupou in the middle, should keep pressure on opposing QBs all season.

Right Defensive End
#93 Everson Griffen - Is this the year Griffen makes the transition to LoJack like DE? Not sure, as his backup, freshman Devon Kennard, looks to be the most touted DE since, well, Griffen. Griffen made a splash in 2007 when he had 3.5 sacks against Oregon State, but hasn't made much noise since. Maybe Carroll should make Griffen read the Inner Game of Tennis like he made Jackson read. Or maybe he can just start another true freshman...

Strong Linebacker
#17 Mike Morgan - Wow, when I saw we signed Morgan a few years back out of Texas, I never saw him becoming a starter. I think this group of 'backers have a combined 0 starts between them (I could be wrong). But apparently what they lack in experience, they make up in speed. And hopefully intelligence. Because speed minus football smarts will lead to a lot of running past the guy with the ball, especially against those shifty running backs (seems like there's a shifty running back at Arizona, Oregon State, California, and a power back at Stanford and Oregon... ugh). Not much depth behind Morgan, as there are two more true freshman ready to step up, including Jarvis Jones.

Middle Linebacker
#54 Chris Galippo - Another highly regarded recruit who has come in and done nothing but get hurt... two back surgeries later, ladies and gentlemen, your starting middle linebacker for the USC Trojans, Mr. Chris Galippo! Well, I guess it's better than his backups, who don't look to be ready either. But these guys are fast! Maybe this team can tackle Jacquizz Rodgers this year!

Weakside Linebacker
#6 Malcolm Smith - Gets extra points for being former WR Steve Smith's little younger brother. Steve is my favorite receiver of the time I've been following USC football (2003-present), narrowly edging Keary Colbert, since I was able to follow all four years he was a Trojan. As for Malcolm? He looks to be ready to step up into Keith Rivers and Kaluka Maiava's shoes. Jordan Campbell, another member of the Beast Mode team, is one of Smith's backups.

Cornerbacks
#15 Kevin Thomas and #24 Shareece Wright #36 Josh Pinkard - All I remember when I see Kevin Thomas is that ball he tipped in the end zone that was caught by James Rodgers at the end of the first half of the Oregon State game. And now he's our number one CB. And Shareece Wright fell half a grade short of being academically eligible for the fall. Ugh. Not saying I don't like Josh Pinkard... I LOVE Josh Pinkard. But I heart him even more as a safety than cornerback. Too bad he won't be able to show his stuff in his Hershel Dennis memorial sixth year of eligibility at safety. Thank you Shareece Wright, you can go back to getting into more fights... T.J. Bryant and Brian Baucham should also see some time at corner.

Strong Safety
#26 Will Harris - The only good thing about Wright being lost for the year is that Harris will be able to play a lot more. I was thinking that we could even go with three safties (Harris and Pinkard deep, Mays playing much closer to the line, almost like the third linebacker the safety would replace).

Free Safety
#2 Taylor Mays - Saved the best for last. By the end of the season, may be my favorite Trojan defender of the Pete Carroll era. Could be hampered a bit by the new rule that prohibits big hits on "defenseless" receivers, but if Carroll allows him to be more of a playmaker (like Troy Polamalu) instead of being the safety net on defense, Mays could have a monster year. Or get hurt (shudders at the thought)...

Special Teams

Coach
Brian Schneider - The biggest move of the offseason was the hiring of a dedicated special teams coach, probably due to all of the loses the Trojans suffered when Sarkisian took half the staff up north to UW. Still some problems in the return game, as one play in the scrimmage, two blockers failed to block the gunners, Brandon Carswell decided to take a kickoff from deep in the end zone and took it out to the five yard line, and our newly minted kicker, Jordan Congdon, missed a PAT, and "Big Balls" Pete decided to not try any field goals in the scrimmage, so we were not able to see Congdon's range (limited to 40 yards) nor JC transfer Jake Harfman's big leg. Sigh.

Place Kicker
#38 Jordan Congdon - Beat out Joe Houston and Harfman to be the kicker. Seems like a safe, solid pick (a la Booty of Sanchez), as Harfman has the bigger leg (like David Buehler), but Congdon seems very reliable inside 40 yards and on PATs (hopefully). Harfman will handle the kickoff duties, and was thought to be the punter too, as he had some booming kicks at the scrimmage, until Carroll named

Punter
#39 Billy O'Malley - the punter. Ugh. I'm having flashbacks of Greg Woidneck here. Does Tom Malone still have any eligibility left?

Punt Returner
#18 Damian Williams - I'm over joyed by this one. Just stay healthy out there D-Will.

Kick Returners
#2 C.J. Gable and #6 Curtis McNeal - Gable was solid on returns last season, and McNeal should be a Darren Sprolles type out there. Ronald Johnson would have been here sans his broken collarbone...

As for the season outlook? 10 wins may be below the standard for USC these days, but it could happen this year. A tough second week game in Columbus with an outstanding duel threat quarterback at the helm for Ohio State could end the Trojan's reign over the Big Ten, which looks like this:

September 7, 1996 - W @ Illinois (55-3)
August 30, 1998 - W vs. Purdue (27-17)
August 27, 2000 - W vs. Penn State (29-5)
January 2, 2003 (Orange Bowl) - W vs. #3 Iowa (38-17)
January 1, 2004 (Rose Bowl) - W vs. #4 Michigan (28-14)
January 1, 2007 (Rose Bowl) - W vs. #3 Michigan (32-18)
January 1, 2008 (Rose Bowl) - W vs. #13 Illinois (49-17)
September 13, 2008 - W vs. #5 Ohio State (35-3)
January 1, 2009 (Rose Bowl) - W vs. #8 Penn State (38-24)

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, snapped USC's 26 game win streak over OSU)
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...

What do I expect? Always expect great (ew, WNBA motto for the year...). This is truly a rebuilding year for the Trojans, replacing 10 of 11 starters on defense and Sanchez on offense, as well as the entire kicking and punting units. The forgotten loss would also be the loss of the coaching staff that went up to Washington, as the Trojans have unproven offensive and defensive coordinators, though Carroll should stay in charge of the defense, and former Denver Broncos OC Jeremy Bates will be calling the plays. And the biggest question will be how Barkley will react in a game scenario? Will he be smart enough to either hit the dump off pass or throw it out of bounds rather than go for the big play? A Trojan QB has not had more than 10 interceptions in a year since Carson Palmer's sophomore season... will Barkley change that? Will he still be at the helm if it comes to that point? Will Aaron Corp become healthy enough to take the starting spot back? So many questions, and less than a week away from them being answered.

The different scenarios for the season: What should happen: A close set back in Columbus to Ohio State as Terrell Pryor scampers on 4th and goal from six yards out for the winning score with 19 seconds remaining as the Buckeyes win 31-28 and a loss to Oregon as Barkley throws a pick-6 as the Ducks win 24-17, with USC finishing 10-2, 8-1 Pac-10. The dream season would be 12-0, 9-0 Pac-10 with an upset over Florida in the BCS Championship game at the Rose Bowl. The worst that could happen? USC loses to Ohio State in a blowout, falls short at California and at Oregon, Notre Dame pulls a major upset en route to a 12-0 season and a spot in the BCS Championship, and UCLA pulls some trickery to shock USC as the Trojans finish 7-5, 6-3 Pac-10, then fall to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. Ugh. I've been thinking about the latter scenario waaay too much... Anyway, regardless of what happens to the team, it should be a great college football season, and I'll back the Trojans all the way. Fight on!

2009 College Football Out of Conference Schedules

Less than 3 months away from the start of the NCAA College Football season! Can you find your favorite team's schedule? How does it rank to other schools? Does your school go out and schedule the big boys or shy away and find them cupcakes? Will your team only need two conference wins to make a bowl game? Let's find out (rankings from ESPN.com bloggers...)

Atlantic Coast Conference

1. Virginia Tech - Alabama (@ Atlanta), Marshall, Nebraska, @ East Carolina
2. Florida State - Jacksonville State (FCS), @ Brigham Young, South Florida, @ Florida
3. Miami - Oklahoma, Florida A&M (FCS), @ Central Florida, @ South Florida
4. Georgia Tech - Jacksonville State (FCS), @ Mississippi State, @ Vanderbilt, Georgia
5. Maryland - @ California, James Madison (FCS), Middle Tennessee, Rutgers
6. Clemson - Middle Tennessee, Texas Christian, Coastal Carolina (FCS), @ South Carolina
7. Virginia - William & Mary (FCS), Texas Christian, @ Southern Mississippi, Indiana
8. North Carolina State - South Carolina, Murray State (FCS), Gardner-Webb (FCS), Pittsburgh
9. Boston College - Northeastern (FCS), Kent State, @ Notre Dame, Central Michigan
10. Duke - Richmond (FCS), @ Army, @ Kansas, North Carolina Central (FCS)
11. Wake Forest - Baylor, Stanford, Elon (FCS), @ Navy
12. North Carolina - The Citadel (FCS), @ Connecticut, East Carolina, Georgia Southern (FCS)

Percentage of FCS Teams - 14/48 (29.2%)
15 road games (8 against BCS teams, 1 @ Notre Dame)

Big 12 Conference

1. Oklahoma - Brigham Young (@ Arlington, TX), Idaho State (FCS), Tulsa, @ Miami (Florida)
2. Colorado - Colorado State, @ Toledo, Wyoming, @ West Virginia
3. Missouri - Illinois (@ St. Louis), Bowling Green, Furman (FCS), @ Nevada
   
4. Nebraska - Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State, @ Virginia Tech, Louisiana
5. Oklahoma State - Georiga, Houston, Rice, Grambling State (FCS)
6. Baylor - @ Wake Forest, Connecticut, Northwestern State (FCS), Kent State
7. Kansas - Northern Colorado (FCS), @ Texas-El Paso, Duke, Southern Mississippi
8. Texas A&M - New Mexico, Utah State, Alabama-Birmingham, Arkansas (@ Arlington, TX)
   
9. Texas Tech - North Dakota (FCS), Rice, @ Houston, New Mexico
   
10. Texas - Louisiana-Monroe, @ Wyoming, Texas-El Paso, Central Florida
11. Iowa State - North Dakota State (FCS), Iowa, @ Kent State, Army
12. Kansas State - Massachusetts (FCS), @ Louisiana, @ UCLA, Tennessee Tech (FCS)
    

Percentage of FCS Teams - 9/48 (18.8%)
12 road games (5 against BCS teams)

Big East Conference

1. Syracuse - Minnesota, @ Penn State, Northwestern, Maine (FCS), Akron
2. Connecticut - @ Ohio, North Carolina, @ Baylor, Rhode Island (FCS), @ Notre Dame
3. Pittsburgh - Youngstown State (FCS), @ Buffalo, Navy, North Carolina State, Notre Dame
4. West Virginia - Liberty (FCS), East Carolina, @ Auburn, Colorado, Marshall
   
5. Cincinnati - Southeast Missouri State (FCS), @ Oregon State, Fresno State, @ Miami (Ohio), Illinois
6. South Florida - Wofford (FCS), @ Western Kentucky, Charleston Southern (FCS), @ Florida State, Miami (Florida)
7. Louisville - Indiana State (FCS), @ Kentucky, @ Utah, Southern Mississippi, Arkansas State
8. Rutgers - Howard (FCS), Florida International, @ Maryland, Texas Southern (FCS), @ Army

Percentage of FCS Teams - 10/40 (25.0%)
14 road games (7 against BCS teams, 1 @ Notre Dame)

Big Ten Conference

1. Illinois - Missouri (@ St. Louis), Illinois State (FCS), Fresno State, @ Cincinnati
2. Purdue - Toledo, @ Oregon, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame
3. Minnesota - @ Syracuse, Air Force, California, South Dakota State (FCS)
4. Ohio State - Navy, USC, Toledo (@ Cleveland), New Mexico State
5. Iowa - Northern Iowa (FCS), @ Iowa State, Arizona, Arkansas State
6. Michigan State - Montana State (FCS), Central Michigan, @ Notre Dame, Western Michigan
7. Indiana - Eastern Kentucky (FCS), Western Michigan, @ Akron, @ Virginia
8. Michigan - Western Michigan, Notre Dame, Eastern Michigan, Delaware State (FCS)
9. Wisconsin - Northern Illinois, Fresno State, Wofford (FCS), @ Hawaii
10. Northwestern - Towson (FCS), Eastern Michigan, @ Syracuse, Miami (Ohio)
11. Penn State - Akron, Syracuse, Temple, Eastern Illinois (FCS)

Percentage of FCS Teams - 9/44 (20.5%)
9 road games (6 against BCS teams, 1 @ Notre Dame)

Pacific-10 Conference

1. Oregon - @ Boise State, Purdue, Utah
2. USC - San Jose State, @ Ohio State, @ Notre Dame
3. Washington - Louisiana State, Idaho, @ Notre Dame
4. UCLA - San Diego State, @ Tennessee, Kansas State
5. Stanford - @ Wake Forest, San Jose State, Notre Dame
6. California - Maryland, Eastern Washington (FCS), @ Minnesota
7. Arizona - Central Michigan, Northern Arizona (FCS), @ Iowa
   
8. Arizona State - Idaho State (FCS), Louisiana-Monroe, @ Georgia
9. Oregon State - Portland State (FCS), @ Nevada-Las Vegas, Cincinnati
10. Washington State - Hawaii (@ Seattle), Southern Methodist, Notre Dame (@ San Antonio)
    

Percentage of FCS Teams - 4/30 (13.3%)
10 road games (6 against BCS teams, 2 @ Notre Dame)

Southeastern Conference

1. Georgia - @ Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Tennessee Tech (FCS), @ Georgia Tech
2. South Carolina - @ North Carolina State, Florida Atlantic, South Carolina State (FCS), Clemson
3. Alabama - Virginia Tech (@ Atlanta), Florida International, North Texas, Chattanooga (FCS)
4. Mississippi State - Jackson State (FCS), Georgia Tech, Houston, @ Middle Tennessee
5. Florida - Charleston Southern (FCS), Troy, Florida International, Florida State
6. Auburn - Louisiana Tech, West Virginia, Ball State, Furman (FCS)
7. Vanderbilt - Western Carolina (FCS), @ Rice, @ Army, Georgia Tech
   
8. Arkansas - Missouri State (FCS), Texas A&M (@ Arlington), Eastern Michigan, Troy
9. Louisiana State - @ Washington, Louisiana, Tulane, Louisiana Tech
10. Tennessee - Western Kentucky, UCLA, Ohio, Memphis
11. Kentucky - Miami (Ohio) (@ Cincinnati), Louisville, Louisiana-Monroe, Eastern Kentucky (FCS)
12. Mississippi - @ Memphis, Southeastern Louisiana (FCS), Alabama-Birmingham, Northern Arizona (FCS)

Percentage of FCS Teams - 10/48 (20.8%)
8 road games (3 against BCS teams)

Top 10 Games

1. USC @ Ohio State
2. Virginia Tech vs. Alabama (@ Atlanta)
3. Georgia @ Oklahoma State
4. USC @ Notre Dame
   
5. Oregon @ Boise State
   
6. Oklahoma @ Miami (Florida)
   
7. Utah @ Oregon
8. Georgia @ Georgia Tech
9. Nebraska @ Virginia Tech
10. Brigham Young vs. Oklahoma (@ Arlington)

The state of USC basketball

Even after a third trip to the NCAA tournament in three years, I've been meaning to post this for a while. This being a look into the recruiting classes during the Tim Floyd era. I'll leave the next paragraph in to show what prompted me to post this in the first place, the frustration I had during the season, before the run the Pac-10 tournament and the win over BC and playing Michigan State close in the NCAA tournament. And yes, this on the heels of this Rivals article that has USC ranked #7 entering next season (and UCLA not even ranked!):

http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=933183

I've been meaning to this for a while, but after a Sweet 16 run in 2007 and another trip to the NCAA Tourney in 2008, the USC basketball team may be in some trouble of reaching the field of 65 this year. Right now, the Trojans are 15-9 (6-6) and in the midst of a three game losing streak, an RPI of 44 but only 3-7 (wins vs. Arizona, Arizona State, and Cal) against the top 50 RPI teams. Quality wins include victories over the three teams mentioned in the RPI top 50. Bad losses include games against Seton Hall and Oregon State, though it could be argued that the Trojans' other losses were to very good teams (#2 Oklahoma, #10 Missouri, #11 Arizona State, #15 UCLA (twice), #19 Washington, and a red-hot Arizona team).

But what's the problem? Coach Tim Floyd has been pulling in quality recruiting classes ever since he's been at USC, but in this past weekend's games, only six players saw quality playing time, though one (Leonard Washington) saw sparce minutes on Sunday. So where's the depth? Where are all of the scholarships going? Let's take a look at the classes that Floyd has signed while at the helm of USC (rankings from Rivals.com).

2005

Jeremy Barr (6-7, PF, 3 stars) - Played in 23 games (started 3) as a freshman in 2005-06, averaging 12.1 minutes, 3.1 points, and 1.5 rebounds per game while shooting 26.9% from the free throw line. Transferred after his freshman year to Louisiana-Lafayette, though was offered to play for the Trojan football team before deciding to leave USC. Was the #118 ranked player by Rivals.
RouSean Cromwell (6-8, PF, 3 stars) - Played in 15 games (started 5) as a freshman in 2005-06, averaging 18.5 minutes, 4.2 points, and 4.5 rebounds per game. Played in 33 games (started 5) as a sophomre in 2006-07, averaging 13.1 minutes, 2.3 points, and 2.2 rebounds per game. Played in 21 games (started 1) as a junior in 2007-08, averaging 7.9 minutes, 0.7 points and 1.0 rebounds per game. Decided to sit out this season, and maybe the rest of his career, due to personal reasons. Was the #130 ranked player by Rivals.
Ryan Francis (5-11, PG) - Played in 30 games (started all 30) as a freshman in 2005-06, averaging 32.3 minutes, 7.1 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game. Was murdered in his hometown of Baton Rouge, LA.
Abdoulaye Ndiaye (6-11, C) - Played in 30 games (started 24) as a junior (JC transfer) in 2005-06, averaging 22.2 minutes, 5.3 points, and 4.7 rebounds per game. Played in 32 games (started 14) as a senior in 2006-07, averaging 12.3 minutes, 3.1 points, and 2.8 rebounds per game. Finished his eligibility at USC.
Sead Odzic (6-3, SG, 3 stars) - Played in 30 games (started 5) as a freshman in 2005-06, averaging 15.4 minutes, 3.2 points, and 1.2 rebounds per game. Transferred to Illinois State.
Collin Robinson (6-2, SG) - Played in 9 games as a freshman in 2005-06, averaging 3.9 minutes, 1.4 points, and 0.l7 rebounds per game. Transferred to Cornell, but quit the team before the start Ivy League play in 2007-08, and returned to USC to continue his studies.
Keith Wilkinson (6-9, PF) - Played in 19 games as a freshman in 2005-06, averaging 8.7 minutes, 1.1 points, and 1.4 rebounds per game. Played in 33 games (started 5) as a sophomore in 2006-07, averaging 11.9 minutes, 1.7 points, and 2.2 rebounds per game. Played in 30 games (started 3) as a junior in 2007-08, averaging 13.5 minutes, 2.5 points, and 2.8 rebounds per game. Has played in 31 games (starting 12) as a senior 2008-09, averaging 18.5 minutes, 2.7 points, and 2.5 rebounds per game. Finished his eligibilty at USC.
Class analysis: Francis was the real bright spot of the class, making an immediate impact as a reliable ball handler and being the best defender on the team, but his untimely death has made a real impact on the program. With a true point guard on this year's team, Daniel Hackett would be able to play his natural position at swingman, and also add a much needed depth to this team. The void at point guard can also be put on Angelo Johnson's departure. USC still has a hole at center, but Ndiaye, Cromwell, and Wilkinson (despite playing major minutes this year) have failed to fill that void. Departures of Odzic and Robinson don't hurt as much. Barr was a bust from the start. Who knew Wilkinson would be the one from this class playing crunch time minutes as a senior, though he lost a lot of PT when Leonard Washington returned from injury.

2006

Kyle Austin (6-6, PF, 3 stars) - Played in 17 games as a freshman in 2006-07, averaging 7.3 minutes, 1.4 points, and 1.6 rebounds per game. Transfered to UC-Riverside.
Kasey Cunningham (6-7, SF, 3 stars) - Redshirted in 2006-07. Played in 9 games (starting 3) as a redshirt freshman in 2007-08, averaging 14.6 minutes, 2.7 points, and 2.6 rebounds per game before a season ending knee injury. Played 4 games as a redshirt sophomore in 2008-09, averaging 10.3 minutes, 2.8 points, and 2.8 rebounds per game before another season ending knee injury.
Kevin Galloway (6-6, SF, 3 stars) - Played in 13 games (started 1) as a freshman in 2006-07, averaging 12.1 minutes, 2.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Tried to transfer to Fresno State, but did not qualify academically, so played at College of Southern Idaho. Transferred to Kentucky was a JUCO player.
Taj Gibson (6-8, PF, 4 stars) - Played in 37 games (started all) as a freshman in 2006-07, averaging 32.4 minutes, 12.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game and was named to the Pac-10 All Freshman team. Played in 33 games (started 32) as a sophomore in 2007-08, averaging 32.1 minutes, 10.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game and was named to the All-Pac-10 Third team and the Pac-10 All-Defensive team. Played in 35 games (started all) as a junior in 2008-09, averaging 33.7 minutes, 14.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game and was named the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-Pac-10 Second team. Was the #32 ranked player by Rivals in his class.
Daniel Hackett (6-5, SG, 4 stars) - Played in 37 games (started 16) as a freshman (entered school a year early to play point guard) in 2006-07, averaging 21.9 minutes, 5.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. Played in 29 games (started 26) as a sophomre in 2007-08, averaging 30.8 minutes, 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. Played in 35 games (started all) as a junior in 2008-09, averaging 37.3 minutes, 12.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game and was named to the All-Pac-10 Second team and Pac-10 All-Defensive team. Was the #67 ranked player by Rivals in the 2007 class.
Dwight Lewis (6-5, SG, 3 stars) - Played in 37 games (started 11) as a freshman in 2006-07, averaging 19.8 minutes, 5.8 points, and 2.1 rebounds per game. Played in 33 games (started 32) as a sophomore in 2007-08, averaging 32.7 minutes, 10.8 points, and 2.4 rebounds per game. Played in 33 games (started 32) as a junior in 2008-09, averaging 36.1 minutes, 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.
Jordan Cameron (6-5, SG, N/A) - Decided to play for the football team as a wide receiver, though played in 3 games as a redshirt sophomore in 2008-09, playing a total of 4 minutes with one rebound.
Class analysis: The trio of Gibson, Lewis, and Hackett have been the core of the USC program for the past three seasons, with Lewis being the leading scorer, Hackett the floor general, and Gibson the defensive stalwart. Austin and Galloway transferred, but they were swingman, and the Trojans have a stockpile of those. Cunningham has shown flashes, but he has been injury riddled and may never be at full strength. Cameron should stick to either football or basketball, as he's not great at either sport. But Gibson, Lewis, and Hackett are arugably the most important recruits of Floyd's tenure, with Gibson and Hackett fighting it out (not literally Italion Stallion...) for the top spot. More on that later.

2007

Mamadou Diarra (6-10, PF, 4 stars) - Played in 3 games as a freshman in 2007-08, averaging 3.3 minutes per game, scoring two points and grabbing 1 rebound before taking a redshirt. Played in 12 games as a redshirt freshman in 2008-09, averaging 2.8 minutes, 0.7 points, and 0.4 rebounds per game. Was the #70 ranked player by Rivals in his class.
Davon Jefferson (6-7, SF, 5 stars) - Played in 29 games (started 25) as a freshman in 2007-08, averaging 27.8 minutes, 12.1 points, and 6.3 rebounds per game. Declared for the NBA draft after his freshman season, but was not drafted and currently playing pro ball overseas. Was the #15 ranked player by Rivals in the 2006 class, but did not qualify for USC until 2007.
Angelo Johnson (5-10, PG, 3 stars) - Played in 33 games (started 11) as a freshman in 2007-08, averaging 22.6 minutes, 4.5 points, and 2.1 assists while shooting 40.3% from 3 point range. Was academically disqualified after the season and transferred to Southern Mississippi. Was the #120 ranked player by Rivals in his class.
O.J. Mayo (6-5, PG, 5 stars) - Played in 33 games (started 32) as a freshman in 2007-08, averaging 36.8 minutes, 20.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while making 88 3-pointers. Declared for the NBA draft after his freshman season and was drafted #3 by Minnesota, then traded to Memphis. Was the #4 ranked player by Rivals in his class.
Marcus Simmons (6-4, SF, 3 stars) - Played in 15 games as a freshman in 2007-08, averaging 6.7 minutes, 0.5 points, and 1.5 rebounds per game. Played in 27 games (started 6) as a sophomore in 2008-09, averaging 11.7 minutes, 1.9 points, and 1.2 rebounds per game.
Class analysis: What an empty class. With Mayo and Jefferson, we got a year of frustration (loss to Kansas State in the NCAA tournament), inconsistency (finished fourth in the Pac-10), and turmoil (Jefferson was a locker room cancer, Mayo probably left USC with a bunch of infractions). All that's left is a stiff Nigerian (what? he's not Nigerian? whatever...) and a defensive stopper (Simmons) who Floyd used as his ace up his sleeve during the Pac-10 and NCAA tournaments this year. Johnson was promising in his only year here, as a solid sixth man and the point guard of the future, but he likely killed USC's APR score for 2007. Ugh. At least the 2005 class gave us Keith Wilkinson...

2008

Demar DeRozan (6-5, SG, 5 stars) - Played 35 games (started all) as a freshman in 2008-09, averaging 33.4 minutes, 13.9 points, and 5.7 rebounds per game. Was the #3 ranked player by Rivals in his class.
Percy Miller (5-10, PG, 2 stars) - Played 6 games as a freshman in 2008-09, logging 12 minutes, 3 points, and 2 rebounds.
Donte Smith (5-11, SG, 2 stars) - Played 24 games (started 3) as a freshman in 2008-09, averaging 9.7 minutes, 2.3 points, and 0.9 assists per game.
Nikola Vucevic (6-10, PF, 3 stars) - Played 23 games (started 3) as a freshman in 2008-09, averaging 11.0 minutes, 2.6 points, and 2.7 rebounds per game.
Leonard Washington (6-6, SF, 3 stars) - Played 30 games (started 13) as a freshman in 2008-09, averaging 17.9 minutes, 6.1 points, and 4.2 rebounds per game. Took a year to become academically eligible to enroll at USC.
Class analysis: DeRozan never lived up to the Mayo hype, as he could not take over games like O.J. could. Miller was a throw in to get DeRozan, but he lived up to his hype of being a player not worthy of a D-I basketball scholarship. Smith and Vucevic showed promise as role players, but Floyd showed little faith in him. Washington gave the post some depth, let's see how he will do next season.

And a quick look at 2009's class:

Solomon Hill (6-6, SF, 4 stars) Not yet signed. Ranked #28 by Rivals
Noel Johnson (6-7, SF, 4 stars) Ranked #38 by Rivals
Renardo Sidney (6-10, PF, 5 stars) Not yet signed. Ranked #10 by Rivals
Evan Smith (6-6, SF, N/A) Not yet signed
Alex Stepheson (6-10, PF) Transfer from North Carolina
Derrick Williams (6-7, PF, 3 stars)

All that's missing is a point guard, aargawrgafhay4a... Anyway, this could be a very, very solid team if everyone returns. Even if DeRozan leaves, a strong group remains. A starting lineup of Hackett, Lewis, Johnson, Gibson, and Sidney/Stepheson with Sidney/Stepheson, Washington, Marcus Johnson, and Donte Smith off the bench. Very intriguing team there. Maybe a #7 preseason ranking isn't too high...

And the five most important recruits of the Tim Floyd era...

5. O.J. Mayo, he led the way for big name recuits to come to USC, showing that we are not just a football school. Even though he didn't do anything in his year as a Trojan, him playing here probably paved the way for DeRozan and Sidney and Johnson this year to come to USC.
4. Dwight Lewis, who knew he would be the leading scorer as a junior? Not the flashiest player, but always solid and can hit the jumper. Part of the 2006 class which has helped put USC back on the college basketball map.
3. Ryan Francis, probably my favorite player of the Tim Floyd era, played with so much heart in his only year here. He may have played one year for USC, but he will always be a Trojan (yes, that's corny, but it's true).
2. Daniel Hackett, second of the 2006 trio, but he was only a role player in his first year and struggled to get out of Mayo's shadow as a sophomore. But no one could question who was the general on the court this year.
1. Taj Gibson, a star of the team in all three years here. Most consistent player of the Floyd era, teetering on a double-double each year.

Anyway, a lot of the recruits Floyd has been pulling in have either dropped out of the program altogether, or have just not lived up to their billing. There have only been three gems that he has found, them being Gibson, Lewis, and Hackett. He has filled the lineup with one-and-dones, which would hurt team chemistry if it weren't for Gibson, Lewis, Hackett. Next season's team looks really good, especially if DeRozan stays, but on paper, USC should have been a top 25 team for the past two years but failed to live up to expectations. Here's to hoping that the Trojans have a successful run in 2009-10.

Trojans come up Roses... again...

And in the beauty pageant called College Football, roses won't win you the crown. USC jumped out to a 31-7 halftime lead against Penn State and coasted to a 38-24 win. Mark Sanchez was almost perfect, going 28-35 for 413 yards and 4 TD, and also rushed for another touchdown. But with the other contenders winning, Utah defeating Alabama, Texas edging Ohio State, and Florida winning the BCS national championship over Oklahoma, the Trojans again fall short in their quest to return to the championship pedistal. In the past two years, it seemed like USC's late losses hurt their chances to make the BCS title game; a loss to UCLA in the season finale in 2006 and being upset by Stanford in 2007. But even finishing the season on a ten game win streak, tied for second with Florida behind Utah, it wasn't enough for USC to climb over the Big 12 South and SEC schools due to the perceived weakness of the Pac-10. Oh well. Real quick look at my final top 25 of the 2008 college football season:

1. Florida (13-1); beat Oklahoma in BCS Championship Game
2. Utah (13-0); beat Alabama in Sugar Bowl
   
3. USC (12-1); beat Penn State in Rose Bowl
   
4. Texas (12-1); beat Ohio State in Fiesta Bowl
   
5. Oklahoma (12-2); lost to Florida in BCS Championship Game
   
6. TCU (11-2); beat Boise State in Poinsettia Bowl
   
7. Alabama (12-2); lost to Utah in Sugar Bowl
   
8. Georgia (10-3); beat Michigan State in Capitol One Bowl
9. Oregon (10-3); beat Oklahoma State in Holiday Bowl
10. Penn State (11-2); lost to USC in Rose Bowl
11. Ohio State (10-3); lost to Texas in Fiesta Bowl
12. Boise State (12-1); lost to TCU in Poinsettia Bowl
    
13. Mississippi (9-4); beat Texas Tech in Cotton Bowl
    
14. Texas Tech (11-2); lost to Mississippi in Cotton Bowl
15. Virginia Tech (10-4); beat Cincinnati in Orange Bowl
16. Oregon State (9-4); beat Pittsburgh in Sun Bowl
17. Iowa (9-4); beat South Carolina in Outback Bowl
18. Missouri (10-4); beat Northwestern in Alamo Bowl
19. Cincinnati (11-3); lost to Virginia Tech in Orange Bowl
20. Oklahoma State (9-4); lost to Oregon in Holiday Bowl
21. Pittsburgh (9-4); lost to Oregon State in Sun Bowl
22. BYU (10-3); lost to Arizona in Las Vegas Bowl
23. Florida State (9-4); beat Wisconsin in Champs Sports Bowl
24. West Virginia (9-4); beat North Carolina in Meineke Car Care Bowl
25. California (9-4); beat Miami (Florida) in Emerald Bowl
    

The Rose Bowl.... again....

With a dominant defense and sputtering offense, USC dominated UCLA to clinch their seventh straight Pacific-10 conference title and fourth consecutive trip to the Granddaddy of them All, the Rose Bowl game. The Trojans were able to conquer the demons from 2006, when the 13.5 point underdog Bruins shocked the then-#2 Trojans 13-9, keeping USC out of the BCS National Championship game. This year, the only thing in doubt was if USC would be able to cover that astronomical 33 point spread, but USC Coach Pete Carroll seemed content on getting out of dodge (Pasadena) with a comfortable win, maybe a good gesture after UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel called a timeout after the opening kickoff to offset USC's penalty for wearing their home uniforms in the Rose Bowl. All was seemed lost, like it was last year, for the Trojans to return to a BCS game. It took a monumental upset last year (Arizona over #2 Oregon) and a fired up Oregon squad this year wearing out a beatup Oregon State team for USC to clinch the Pac-10 BCS berth.

But there was some doubt early in the game, after C.J. Gable fumbled on USC's first touch, the defense gave up only their 11th touchdown of the year, when UCLA QB Kevin Craft lateralled to WR Dominique Johnson, who threw to RB Kalil Bell, making a tremendous catch, and USC K David Buehler missed the first of his three field goals on the day. But the Trojan defense gave the offense time to catch up, which they did on their next drive, when RB Joe McKnight found the end zone for the second time in as many games. Another defensive stop, and USC found the end zone again, when a QB Mark Sanchez screen pass to WR Damian Williams led to another Trojan score. While the defense gave the offense the ball, the offense would give it right back, as Sanchez threw a pick on USC's next possession. But UCLA kept on shooting themselves in the foot, as evidenced by 11 penalties for over 100 yards, which included three late hits on Sanchez, and a roughing the punter penalty which led to a RB Stafon Johnson score. The Trojans tried to take advantage of a blocked punt, but Buehler missed another field goal before halftime, which had USC leading 21-7.

The Trojans took the opening drive of the second half into the end zone, with Sanchez finding WR Patrick Turner on a slant, and it was all the defense needed. While UCLA crossed midfield only once, the Trojans were content on running out the ball, especially with the new mopup man, RB Marc Tyler. Neither team threatened to score again, aside from another Buehler missed field goal, and the final score was 28-7. All that was left was for Sanchez and co. to lead the band in Conquest and for the SC fans to sing and dance along to Tusk.

And now on to the Rose Bowl game, which will match the #5 USC Trojans against the #8 Penn State Nittany Lions. At least the Rose Bowl committee gets their wish of a traditional Pac-10/Big Ten matchup, which hasn't happened since 2004 (USC vs. Michigan), as in 2005 it was Texas (BCS at large)/Michigan, 2006 it was USC/Texas (BCS #2), 2007 it was USC/Michigan (Big Ten runner-up), and 2008 USC/Illinois (Big Ten runner-up). The Trojans did not play in the 2005 Rose Bowl as they were playing for the BCS National Championship in the Orange Bowl.

A quick look at Penn State's season: The Nittany Lions started off the season ranked #22 in the preseason AP poll. Penn State opened up by dominated Coastal Carolina, a FCS school, 66-10. They jumped three spots before hosting Oregon State, which ended 45-14 and led to a lot of debate between USC and Penn State as being the better team. The Lions hit the road for the first time, ranked #17, and juiced the Orange 55-13. Penn State returned home to play Temple and rolled them 45-3. In week 5, Penn State hosted a primetime game with a whited-out home crowd against Illinois, winning a 38-24 shootout. Even though the Illini have had a down year, they were coming off a Rose Bowl berth and were ranked #20 at the time, and this win really had the Penn State faithful believeing about a special season. They entered the top 10 at #6 with the upsets of the week before, and held on to a 20-6 win against a scrappy Purdue team on the road. A trip to Camp Randall and Wisconsin seemed like an insurmountable task entering the season, but Penn State got Wisconsin in their midseason spiral and took them to the woodshed, 48-7. With more upsets the week before, Penn State was ranked #3, but fell behind a down Michigan team 17-10 early before routing them late for a 46-17 win. College Gameday travelled to Columbus for #3 Penn State's game at #10 Ohio State. The Buckeyes held a 6-3 late in this barnburner, but it seemed like JoePa's squad would not let their special season end, surging for a 13-6 win in the Horseshoe. But a bye seemed to untrack the Lions, as a last second field goal led to Iowa's 24-23 upset and ended their national championship aspirations. Falling behind the SEC and Big 12 schools and USC, Penn State got back to work, beating Indiana 34-7. And in their season finale, Penn State blew out Michigan State 49-18 to clinch their first Rose Bowl game since 1994.

And the bowl games were announced today. Here are some highlights (outside of the BCS, of course...):

• SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl - #11 TCU vs. #9 Boise State. At least the Mountain West wanted to schedule this blockbuster matchup. Methinks Ball State falling in the MAC championship game was karma for avoiding Boise State in the Humanitarian or Motor City Bowl. But this is one spectcular matchup. This is what a bowl game should be. Boise State is undefeated for the second time in three season, though other than a game in Eugene, they have not been challenged all year. TCU lost a heartbreaker to Utah and held Oklahoma to their lowest point output, 35 points, in a loss. It's all about the Horned Frog defense against the Broncos' bag of tricks.
• Sheraton Hawaii Bowl - Notre Dame vs. Hawaii. I WANT TICKETS TO THIS GAME!!! This isn't a homer pick, as I think the Irish should be favored in this game, but this is the first time that Hawaii's played in the Hawaii bowl that they are playing a team that I hate. And it will also be fun to see Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis sweat his ass off in the humidity in Aiea.
• Pacific Life Holiday Bowl - #13 Oklahoma State vs. #17 Oregon. Over/under on this one should reach about 200 points. Seriously. The Big 12 does not play defense. Oregon and Oklahoma State can put points up on the board. And yes, Mike Gundy is a man! He's 41 (now)...
• Texas Bowl - Rice vs. Central Michigan. One of these teams will get to 10 wins this season. Seriously. Notre Dame, Nebraska, Miami (Florida), Florida State, West Virginia, Wisconsin, LSU, Tennessee, Michigan, and Auburn all can't say that. Geez.
• Chick-fil-A Bowl - #14 Georgia Tech vs. LSU. Speaking of those damned Tigers, I would love to see them fall to 7-6 this year. Only two time BCS champs. Psh. And Paul Johnson's triple option attack is a joy to watch.
• GMAC Bowl - Tulsa vs. #22 Ball State. Ball State can go 13-1 this year. 13-1! Though the karma police tracked them down in the MAC championship. And Tulsa can go 11-3, but if you couldn't beat Arkansas this year, and give up 70 points to Houston (the Cougars, not the Texans), you should be happy to be 10-3.

No Pac-10 rankings (the standings speak for themselves), but some quick notes on the 2008 Pac-10 campaign. The Trojans should be disappointed with another Rose Bowl berth, though this was the first time a team beat them instead of beating themselves, as the Beavers dominated USC in that Thursday in September. Oregon had problems finding a reliable quarterback with all of their injuries, and had to throw Jeremiah Masoli into the fire against USC, and he struggled against UCLA, but Masoli came into his own down the stretch and looked unstoppable against Oregon State and will look to finish strong in the Holiday Bowl. Speaking of those Beavers, they struggled early against Stanford and Penn State, and blew a late lead to Utah, but Oregon State still had a solid campaign with surprise true freshman RB Jacquizz Rodgers to finish 8-4 with a Sun Bowl berth. California overgame their late season struggle last year, when they lost 6 of 7 after being ranked #2, by finishing 8-4 on the back of Jahvid Best, and will look to continue to ride him into the Emerald Bowl. Arizona finally overcame (recent) big brother Arizona State and were able to clinch their first bowl game since 1998, though QB Willie Tuitama and the Wildcats will have to play BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl. Arizona State couldn't overcome their six game losing streak, which began with its upset loss to UNLV, and finished a disappointing 5-7. Stanford also finished 5-7, and aside from laying an egg against Cal, they have a lot to build on, though the Cardinal were a few seconds away against UCLA from heading to a bowl game. UCLA ended 4-8 in Rick Neuheisel's first year, and for QB Kevin Craft, things can only get better, after finishing with 13 interceptions (and 0 TDs) in his final five games. Washington State has a win over rival Washington to hang its hat on, but injuries and a lack of talent attributed to a 2-11 season. And it can only get better for Washington, who finished 0-12 and will bring in USC OC Steve Sarkisian as their new head coach.

Get pumped for bowl season! Though I would prefer a playoff. Speaking of playoffs, the ESPN crew brought up the problem of logicstics for selling tickets. Look, if the FCS, NCAA Tourney, NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, etc don't have problems selling tickets, why would college football? Yes, most fans are students, but rich alumni and the universities should send their share of fans to the playoff games. Oh well. I do agree with something Lou Holtz said, though my version was a bit different, as you would make 10 conferences with 12 teams, have the 12 conference championships and 4 at large teams make a 16 team playoff, and ta da! Oh well...

Trojans respond to punch to the mouth

Well unlike their trip to Corvalis in September, USC responded to Stanford landing the first punch. Against Oregon State, the Trojans could not muster any response to the Beavers, but last night against the Cardinal, after giving up a touchdown on Stanford's opening drive, USC answered with a scoring drive of their own. But even with that, it was a sloppy first half for the Trojans, who came in wanting to attack the weak Cardinal pass defense, and eventually turned to their potent run game to take control. Stanford controlled both side of the ball at the start of the game, rushing for over 140 yards in the first half while pressuring USC QB Mark Sanchez. The turning point in the game was when C.J. Gable returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown after Stanford had pulled ahead 17-10. That sparked a 35-0 scoring run that put the game away for the Trojans. It was nice to see the adjustments the coaching staff made, notably running the ball and bringing up a safety to stop the Cardinal rushing attack. Now that this has been settled, the two rivalry games remain against Notre Dame and UCLA. But for now, a bye to regroup. By the way, no real indepth analysis of this game... too busy having fun at a wine party... Anyway, the Pac-10 rankings...

1. USC (9-1 overall, 7-1 Pac-10) - So much for that impenetrable defense... but still a nice come from behind win, even if it was only against Stanford. And 8.3 points per game allowed is still nothing to be ashamed of. Next up is a matchup against Notre Dame after a bye. The Irish are floundering right now and almost blew their game against Navy.
2. Oregon State (7-3, 6-1) - Can't see them losing the rest of the way, as they're clicking on all cylinders. Arizona and Oregon won't be cakewalks, but the Beavers should win out and make it to the Rose Bowl, for a rematch with Penn State... ugh...
3. Oregon (8-3, 6-2) - Now that's a Pac-10 game! The Ducks won a 55-45 shootout with the Wildcats, where Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli finally showed that he can throw the ball. Now can they win the big one? After a bye, and assuming Oregon State beats Arizona, the Ducks could be playing for second place in the Pac-10 and a trip to the Holiday Bowl.
4. Arizona (6-4, 4-3) - Just fell too far behind Oregon in a hostile environment. But they can still do things down the stretch, by ruining Oregon State's Rose Bowl hopes and preventing rival Arizona State from making a bowl game, something coach Mike Stoops would love.
5. California (6-4, 4-3) - Well so much for finishing strong. Though they will get to 7 wins (Cal plays Washington in the season finale) but other than a win over Michigan State in the season opener, they really haven't done much this season. The only thing left to do this season is not screw up by losing to Stanford again.
6. Stanford (5-6, 4-4) - Showed a lot of spirit again this week against USC, but the Trojans were able to flip this switch this year and pull away late. Now they need to upset Cal again if they want to become bowl eligible, which will be a tall task.
7. Arizona State (4-6, 3-4) - Two game winning streak!!! Too bad it was against Washington and Washington State... Now they can get some momentum going into the season finale against Arizona by taking care of UCLA, which they should do. Should. Like how they should have beat UNLV.
8. UCLA (4-6, 3-4) - Keep those fans dreams alive for a bowl game! Lol. Seriously. If they make it to a bowl game, I will buy any UCLA fan four tickets to that game, cause making it to a bowl means they have to beat Arizona State in Tempe (questionable) and USC in the Rose Bowl (doubtful).
9. Washington (0-10, 0-7) - The Huskies should be favored against the Cougars.
10. Washington State (1-10, 0-8) - Other than that, I got nothing. Though at least Washington State gets to go to Hawaii in the season finale!

And the top 25, though not much changes after not many upsets:

1. Alabama (11-0)
2. Texas Tech (10-0)
3. Florida (9-1)
4. Texas (10-1)
5. Oklahoma (9-1)
6. USC (9-1)
7. Utah (11-0)
8. Penn State (10-1)
9. Boise State (10-0)
10. Ohio State (9-2)
11. Missouri (9-2)
12. Oklahoma State (9-2)
13. Texas Christian (9-2)
14. Brigham Young (10-1)
15. Ball State (10-0)
16. Michigan State (9-2)
17. Georgia (9-2)
18. Pittsburgh (7-2)
19. Oregon State (7-3)
20. Louisiana State (7-3)
21. Cincinnati (8-2)
22. Western Michigan (9-2)
23. Oregon (8-3)
24. Miami (Florida) (7-3)
25. Northwestern (8-3)

And BCS bowl predictions!

BCS National Championship - Florida (SEC Champ) vs. Texas Tech (Big 12 Champ)

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - Texas (BCS at large) vs. Utah (BCS at large)

Allstate Sugar Bowl - Alabama (BCS at large) vs. Ohio State (BCS at large)

FedEx Orange Bowl - Miami (Florida) (ACC Champ) vs. Cincinnati (Big East Champ)

Rose Bowl Game - Penn State (Big Ten Champ) vs. USC (Pac-10 Champ)

Does defense really win championships?

I guess USC will find out the answer this year. Another impressive performance for the Trojan defense, which had pitched shutouts in 3 of the last 4 games, and probably would have if two penalties had not wiped out two interceptions. Four gripes about the game (save for the offense, thats for the next paragraph...) Penalties started to rack up again, with SC being flagged 10 times for 105 yards. Josh Pinkard showing that the Trojans do not know how to play the game, trying to return an interception 5 yards deep in the end zone instead of downing it for a touchback, which ended up in him being tackled at the 3 yard line. And apparently, if you can average 27 yards on your punts, you too can be USC's punter next season. Ugh Greg Woidneck. We need another Tom Malone type punter... There has been a lot of flack given to UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel saying punting is winning, but in this game, where the offense had a hard time sustaining drives and the defense failing to stop Cal's drives early, special teams would have really helped turn the field around and maybe given the offense good field position to get into field goal range. And what happened to Big Balls Pete? Punting from the 39 on 4th-and-5? What the hell!!! And worse, Woidneck kicked the ball only 20 yards!!!! FUCK!!!!


As good as the defense was, the offense had a hard time sustaining drives in the second half, especially in the third quarter. Hard to tell what the problem really was, but in the Mark Sanchez era, the Trojans have failed to score 20 points 3 times, something that didn't happen very often. One thing that has to go is Joe McKnight. He has been spectacular at times, but his fumbles, including one in the fourth quarter, have come at the worst of times and killed promising drives. He also only has one touchdown on the year, which came in the Virginia game. Please, keep the ball in C.J. Gable and Stafon Johnson's hands Sark. Geez looks like we've already lost another tailback, Broderick Green, due to lack of playing time. One thing that did improve was Sanchez going to the underneath receivers, be it the tight end or the fullback, and those were open most of the night. Also have to give credit to the Cal defense, which kept the Bears in the game.


But if the Trojan offense can score 10 points, it looks like USC should be in good shape all year. The defense has allowed 60 points all year, and if you take out the Oregon State game, USC has allowed a mere 33 points in eight games. Whoa. USC has only allowed one touchdown at home, and only two touchdowns all year in the second half, both on drives that started in the red zone.


Hmm, weekender next week...will SC exact revenge against the Cardinal? Will Pete Carroll extend his streak to 26 games in november? Will the Trojans score more than 20 points? If they don't, there goes the cover, which SC has done a decent job of doing this season... here's a quick look:


W @ Virginia (-20.5) 52-7
W vs. Ohio State (-12) 35-3
L @ Oregon State (-24) 21-27
W vs. Oregon (-16) 44-10
T vs. Arizona State (-28) 28-0
W @ Washington State (-42) 69-0
L @ Arizona (-15.5) 17-10
W vs. Washington (-45) 59-0
L vs. California 17-3
Record: 5-3-1

Oh well. Here's a look at the Pac-10 rankings:

1. USC (8-1 overall, 6-1 Pac-10) - Remember that key three game stretch two years ago, when SC hosted a top 25 Oregon team, top 10 Cal team, and top 6 Notre Dame team? Everyone was saying how if they got through that brutal stretch, the Trojans would be in the National Championship game. But we all forgot about the UCLA game. Darn. Anyway, this year's game should be fun, with the vaunted Bruin offense going up against the Trojan defense allowing 6.7 points per game. LOL. But first things first, revenge against Stanford, who has a physical running game which could cause trouble for the USC defense, and shutting down Tavita Pritchard, who burned USC for the game winning TD.
2. Oregon State (6-3, 5-1) - Mike Riley finally got a win over UCLA after 9 tries. Now, the Beavers enter a brutal stretch against Cal, Arizona, and Oregon. Lose one game and their Rose Bowl shots go down the drain. After the Trojans took care of Cal, Oregon State is the only team remaining that controls their Rose Bowl chances. And you know what, I'm kinda half rooting for them to win out, cause that makes the Trojans' loss to them seem not so bad. I mean look at their resume, outside of the egg they laid against Stanford, the Beavs have played relatively well. They got blown out to a Penn State team that is 9-1 in Happy Valley, always a tough place to play, and got screwed in their loss at Utah, who is 10-0, but other than that, just a string of solid wins. Look for them to finish down the stretch strong, as they have done in the past few years.
3. California (6-3, 4-2) - A season of what could have been for the Bears after a loss to Maryland and giving up a huge third quarter to Arizona. They can do SC a favor and do something USC has not done since 2004 and win in Corvalis, which would open up the chance for SC to make it to the Rose Bowl. Nate Longshore actually played well, especially when penalties wiped out two interceptions. But the Bears need to prove that they can finish strong after their poor finish last year, and can do so with a win over Oregon State.
4. Arizona (6-3, 4-2) - Finally became bowl eligible, and with 7 spots for 5 bowl teams (lol), save to say the Wildcats will go bowling for the first time in a while. Now to climb the bowl ladder to head to the Sun Bowl or even the Holiday Bowl, as the Cats still have to play Oregon and Oregon State, and holds any tiebreaker with Cal. And their climb up the ladder starts at Oregon next week, against a Ducks team that had problems putting away Stanford.
5. Oregon (7-3, 5-2) - Maybe they weren't who we thought they were? Really had problems with the Cardinal playing at home. And they need to pass the ball if they have any hope of finishing strong against Arizona and Oregon State.
6. Stanford (5-5, 4-3) - Will lightning strike twice for Stanford? USC fans certainly hope not. The Cardinal were thisclose to getting win number 6 and heading to a bowl game, but will have to beat either the Trojans (25-0 in November + 24-23 loss last year = motivated Trojans, hopefully) or the Bears, which after last year's upset in the Big Game, doesn't seem too far fetched.
7. Arizona State (3-6, 2-4) - Finally ended that six game losing steak, even if it take playing Washington. The Sun Devils still have a chance to make a bowl game, as they could potentially be riding a 3 game win streak heading into the season finale against Arizona, and those games the last few years have gone down to the wire, so anything can happen there. But first things first, oh well, who am I kidding, take care of UCLA after Thanksgiving (Wazzu is a lock for the Devils) and they could be playing for their bowl lives and a return trip to Honolulu against the Wildcats.
8. UCLA (3-6, 2-4) - Not only because they lost, but how they lost. Just completely shut down by the Beavers in the second half. But they should take care of business against Washington in Rick Neuheisel's homecoming (lol) to keep their long shot chances of a bowl game alive, but it may be hard for the Bruins, as they still host a hungry Arizona State team looking for their own bowl game shots, and a USC team, which frankly, has to stop overlooking teams, and will probably not overlook UCLA. Hopefully.
9. Washington (0-9, 0-6) - It would be hilarious if the Huskies could beat the Bruins. Other than that I got nothing for Washington and
10. Washington State (1-9, 0-7) - Washington State, but they did show some spunk in their blowouts this week. Baring any upsets, this should be how the Pac-10 should settle out at the end of the season...

And for the top 25...

1. Alabama (10-0) - Dammit LSU!!! I just started to like you guys again. Oh well, nice win in a hostile Death Valley for the Tide, who should roll into Atlanta to get blown out by Florida in the SEC championship game.
2. Texas Tech (10-0) - Solid win over Okie State quelled my doubts about this team, but their game in two weeks at Oklahoma might be a quarterfinal game for the national championship.
3. Florida (8-1) - Smacked around a helpless Vandy team. Maybe Pete Carroll needs to take a page out of cum, er, Coach Urban Meyer's book and run up the score on some teams, as it seems like something Meyer loves to do. What a jackass. And unfortunately, it looks like this asshole will be playing for another national championship, unless Florida State or Alabama (and another asshole Nick Saban) beats him in the next few weeks.
4. Texas (9-1) - Looks like that loss to Texas Tech might not be too damning, especially if the Sooners can beat the Raiders in a couple of weeks. I had something witty here with Mark Mangino and Vince Gill, er, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, but I got too frustrated with blogspot's picture attachments...
5. Oklahoma (9-1) - Huge game against Texas Tech in two weeks. But seriously, no defense in the Big 12!?! 94 points combined between them and Texas A&M!!! Seriously!?!
6. USC (7-1) - So when the Trojans play defense instead of blowing out teams with offense like the old days, USC is struggling? Gay. And speaking of defense, what happened to the SEC? I mean we don't want 3-2 barnburners, and shootouts are fun, but I thought the SEC was built on defense. Just saying.
7. Utah (10-0) - Played some close games recently, but still has big wins over Oregon State (who saw that coming?) and TCU, with the season finale against BYU in a couple of weeks. Still has the inside track on making another BCS game, as long as they take care of business.
8. Penn State (9-1) - Iowa is a good team, but Penn State was sooo close to making it to the national championship. Now? A loss to Michigan State and no Rose Bowl...
9. Boise State (9-0)
10. Ohio State (8-2)
11. Missouri (8-2)
12. Oklahoma State (8-2)
13. Texas Christian (9-2)
14. Brigham Young (9-1)
15. Ball State (9-0)
16. Georgia (8-2)
17. North Carolina (8-2)
18. Michigan State (9-2)
19. Louisiana State (6-3)
20. Pittsburgh (7-2)
21. Florida State (7-2)
22. Oregon State (6-3)
23. Tulsa (8-1)
24. South Carolina (7-3)
25. Western Michigan (8-2)

Another shutout...

but was it really that impressive? USC shutout 56-0 for the Trojans' third shutout in four games, but it was against the only remaining winless team in FBS. So much for losing early being a good thing for USC, as the weak Pac-10 slate is really taking centerstage as the Big 12 and SEC have top ten matchups week in and week out. Like the Washington State game, can't really say much about this one. USC again tried to run out the clock in the second half after jumping out to a 42-0 lead at the half by calling simple run plays. The defense did earn the shutout by collecting interceptions on two long Washington drives that made it deep into USC territory. Oh well. Can't really do anything about the national championship picture, as there really is nothing USC can do to control their destiny. After all the chaos at the top in recent years down the stretch, I can't really see that repeating. Or maybe... hmm. Penn State should win out and make the BCS National Championship game, even with people trying to build up Iowa and Michigan State. Alabama still has to travel to LSU next week and play Florida (probably) in the SEC championship. Texas Tech still hosts Oklahoma State and travels to Oklahoma. Florida looks to play their way back into the National Title picture after blowing out Georgia, as they should be favored in their remaining games until the SEC championship. But for now, all USC has to worry about is a dangerous Cal team coming in to take the perch atop the Pac-10 standings away from the Trojans. Here's the Pac-10 rankings:

1. USC (7-1 overall, 5-1 Pac-10) - Pac-10 game of the year (so far anyway) when Cal travels to the Coliseum next week. USC took care of business against the Huskies, but the Trojans will face a stiff test from the Bears, who almost always seem to give USC their A-game. Mark Sanchez must show that he can make the correct decisions in a big game, as this one could go down to the fourth quarter, where Sanchez is only 2-2 in games decided by 7 points or less (W vs. Arizona, L @ Oregon in 2007, L @ Oregon State, W @ Arizona in 2008).
2. California (6-2, 4-1) - I'll admit that I had them a little low last week, but a very impressive win over Oregon in terrible weather. After a terrible third quarter against Arizona, the Bears have bounced back with solid wins over UCLA and Oregon and bring some momentum with them into the Coliseum. If they can get solid play out of either Kevin Riley or Nate Longshore, and Jahvid Best holds up all game, they have a shot at the upset. But again, this is November, where Pete Carroll hasn't lost while at USC.
3. Oregon State (5-3, 4-1) - Survived a scare against Arizona State, but they still face a tough stretch to finish off the season. UCLA may not be a scary team on paper, but if the Beavers let the Bruins hang around like they let the Sun Devils today, the Bruins are capable of putting a coherent offensive drive together for a game winning touchdown. Not looking ahead, but after UCLA, Oregon State still has to play Arizona, Cal, and Oregon. Dang. But that all said, they still control their Rose Bowl destiny (as does Cal, which even I failed to see).
4. Arizona (5-3, 3-2) - They should become bowl eligible next week against Washington State, which makes the rest of the schedule a breeze without the pressure of making a bowl game.
5. Oregon (6-3, 4-2) - Quite a drop, but that's how the cookie crumbles... Tough loss at Cal today, and they need to rebound against a scrappy Stanford squad, who might be desperate in finding their sixth win to become bowl eligible...
6. Stanford (5-4, 4-2) - Cause there aren't a lot of chances for win number six. It's always tough winning in Autzen, USC will be determined not to have a repeat of 2007, and Cal looks to have found their groove.
7. UCLA (3-5, 2-3) - The Bruins have a real shot against Oregon State next week in the Rose Bowl, as long as Kevin Craft keeps his interception count under four (seriously, he only has 11 interceptions!?!). A loss here makes the road to a bowl game really tough for UCLA, as it means they would have to win out... meaning beating USC.
8. Arizona State (2-6, 1-4) - Just dug a hole too deep to climb out of, and now have a six game losing streak. Though it should end next week when they travel to Seattle for the Pillow Fight of the week.
9. Washington (0-8, 0-5) - How can the only winless team left in FBS not be last place in any conference rankings?
10. Washington State (1-8, 0-6) - When they're in the same conference as Washington State.

A lot of great finishes this week. What a game between Texas and Texas Tech, with Graham Harrell connecting with Michael Crabtree for the game winning touchdown with one second left for the upset. Missouri needing a late field goal to hold of Baylor. Michigan State beating Wisconsin with a late field goal. Northwestern using a pick-six for the game winning score against Minnesota. Pittsburgh edging Notre Dame in four overtimes. Oregon State intercepting Rudy Carpenter's two point attempt to hold off Arizona State. Solid day overall for college football. A lot of changes in the top 25...

1. Alabama (8-0) - Yeah I know, I've had Penn State ranked higher than Bama in the past few weeks, but I can't move the Nittany Lions to #1 after a bye, even if the Tide only beat up a Sun Belt team. Though they still have a tough road left, as they travel to LSU next week, and if they get there, a date with Florida (most likely) in the SEC championship.
2. Penn State (9-0) - But #2 is what counts these days. All you can hope for is a shot in playing in the BCS national championship game. I don't know why everyone is building up Iowa so much, this isn't like Iowa of the early 2000's, where they averaged 10 wins a season. Right now, the Nittany Lions are a lock for the BCS title game, much to the delight of the nation (just joking....)
3. Texas Tech (9-0) - Still not buying into them, as they still have to play Oklahoma State, at Oklahoma, and if they make it, Missouri in the Big 12 championship. But nonetheless, very impressive win against Texas.
4. Florida (7-1) - Unless Georgia isn't the team we thought they were... Other than the head scratcher against Mississippi, Florida has been really dominant, racking up gaudy numbers against decent competition.
5. Texas (8-1) - Even though it wasn't a bad loss, Florida looks terrific today, and the Longhorns have to drop behind the three big undefeated teams.
6. Oklahoma (8-1) - Hey, USC isn't the only team that can fall in the polls while playing weak competition, though the defense really does need to clamp down. They combined with Nebraska for 90 points today. Geez. But Florida was dominant against Georgia, and Tech deserves to be in the top 3.
7. USC (7-1) - Seems to be cockblocked from the top of the polls by the Big 12 South, but wiht good reason. All of the teams in the Big 12 South are really solid. Can't take anything away from them, weak out of conference schedule or not. And the Pac-10 is really weak. All USC should worry about is getting back to the Rose Bowl. If major upsets happen ahead of them, great. If not, oh well, stop losing to weaker teams.
8. Oklahoma State (8-1) - Solid bounce back win against... Iowa State. Oh nevermind. Quick aside, Iowa State sure did pick the right team to copy their uniform design from, heh.
9. Utah (9-0) - First big showdown in the MWC against TCU on Thursday (wow, the Mtn. really blew a shot there...). Winner (even TCU with one loss) has the inside track to a BCS game, as its unlikely two of Utah, TCU, or BYU will make it there, as the Cougars have looked unimpressive since their loss to TCU, a second loss would end things for the Frogs, and Utah stil has to play BYU in their season finale.
10. Boise State (8-0)
11. Texas Christian (9-1)
12. Ohio State (7-2)
13. Missouri (7-2)
14. Louisiana State (6-2)
15. Brigham Young (8-1)
16. Ball State (8-0)
17. Georgia (7-2)
18. North Carolina (6-2)
19. Michigan State (8-2)
20. West Virginia (6-2)
21. California (6-2)
22. Georgia Tech (7-2)
23. Northwestern (7-2)
24. Maryland (6-2)
25. Tulsa (7-1)

Shootout in the desert....

Oh wait, nevermind. Defense took centerstage as USC held off Arizona 17-10, though the Wildcats never really threatened to score after they tied the game at 10. UoA came in averaging over 40 points per game, ranked top 10 in the nation, while the Trojans were coming off hanging 69 on Washington State, but neither team was able to crack 20 points. It seems like Arizona coach Mike Stoops has figured out USC, but hasn't flipped the right switch to push the Wildcats over the top. In 2006, the Wildcats held close until a late touchdown pushed the Trojans to a 20-3 win. Last year, in Mark Sanchez's first start, USC rallied past Arizona 20-13 in the Coliseum. This year, the Trojans dominated the second half, especially on the defensive end, but the offense was not able to sustain any drives and make the fourth quarter less stressful.

Problems? After committing only 2 penalties against the Cougars, the Trojans were flagged 10 times for 68 yards, including two holding calls on big plays that really changed the momentum of the play. Ugh, so much for that problem being solved. Special teams continues to plague USC. Stafon Johnson had a couple of good punt returns, including a 54 yarder to set up the Trojan's first points, but some were nullified by blocking in the back penalties, as well as Johnson catching a punt in the endzone, a huge no-no. Greg Woidneck had a 15 yard punt. I think I can punt the ball 15 yards. Is it too much to ask to recruit a kicker? We've been lucky in the past with finding gems with Ryan Killeen, Mario Danelo, and David Buehler, but now Buehler has been really shaky in close games (Washington in 2007 and Arizona this year), and Woidneck is just ugh. Does Tom Malone have any eligibility left? Please? And that last punt return could have been a disaster... The offensive play calling was spotty down the stretch too, with passes being called while we were clinging to that seven point lead and trying to bleed some clock. Nice to see Johnson get 19 carries, but he should have had waaay more, especially in the fourth quarter. Oh well. Sanchez does need to improve on his decision making, scramble for the first when no receivers are open, or hit the underneath receiver instead of forcing the bigger gain.

The offense can thank the defense though. Huge stop on the QB sneak on 4th and 1 at midfield on the fourth quarter, but the defense can also thank Willie Tuitama for being so off the mark, as he completed only two passes in the second half, and Taylor Mays for knocking Keola Antolin out of the game, as the defense were having flashes of Oregon State RB Jacquizz Rodgers. At this point of the season, with the lack of upsets ahead of USC, the best I can hope for is another trip to the Rose Bowl, but the Trojans will need some help getting there. Assuming USC wins out in Pac-10 play, they need the Beavers to lose once, with the best chance of that happening being against Cal, Arizona, or Oregon to close the season. Then again, the Trojans needed much more help last year to make the Rose Bowl after losing to Oregon late last season, but the pieces fell into place (notably, Oregon QB Dennis Dixon's knee exploding) and USC made their third consecutive trip to Pasadena. On to the Pac-10 rankings:

1. USC (6-1 overall, 4-1 Pac-10) - Didn't avoid penalties and turnovers, which lead to a slow start against Arizona, but the defense saved the day this week. Washington limps into the Coliseum for Homecoming next week, but honestly haven't seen any spark from the Huskies since they lost to BYU. The Trojans do not leave California for the rest of the season, and guess what next Saturday is.... November 1st!!!! 24 straight in November, and I don't see that streak ending next week.
2. Oregon (6-2, 4-1) - Solid performance against Arizona State this week in Tempe, but that Sun Devil team is falling apart at the seams. Big game next week at Cal, which should help clear up the top of the Pac-10 standings, with four teams having one loss in conference play.
3. Oregon State (4-3, 3-1) - Licking their chops as a hobbled and downtrodden Arizona State team arrives in Corvalis. The Beavers are the only team in the Pac-10 that controls their Rose Bowl destiny, but they close the season with a brutal stretch of Cal, at Arizona, and Oregon. No room for error, as the Trojans look to have bounced back from their loss to the Beavers, and Cal and Oregon also standing at one loss in conference play. But first things first, take care of Arizona State.
4. Arizona (5-3, 3-2) - Valiant effort by the Wildcats, but their offense really let them down in this game. The defense kept giving the offense chances to tie the game, but no go. Arizona heads into a bye, where coach Stoops should keep his team focused for their visit to Pullman in two weeks (seriously), as it would make them bowl eligible for the first time this decade (I think).
5. California (5-2, 3-1) - Sloppy game against UCLA until the Bruins failed on their fake punt, which really turned the game around for the Bears. After losing to Arizona the week before where they were outscored in the third quarter 28-3, Cal outscored UCLA 24-7 in the fourth to put UCLA away. Strange concept though, a team making the Bruins pay for Kevin Craft's turnovers. Tennessee and Stanford couldn't do it. Maybe, just maybe, teams from here on out will convert on those turnovers by Craft so UCLA won't be in striking distance in the fourth quarter, when they are oh so dangerous. Cal hosts Oregon next week, hoping to get some momentum before travelling to the Coliseum to play the Trojans.
6. Stanford (4-4, 3-2) - Spent their bye week trying to find their sixth win in their remaining scheudle. The Cardinal should take care of business against Wazzu, but a trip to Oregon looks daunting, the Trojans will be looking for revenge after last year's game, and the Big Game against Cal is no gimme. But it will be all for naught if Stanford doesn't beat Wazzu.
7. UCLA (3-5, 2-3) - MAKE THEM PAY FOR KEVIN CRAFT'S BONEHEADED THROWS!!!! Seriously. Good job Cal, turning Craf't's four interceptions into 17 points. If you don't make him pay, Craft keeps his confidence, especially if the game is close. He is capable of scoring drives at the end of halves (seemes like UCLA always tacks on a field goal at the end of the first half). Oh well. After a bye, Oregon State should smack the Bruins around in the Rose Bowl. By the way, I will always question Slick Rick's special teams gambles (haha) at terrible times until one of them pays off (or he gets fired. Get it? nevermind...). Anyway, he was about a yard short on his gamble, which still failed, and on the next play, Cal scored on a flea flicker and a 17-13 game turned into a rout.
8. Arizona State (2-5, 1-3) - A team that's lost 5 straight and has no hope of winning until the Washington schools show up on the schedule should be ranked last in the conference. Unless of course you're in the same conference as
9. Washington (0-7, 0-4) - and
10. Washington State (1-7, 0-5). Ugh indeed.

Top 25 rankings (assuming Tulsa wins tomorrow (STOP PLAYING ON DAYS OTHER THAN SATURDAY!!!):

1. Texas (8-0) - Over/under of their game next week against Texas Tech: 100. Has an over/under even been that high before? Would anyone even flinch at that number when the lines open on Monday? Does the Big 12 play defense anymore?
2. Penn State (9-0) - Gutty win against Ohio State in the Horseshoe. Can't really see them losing the rest of the way. They should be a lock to make the BCS Championship game because:
3. Alabama (8-0) - still has to play LSU, then Georgia/Florida in the SEC championship game. At least they outscored Tennessee in the second half of this game, but the Vols looked terrible. It's one thing to be just bad, but penalties and missed field goals are just marks of a poorly coached team.
4. Oklahoma (7-1) - Seriously. When did they outlaw playing defense in the Big 12. OU and K-State combined for 93 points. 93!!!
5. Florida (6-1) - I'm just saying, but Florida beats Kentucky 63-5, and it's a quality win in the SEC, but USC beats Washington State 69-0, and the Trojans are running up the score? Works for me this week, but HUGE game against Georgia next week.
6. Texas Tech (8-0) - Just setting them up for their epic fail next week against Texas. By the way, are not making a big enough deal of the Longhorns playing four straight teams ranked in the top 11? Has any other team done this before? Does anyone care that the Red Raiders has not played anyone of relevance this season and will fall flat on their faces against Texas? That they too run up the score?
7. Georgia (7-1) - Impressive win over the defending champs this week in Baton Rouge. Can vault themselves back in the title picture with a win over Florida next week at the World's Largest Cocktail Party, but it will be hard to crack Texas and Penn State's resumes. I still think Florida and Georgia are better than Alabama and either team will beat the Tide in the SEC championship.
8. USC (6-1) - Only because Oklahoma State, LSU, and Ohio State all lost, though the Pokes and Buckeyes looked more solid in their losses than the Trojans did in their win. The good news? If they beat the Huskies next week, Georgia/Florida will fall, as will Texas Tech, so they should move up back into the top 6. Bad news? Thanks to a weak schedule, the Trojans will probably be left out of the BCS Championship game. But you'll hear no complaining from me.
9. Oklahoma State (7-1) - Gave Texas a run for their money, so no change from last week's ranking. They did show that they are the real deal though, and should finish the season with a solid mark.
10. Utah (6-0) - We might have two BCS busters this season. Here's the breakdown: the 6 champions from the BCS conferences are locks. The Pac-10, Big Ten, ACC, and Big East are not going to be sending a second team to a BCS bowl, unless both Oregon State and USC win out and the Beavers go to the Rose Bowl while the Trojans earn an at-large berth. Assuming that does not happen, the Big 12 and SEC will also send another rep to a BCS game, whether by the automatic bid (too complicated to explain), or by reputation (ala Oklahoma, Florida, etc). This leaves 2 spots open for Utah and
11. Boise State (7-0) - to earn automatic bids under the non-BCS clause (top 12 ranking). Complicated indeed.
12. Texas Christian (8-1)
13. Ohio State (6-2)
14. Missouri (6-2)
15. Brigham Young (7-1)
16. Tulsa (8-0)
17. Louisiana State (5-2)
18. Ball State (8-0)
19. South Florida (6-2)
20. Minnesota (7-1)
21. Florida State (6-1)
22. Oregon (6-2) - Just plug and chug for the bottom 4 spots...
23. Michigan State (7-2)
24. North Carolina (6-2)
25. Maryland (6-2)

138-0

Stat of the day: USC is on a 138-0 scoring run since falling behind 10-3 vs. Oregon three weeks ago. Geez. I have a feeling the scoreless streak will end when the Trojans travel to Tuscon next week to take on the Arizona Wildcats, but it is fun while it lasts. The outcome of the game at Pullman was never in question when Wazzu ran the ball three straight times on their opening posession. Mark Sanchez was almost perfect, throwing for 5 touchdowns in the first half, while the run game produced three 100+ yard rushers in Stafon Johnson, C.J. Gable (with 3 TDs), and Broderick Green (2 TDs) as Joe McKnight and Marc Tyler sat out with injuries. The defense posted its second straight shutout, blanking the Cougars for the first time in 280 games, which was the second longest active streak behind Michigan. If anything, it was nice to see the Trojans get off to a fast start, allowing Coach Pete Carroll to rest most of the regulars while getting some guys lower on the depth chart some valuable experience, including walkon Daniel Harper, who had an interception in the fourth quarter. On to this week's Pac-10 rankings:

1. USC (5-1 overall, 3-1 Pac-10) - ... and the Trojans are back atop the conference standings after Cal lost to Arizona (again). Four teams are tied for the lead (USC, Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State), and USC travels to Arizona next week. Nice win by the Wildcats today, but if the Trojans avoid turnovers and costly penalties, that game can also get out of hand quickly. This game has upset potential for USC, and after last year's 20-13 game at the Coliseum, Arizona and Coach Mike Stoops has a lot to build upon.
2. Oregon (5-2, 3-1) - Hopefully used their bye week to get their QBs healthy and ready to go. They must travel to Tempe, where the Sun Devils will have a hard time ending their 4 game losing streak. Tough stretch after next week's game for the Ducks, as they have to travel to Berkeley, host Stanford and Arizona before the Civil War game. No more gimmies for Oregon til the end of the season.
3. Oregon State (4-3, 3-1) - The Beavers should be pretty satisfied going into the bye week having won 4 of 5 games. But like the Ducks, Oregon State still has to face the better teams in the conference. Solid win against Washington today, and will look to hand Arizona State their sixth straight loss (probably) in two weeks.
4. Arizona (5-2, 3-1) - Again, the Wildcats could very well be 7-0, save for unbelieveable losses to New Mexico and Stanford. Arizona looks well on their way to a bowl game (Wazzu still looms on the schedule) after upsetting Cal today, thought it was more the Bears imploding than UoA doing anything special. The 'Cats will look to become bowl eligible next week against the Trojans, though USC looks to be so suffocating on defense (allowing 7.8 points per game) that Arizona may have to force some turnovers out of the Trojans' offense.
5. California (4-2, 2-1) - Ready for that late season collapse again? Cal was in control of Arizona before that third quarter, when the Bears were outscored 28-3. Things do not get easier from here on out for Cal, as after hosting UCLA next weekend, they play Oregon and travel to USC and Oregon State before the Big Game. If the QBs have trouble as they did today, watch out. And again, if you let the Bruins stay close into the fourth quarter, they are very dangerous, as Stanford found out today.
6. UCLA (3-4, 2-2) - Hate to see them be so scrappy. And all of a sudden, the Bruins game next week against Cal doesn't look so daunting. Kevin Craft is the definition of Jekyll/Hyde. Geez. If Cal an make UCLA pay for Craft's miscues and go for the jugglar, Cal should have their time with the Bruins. Coach Rick Neuheisel will win my Coach of the Year vote for the Pac-10 if he gets to a bowl (hopefully the Hawaii Bowl so I can see them in action.... false).
7. Stanford (4-4, 3-2) - The Bruins were unable to move the ball consistently all game, until, of course, the game's final drive, where UCLA travelled 88 yards for the game winning score. It may be hard for the Cardinal to become bowl eligible, as this was the game that would have mostly likely locked up a bowl bid. Instead, they head to their bye week looking to regroup before win #5 (Wazzu), then will have to look for their sixth win against Oregon, USC, or Cal. Good luck with that.
8. Arizona State (2-4, 1-2) - So when does Dennis Erickson's name come up fo the job openings around the NFL and NCAA? The Sun Devils could very well have dropped six straight before they visit Washington. Hard to see Oregon losing to Arizona State next week, but stranger things have happened. Hopefully Rudy Carpenter has recovered from his injuries so he can make the start.
9. Washington (0-4, 0-6) - At least they're more competitive than:
10. Washington State (1-7, 0-5) - I think Hershel Dennis just ran for a 7 yard gain. Seriously. I know USC is good, but you can't let teams score on you on fourth-down, and if you know USC is just going to run the ball down your throat, put 8 or 9 in the box to stop the run. At least they won't give up 60+ points this week, though when they return to play Stanford in two weeks, the Cardinal may have a sour taste in their mouth after the UCLA loss.

And the top 25, without too much shakeups with not too many upsets this week:

1. Texas (7-0)
2. Penn State (8-0)
3. Alabama (7-0)
4. Oklahoma (6-1)
5. USC (5-1)
6. Florida (5-1)
7. Texas Tech (7-0)
8. Georgia (6-1)
9. Oklahoma State (7-0)
10. Ohio State (7-1)
11. Louisiana State (5-1)
12. Utah (8-0)
13. Boise State (6-0)
14. South Florida (6-1)
15. Tulsa (7-0)
16. Texas Christian (7-1)
17. Brigham Young (6-1)
18. Ball State (7-0)
19. Missouri (5-2)
20. Pittsburgh (5-1)
21. Kansas (5-2)
22. Minnesota (6-1)
23. Georgia Tech (6-1)
24. Northwestern (6-1)
25. Vanderbilt (5-2)

Nice shutout, but...

the offense took some major steps back today. Nice to see the defense really step up today, pitching a shutout, forcing four turnovers, collecting three sacks, blocking two field goals, and a partridge in a pear tree (points after interception, PAINT, lol). But the offense was very anemic, especially in the third quarter, where the Trojans started off with four possessions that ended in fumble, interception, interception, interception. Arizona State took full advantage of those turnovers, going blocked field goal, blocked field goal (going -20 yards in three plays), punt, and punt. Ugh. Mark Sanchez reverted, to, um, really Sanchez? Can't blame the lost fumble after being blindsided, but the interception on the screen play was terrible. The receivers are not helping Sanchez out with all of the drops, especially Damian Williams on Sanchez's third pick, as well as Ronald Johnson and Williams dropping bombs as well. Oh well. CB Kevin Thomas had a career game, with a sack and an interception returned for a touchdown, USC's second defensive touchdown after not having one since 2005. Woot for the defense indeed. But I guess when you complain about a 28 points loss, things can't be going too bad. As for the Pac-10 rankings...

1. USC (4-1, 2-1) - Two straight wins ties for the longest win streak in the conference (seriously...). Another dominant perfomance on the defensive side; always nice to see a shutout, but questions on the offense arise as the Trojans make the trek up to play Washington State. Over/under on the spread for this one: 37, though USC will probably have trouble covering this one (a la Stanford?).
2. California (4-1, 2-0) - Bye week should have helped settle the QB controversy between Kevin Riley and Nate Longshore, and hopefully gave RB Jahvid Best some extra time to recover from his elbow injury. The Golden Bears play Arizona next week in Tuscon, but the matchup lost some luster when the Wildcats were upset by Stanford. Cal is the only remaining undefeated team in Pac-10 play, and would be in serious contention for the top spot had they not lost to Maryland.
3. Oregon (5-2, 3-1) - Oregon showed that if you let UCLA hang close, they will bite you, and the Bruins almost took a chunk out of the Ducks. The Ducks passed for only 40 yards, but ran for over 300 in holding off UCLA. They were able to bounce back after being trounced by USC, and now have a bye week to settle their own QB controversy with Justin Roper coming back from a concussion. After the bye, they travel to Tempe to face a reeling Arizona State squad.
4. Stanford (4-3, 3-1) - Is the Pac-10 really this weak? Ugh. Arizona blew a chance to take a huge step to becoming bowl eligible while the Cardinal took a giant leap in their bowl chances. Stanford now has a really winable game against UCLA in the Rose Bowl next week, and if they are able to beat the Bruins, they are a lock to make a bowl game, with Wazzu still on their schedule. Nice win for Stanford.
5. Oregon State (3-3, 2-1) - Washington State is the cureall for reeling Pac-10 teams. Dominant 66-13 win, with the Beavers taking care of business. Tough loss against Utah last week, but they have a favorable stretch of games coming up (@ Washington, vs. Arizona State, @ UCLA) which should get them to being bowl eligible. Oregon State is very dangerous down the stretch, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them win 5 of their last 6 games
6. Arizona (4-2, 2-1) - The Wildcats should very well be 6-0 right now, but instead have only themselves to blame. Three field goals from inside the 10 yard line won't get it done. And they could not stop Stanford's run game either. Arizona hosts Cal next week, and will need to get the kinks out before USC arrives in Tuscon the following week. With only one gimme left on the schedule (Wazzu...), the Wildcats need to have another late season upset to make a bowl game.
7. UCLA (2-4, 1-2) - The Gutty Little Bruins showed some spunk in Eugene, maybe with Oregon letting UCLA hang in the game too long. Teams need to put UCLA away quickly, because the Bruins are a very dangerous team when they are in striking distance. Good to see that UCLA did not just roll over, but coaching mistakes (poor clock management at the end of the first half, going for an onside kick in the third quarter, not going for an onside kick down 24-17 late in the game) may have cost UCLA a chance to steal the game. They host an upstart Stanford team looking to continue their nice little hot streak.
8. Arizona State (2-4, 1-2) - The preseason pick to finish second in the conference is on a nasty four game losing streak, starting with the terrible loss to UNLV, then being dominated by Georgia, beaten by Cal, then shutout by the Trojans. At least Arizona State won't lose next week (bye), but the following week, they get to host an Oregon team looking to establish their spot as #2 in the Pac-10 pecking order.
9. Washington (0-5, 0-3) - At least they didn't lose by 53. Though Oregon State is in the home stretch of their schedule, a time when the Beavers are almost unbeatable.
10. Washington State (1-5, 0-4) - If I could put the Cougs lower, I would. At least they won't be playing a team coming off a loss, as it seems like Washington State is the cureall for struggling teams. But then again, the Trojans may look to sharpen their offense against a team allowing 55.8 points per game in conference play. Even that game in Hawaii doesn't look like a gimme anymore. 1-12 anyone?

And more shuffling in the top 25, with no teams in the top 4 winning (Alabama had a bye). Whoa.

1. Texas (6-0)
2. Alabama (6-0)
3. Penn State (7-0)
4. Oklahoma (5-1)
5. USC (4-1)
6. Brigham Young (6-0)
7. Texas Tech (6-0)
8. Florida (5-1)
9. Georgia (5-1)
10. Missouri (5-1)
11. Louisiana State (4-1)
12. Utah (7-0)
13. Ohio State (6-1)
14. Oklahoma State (6-0)
15. Boise State (5-0)
16. South Florida (5-1)
17. Kansas (5-1)
18. Tulsa (6-0)
19. Ball State (7-0)
20. Michigan State (6-1)
21. Wake Forest (4-1)
22. Vanderbilt (5-1)
23. Virginia Tech (5-1)
24. North Carolina (5-1)
25. Texas Christian (6-1)