Your 2008 Pac-10 Preview

by Amy Lamare of www.gridirongoddess.net

I can make this real quick football fiends: USC will win its 7^th straight Pac 10 championship and head to a BCS bowl game.

And that concludes your 2008 Pac-10 Preview. UCLA, Stanford, Cal, Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona and Arizona State – all y’all might as well stay home. Rey Maualuga, Mark Sanchez, Joe McKnight and the boys have got this one sewn up.

In all seriousness though, the Pac-10 does not back down from a challenge when scheduling its non-conference games. This year teams in the Pac-10 face: Ohio State, Georgia, Tennessee, BYU, Boise State, Oklahoma, Penn State and Purdue, just to name a handful. No 1-AA cupcake rivals here!

ARIZONA WILDCATS:

It’s do or die time for Coach Mike Stoops. He’s going to have to get his Wildcats to win 6 games to at least have a shot at keeping his job. If he can do this, Arizona will get to Bear Down for their first bowl game since 1998. I’m betting in Stoops’ favor since his non-conference lineup is fairly easy with games against Idaho and Toledo and at New Mexico.

Senior QB Willie Tuitama is going to have to step it up and generate some scoring this season for the Wildcats to be competitive in the Pac-10. The defense returns only 3 starters, and that’s not the only bad news for the Wildcat D. Their most experienced defensive lineman, Jonathan Turner, was suspended from the team’s summer practices after being charged with sexual assault last spring. He is awaiting his trial.

Junior college transfer Nick Booth hopes to boost the Arizona running game. This 225 pound running back joins Nic Grisby, Xavier Smith and true freshman Keola Antolin on the Wildcat depth chart.

Arizona‘s Non Conference Schedule: Idaho, Toledo, New Mexico

Arizona reports to pre-season camp on August 4^th

ARIZONA STATE SUNDEVILS:

ASU was picked to finish 2^nd behind USC in the pre-season Pac-10 poll. The Sun Devils are prepping for their second season under Coach Dennis Erickson and they have one MAJOR issue: The Offensive Line. They don’t have one. Seriously, last season QB Rudy Carpenter spent so much time on his back that I started to wonder if those were not linemen lined up in front of him, but rather, Fatheads.

Dennis Erickson is incorporating a quick release spread offense this season to help Carpenter’s protection. A good portion of his 55 sacks last season were due to him holding onto the ball too long. Five players have left the team since the conclusion of spring practices, including tight end Dane Guthrie. (Academic reasons for former defensive end Guthrie.)

ASU plays a doozy of a non conference game when it faces Georgia on September 20^th. If the Sun Devils do not solve their offensive line woes before then, they will not get out of that game alive. Ditto for their conference games against USC and Oregon.

If Carpenter gets the protection he needs either from his O-Line or the new offense, look out Tempe, your Sun Devils could crack the AP/USA Today top 10 with potentially their only losses coming at the hands of Georgia and USC. A Holiday Bowl berth, or should USC play for the BCS title, a Rose Bowl berth is yours for the taking.

ASU’s Non Conference Schedule: Northern Arizona, UNLV, Georgia

Arizona State reports to pre-season camp on August 4^th

CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS:

Last season Cal went from #2 in the country to losing six of its eight final games to end up 7-6. A QB controversy rages in Berkeley, and it’s looking at the moment like we have a Sam Keller/Rudy Carpenter ASU flip flop of QBs brewing.

At the Pac-10 Media Day, Coach Jeff Tedford said:

“We’ll pick a starter probably the week of the first game… It may take both of them to help us reach our goals…They are both going to get some game time.”

Really Tedford? Look I know Longshore flailed around a lot in the second half of last season while he battled his ankle injury. And Kevin Riley lit it up in your Bowl Game. Against Air Force. Air Force. Is Riley really the guy you want facing USC and Oregon, or is seasoned senior Longshore your guy? Just remember Arizona 2006, Coach Koetter, Sam Keller and Rudy Carpenter and what a mess that whole situation was.

It seems from all I’ve heard and read that Tedford is leaning towards Riley. And sure, he knows things we do not know. Whoever gets the nod as QB has a whole new group of WRs to throw to. Juco transfer RB Javid Best comes with hype, but he’s also undersized.

Tedford and Co have a lot to address offensively. That said, they should finish in the top ½ of the Pac-10s final standings.

Cal‘s Non Conference Schedule: Michigan State, Maryland, Colorado State

Cal reports to pre-season camp on August 4^th

OREGON DUCKS:

Oregon lost their star QB Dennis Dixon to the NFL, but expect to reload quickly with new QB Nate Costa.

Oregon has a powerful defense with one of the best secondaries in the nation. Last year, Oregon ended up 9-4, largely due to Dixon’s season ending injury against Arizona, sending the Ducks into a 3 game losing streak.

Three Ducks are recovering from off season knee surgeries and are expected to be good to go by the first game. (QB Costa, TB Jeremiah Johnson, LB John Bacon) Tight End Na’Derris Ward, a UGA transfer joins juco transfers Jeremiah Masoli (QB) and Ellis Krout (WR) as new Ducks this season.

Oregon’s secondary is scary. Three Ducks are on the Thorpe Award Watch list: Patrick Chung, Walter Thurmond III, and Jarius Boyd.

Oregon was voted #3 in the Pac-10 pre-season poll. Look for them to challenge ASU for #2 behind USC.

Oregon‘s Non Conference Schedule: Utah State, Purdue, Boise State

Oregon reports to pre-season camp on August 4^th

OREGON STATE BEAVERS:

Oregon State’s program has put up an impressive 19 wins in the past 2 seasons, including a 2006 upset of USC. Their strong defense has been the key to their success of late. The Beavers face a challenge going into this season as they have to completely rebuild the front seven on their D, including S Brian Payton. Payton left the program this summer with no explanation. Beavs and Trojans alike may remember him as the player who had the key interception in the Beavers 2006 upset of Troy. So, good news for Trojans! (Like we need more good news, eh?)

Big things are expected of true freshman WR Jordan Bishop from West Salem (OR) H.S. Ditto to DE and juco transfer Simi Kuli, he is being touted as the key to making the new D-Line gel.

Good news for the OSU Squad: Guard Jeremy Perry is expected to be ready to play by the start of the season. He is one of, if not the best guards in the Pac-10. Perry missed most of 2007 with a broken leg and is recovering from knee surgery this spring.

The Beavers have a tough schedule, not only do they face conference rivals USC, ASU and Oregon; they have a rough non-conference schedule this year as well. I expect the Beavers to finish near the middle of the Pac. (Pun intended)

OSU’s Non Conference Schedule: Penn State, Hawaii, Utah

Oregon State reports to pre-season camp on August 1^st.

STANFORD CARDINAL:

Yes I know. We were 41 point favorites. Yes I know, biggest upset in college football. (but? Really? Michigan-Appalachian State comes to mind as being a bigger upset.) But I point out that John David Booty should have sat out when he broke his finger, not thrown 4 interceptions.

Bygones.

The Cardinal has some questions in this second season under showboating Coach Jim Harbaugh. Sure they return a conference high sixteen starters from last year’s squad, with seven of those on offense, but who is their QB? And let’s not forget that despite their (fluke) upset of Southern California, this is the offense ranked last in its conference in yards and points per game. So yeah, the Cardinal, he has some questions to be answered. Such as will injured starters Allen Smith (OT, kneecap) and Jim Dray (TE, knee) be ready to play at some point this season. Cardinal blogs report that we may not see either of these players in 2008.

Notre Dame transfer Konrad Reuland is expected to take on the Tight End duties this year; Oct 4 should be interesting for him. (Stanford faces the Fighting Irish on this day.)

The QB slot is a three man battle between Tavita Prichard, Jason Forcier and Alex Loukas, but highly touted freshman recruit Andrew Luck could be the man the Cardinal needs at QB.

This program faces an uphill battle with the high academic standards required just to achieve admission to Leland Stanford Junior University. Can Harbaugh bring wins to Palo Alto? Sure he can-but he’ll need several years of recruiting to do it. After all, he’s not just looking for explosive athletes, he’s also looking for exceptional academics as well.

Look for Stanford to finish 7^th or lower in the Pac-10.

Stanford’s Non Conference Schedule: TCU, San Jose State, Notre Dame

Stanford reports to pre-season camp on August 1^st.

UCLA BRUINS:

High up in the hills of Westwood, offensive to the lumberjack’s eyes, Lies the Cal extension campus known as Westwood High. Fight! Fight! Fight! Home of all the Bruin bear cubs, UGLY is its name. The student body’s vile, The campus is a pile, and the football team’s a shame! Fight! Fight! Fight! U. G. L. Y, UGLY Eat my shorts!

At least that’s the way we sing it at USC. In all seriousness though, this is not looking like a good year for those Bruins who wear the powder blue jerseys. It could be considered a successful season if UCLA is bowl eligible at season’s end.

I mean, what are you going to do without a QB or an Offensive Line? Or, more accurately, a just coming off his umpteenth injury QB and no O-Line? Norm Chow may be the guru that helped Coach Carroll resurrect the storied tradition of Trojan football, but you’ve got to have PLAYERS to build a football team.

I am biased, that is not a secret. There is not a lot of love for the Bruins from this Trojan. So let’s just look at some of the facts.

• They have the 10^th ranked offensive line in the Pac-10
• Both Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan were injured on the same day in Spring practice. Patrick Cowan is out for the season with his injury.
• Olson is insanely injury prone himself.
• Rick Neuheisel is in his first year as Head Coach in Westwood. Norm Chow is in his first year as Offensive Coordinator in Westwood (traitor!). Much of the rest of the coaching staff is brand new.
• The pitiful O-Line needs to replace 4 starters from last year’s so-so squad.
• Projected starting RT Sean Sheller is out for the season with injuries sustained in an ATV accident. That’s 5 Offensive Linemen needing replacement now.
• Junior tailback Christian Ramirez will miss the season because he did not meet NCAA eligibility requirements.
• If QB Olson somehow remains healthy all season and makes it to the USC game, he will most assuredly be Maualugaed.

Do I need to go on? Neuheisel, Chow and co. walk into a bit of a mess over there in Westwood. Do they have the chops to turn it around and return UCLA to glory? Yes, they do. It’s just not going to happen THIS year.

UCLA’s Non Conference Schedule: Tennessee, BYU, Fresno State

UCLA reports to pre-season camp on August 5^th.

USC TROJANS:

Look for USC to meet Georgia for the BCS Title. We were anointed the pre-season #1 at the Pac-10 media day today and we are a favorite to win the Nat’l Championship. Not only do we face formidable conference rivals Oregon and ASU but we’ve got a September 20^th date with the Buckeyes of Ohio State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum too.

Do it better than it’s ever been done before and never stop competing. Win Forever. Always Compete.

These are but a few of our team mottoes.

Consider these facts. Under Pete Carroll, USC has:

• Six Consecutive Pac-10 titles
• A record Six straight BCS bowls
• A record five BCS bowl wins
• Three Heisman Trophy Winners
• Two National Championships
• A Nationwide high 10 players drafted into the NFL in the 2008 Draft
• An NCAA record of 63 straight games scoring 20 or more points
• A national record of 33 straight weeks as the AP #1
• Six consecutive AP finishes in the top 4.
• A 76-14 (84.4%) record

The question is not: Will USC be good? The question is: Can USC be beat? And if so, how?

Mark Sanchez, the 6’3″, 223lb junior takes over as QB this year. Coming out of high school in 2004 he was everybody’s All American. One Pac-10 coach said Sanchez was the best QB he’d ever seen on film.

Now he gets a chance to show the Nation how good he is.

Folks, not much needs to be said about my Trojans. We will dominate if we stay focused. And focus is not something Pete Carroll’s teams lack.

In Pete We Trust.

Fight on!

USC’s Non Conference Schedule: Virginia, Ohio State, Notre Dame

USC reports to pre-season camp on August 6^th.

WASHINGTON HUSKIES:

Tyrone Willingham is another Pac-10 coach on the hot seat. He meets his former team, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame on October 25^th at Husky Stadium but the discomfort of that is nothing compared to the November 15^th date the Huskies have with the Bruins. See, Rick Neuheisel is the Anti-Christ to Husky Nation. His very existence reminds U Dub fans of how elite their program once was and what his role was in dismantling it.

Washington has been slow in improving under Willingham’s tutelage. And slow is not what Husky fans want. They want a return to the days of glory. To winning the Pac-10-which they haven’t done since Rick Neuheisel’s second season in 2000. To winning the National Championship-their last was in 1991. Not to another 4-9 season and bottom of the Pac-10 finish.

This is the program Neuheisel destroyed in the eyes of Husky Nation. I hope he has bodyguards for the November 15^th game in Seattle.

Look at it like this: Willingham is going into his third season and is 9-16 overall. When Pete Carroll ended his second full season at USC, he was 17-8 overall and coming off an 11-2 season and top 4 AP finish. In his 3^rd season USC won a share of the National Championship with a 12-1 record.
This is the sort of thing Husky fans expect from their Coach. Miracles.

For Willingham to be successful at retaining his job-which we’ll define by a 6 win season and bowl berth-he will have to instill confidence in his squad. He will have to imbue them with the will to win. That’s going to be hard to do if he starts off 0-3 which is very likely considering the first three teams the Huskies face are Oregon, BYU and Oklahoma.

Ouch.

On the one hand, you’ve gotta respect a guy with a program trying to battle it’s way up from the doldrums of the conference who goes out and schedules BYU and Oklahoma as two of his team’s three non-conference games. (The third being his date with Notre Dame.)

On the other hand, you’ve got to wonder if he’s drinking some spiked Kool-Aid that makes him think his 2-7 in the Pac-10 last year team can post a winning season with these kinds of odds stacked against them.

It’s going to be interesting to sit back and see how it unfolds this season. Husky fans, you have my sympathy-after all, USC Football in the 1990’s was very painful, I know how it feels.

Washington‘s Non Conference Schedule: BYU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame

Washington reports to pre-season camp on August 4^th.

WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS:

41 year old Paul Wulff is new to the Wazzou coaching job. He’s inheriting a team with issues up the Wazzou. (pun intended.) What Cougar fans will like is that Wulff is a former Cougar player himself. He played offensive line for the Washington State Cougars from 1986 to 1989.

The Cougar’s have a stellar receiver in First Team All Pac-10 senior Brandon Gibson. They have a new QB in 6’7″, 233lb Gary Rogers. And Coach Wulff is bringing a new offense to Pullman. Will Gibson and Rogers be up to Wulff’s no-huddle attack? We’ll know soon enough.

Wulff also has inherited a team with a bunch of off-field issues. They lost eight scholarships when they failed to meet the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate Standards. 25 Cougar players have been arrested in the past 18 months. Safety Xavier Hicks is spending 45 days in jail, and missing the first 3 games of the season after pleading guilty to 2 gross misdemeanors. Defensive lineman Andy Roof’s troubled past has left his fate as a Cougar player up in the air.

But signs of change are already apparent. Coach Wulff cut QB recruit Calvin Schmidtke from the team because of a number of controlled-substance violations.

With the kind of problems this team faces, a former Cougar may just be the man to clean up the face of the program while steadily improving the team. The Cougars were 5-7 last year. I don’t expect much of an improvement this year, though it could be said that maintaining a 5-7 record would be an improvement with all the changes that need to be made and questions that need to be answered in Pullman.

Wazzou’s Non Conference Schedule: Oklahoma State, Baylor, Portland State

Washington State reports to pre-season camp on August 5^th.

And that concludes Your 2008 Pac-10 Preview my football fiends. Next up is the Big 10. Give me a couple of days, this one took 2 days to do. (I’m betting because it is MY conference. I’m HOPING because it is MY conference. And because it is over 3,000 words maybe?)

-Your Gridiron Goddess

Sunday NFL wrap up #2: Brett Favre and Fly Eagles Fly

So yeah, a HUGE congratulations to Brett Favre on throwing his 420th touchdown pass tying Dan Marino’s TD Pass record. Favre is such a class act, and such a staple of the NFL at this point, it is hard to imagine the game without him. Has anyone ever been a surer future Hall of Fame member? Well besides Joe Montana and Dan Marino and… well, OK but in TODAY’S NFL, which at times resembles more of a league of extraordinary thugs than professional athletes and role models, Favre’s whole MOJO just stands out as exemplary. Way to go Brett!!!

Now, onto the Eagles.

Isn’t it just like the f-ing Eagles to win and win BIG on the week I finally decide they are dead to me? I mean not that I am so narcissistic that I feel I am the sole reason for the in your face style win. But you know the minds and superstitions of a Sports fan. If I were from Philly, or still dating the Philly fan, or had money on the game, one might think I’d posted my anti-Eagles diatribe in order to cause the exact opposite result. Hmmmm. Interesting, no?

And yeah, ALSO I could make a certain assertion on my theory on Ugly Uniforms. Remember my post (linked to right back there a few words ago) on what the Oregon Ducks needed to do to win at Michigan. (After the App State loss but before we all realized how truly rotten the Wolverines are this year?) The Ducks have some U-G-L-Y you ain’t got no alibi yellow Nike unis.

And apparently so do the Birds. The jerseys the Eagles donned on Sunday were throwbacks to 1933 which the team unveiled to celebrate the upcoming 75th year of the franchise. Well, like the Ducks of Oregon, the Eagles jerseys were a blinding yellow assault on the retinas.

So perhaps the formerly unbeaten Lions (I know, that statement is hard to fathom, but ’tis true!) simply could not look directly at the jerseys, less they be turned immediately to stone. Yes, my football fiends, ugly uniforms can be likened to Medusa in their power to distract their opponents.

And with that, I must get a bit of sleep. My new state of unemploy–er, I mean SELF employment had me writing almost all night long, much of it Here, and only a scant few hours of shut eye were had. So while you all work, Your Gridiron Goddess will be taking her morning nap. But look at all I’ve left you to read this morning! I do it all for you of fans of my site and fellow football fanatics. (So when I put ads on the site, please click on them so I can pay my rent, OK? ha ha ha ha But I am not kidding.)

-Your Gridiron Goddess, now tentatively accepting the Eagles back, like a bad boyfriend who sent a big batch of flowers to atone for his behavior. Sigh. 😉

CFB Wrap up: Booty has a great Tight End

I miss Keith Jackson. I do. He IS the voice of College Football.

WOW My Trojans looked good tonight – especially the John David Booty to Tight End Fred Davis combo. 🙂 And way to go Trojan D for not letting Wazzou tack on any garbage TDs at end of game and keeping the score 47-14. Backup QB Mark Sanchez, with exception of the pick he threw, had some scary GREAT looking passes. What an arm on him. BUT my boy JDB made a strong case for why HE IS THE 2007 HEISMAN FAVORITE. Way to go!

All around kind of a wacky day though. Penn State loses to Michigan. Appalachian State loses to Wofford. Syracuse upsets #18 Louisville.

College football fanatic of the week award goes to Harem Member Marcus who tailgated down at USC then high tailed it out to the Rose Bowl for the UCLA game. God I love people who are as college football obsessed as I am!

I went 12/16 on today’s picks.

-Your Gridiron Goddess, pictured below at the age of 3.

Harem of the Goddess: Marcus on Conferences, Cupcakes & Kent States

I’m a Pac-10 dude, but this conference comparison post is not to hype the Pac vs. SEC – the two are neck-and-neck the best, period. Neither can make a superiority argument, and the two are in a league of their own, so to speak, far above all other confs. Football is cyclical, but as out-of-conference play winds down, we’ve got to note the horrendous state of football in the Big Ten. Evidenced by its elite teams’ much-discussed foibles – Michigan’s infamous humiliations, Ohio State crushed by Florida, Citadel (Citadel!) scoring 31 at Wisconsin – the Big Ten is playing old school football and  it’s not working against faster, more dynamic offenses and defenses. Writers at ESPN, SI, Fox, CBS, etc. have the conference ranked 5th of 6 major confs, below even the very off-year ACC. The conference’s standard of recruiting and coaching is obviously not happening. Writers at ESPN, SI, Fox, CBS, etc. have the conference ranked 5th.

 

Could the Big Ten’s embarrassing, now-routine cupcake scheduling have anything to do with that standard?

Over the past few years the Big Ten has stooped to such heavy non-conf patsy scheduling Commish Jim DelaneyAppy St., or Minnesota against Florida AtlanticBowling Green, Northwestern against Duke (Duke!). I mean, Ohio State racked a whole 20 at home against… Akron. ought to be humiliated… almost as much as Michigan was against and

The Buckeyes’ other non-conf before Washington? Youngstown State. Penn State dared host Buffalo and Florida International, whatever that is, when not hosting nouveau cupcake Notre Dame.

Look at the Big Ten’s recent “real” games: Ohio State was clueless against Florida in the title game, Michigan was humbled four consecutive times before “rebounding” against the Pacifist Irish, Wisconsin survived a squeaker at UNLVCitadel. then hosted – hey, wow! –

 

The conference web site boasts, “The Big Ten is one of only two conferences with six undefeated teams through three weeks of action… with 26 non-conference victories.” The Big Ten somehow neglects to mention that 17 of those wins came against Division I-AA or bottom tier teams, and zero of them came against ranked teams.

 

It gets better in the weeks to come: The new Big Ten Network will have us glued to our tubes for Eastern Michigan at Michigan, Kent State at Ohio St., Northwestern at Eastern Michigan, Ball St. at Illinois … and how ‘bout that October barnburner, North Dakota State at Minnesota?

Maybe weak scheduling is part of the Big Ten’s problem: Ya think if you schedule so many teams so far below the elite level, you might not play at the elite level? And for fans, how do 100-something thousand cram into Michigan Stadium or the Horseshoe or Penn State for showdowns with Appy St., Kent St. and Buffalo?

When USC plays at Nebraska, LSU hosts Va Tech and Oklahoma takes on Miami… the Big Ten’s slide into cupcake addiction seems a mockery of big time football. But hey, at least the conference now has its own TV network. Them and Notre Dame. Fans can watch Big Ten teams take on cupcakes for the rest of the season… now that they start playing each other.

 

Harem Member Marcus.

Your Gridiron Goddess says: Thanks Marcus and good job of tempering our tendency towards Homerism. Once again, I could not agree with you more. See you Monday!

A Harem of the Goddess post: Marcus on A Game Most Fascinating

Who doesn’t love college football?! A nobody from the hills of N.C. whips an iconic powerhouse in the Land of the Hand, and the reverberations go straight to… what?… Eugene?!The other ASU’s Big House smackdown means Oregon isn’t prepping to take on a chest-thumping title contender in Ann Arbor this Saturday. Nah, that was so preseason. Now the Ducks face a humiliated, pissed-off Michigan that’s either going to storm from the tunnel and redeem itself on the Ducks’ iffy D, or might really be the mediocre, dispirited Maize’n’Blue shocked – shocked! – by App State.

Given the Ducks’ domination of reigning Conf. USA champ Houston last Sat., is Oregon at Michigan (ABC, 12:30PST) this week’s Most Fascinating Game, or what? Vegas has faith in the Maize by a TD. But can Carr & Co. recover in a week and stop newly-prolific dual-threat QB Dennis Dixon? Will Duck feathers ruffle in the hostile vibe? Will there even be a hostile vibe, or is the entire state outside of East Lansing in a collective hangover? Fascinating!

Gone, but never forgotten and a part of the Trojan family forever…

There were a number of touching stories to come out of college football’s opening weekend. 1-AA David Appalachian State defeating 1-A Goliath Michigan and the heartfelt tributes to the 32 fallen Hokies from the April 16 massacre at the Virginia Tech-ECU game come immediately to mind. But over at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, teammates and 91,000 fans of a fallen Trojan star paid tribute to his heart, soul, imapact and legacy. That player is Mario Danelo, who so tragically met his death this past January.

Nothing immediately seemed amiss at the Coliseum. As has been the Trojan offenses’s recent tradition, the first possession resulted in a touchdown and the team lined up to kick the extra point. It was then the impact of Danelo’s absence was truly felt. Something was missing -or rather somebody.

There was no kicker to be found.

At first, the fans in the stands were shouting with confusion at such an easy and atypical mistake of the Trojans. But all at once, the crowd seemed to understand. The statement the team was trying to make was sinking in. And in moments the 91,000 fans at the Coliseum fell completely silent.

The referees were finally forced to throw their flags, charging the Trojans with delay of game and a 5-yard penalty.

As reported by Trojan Wire’s Devon Pollard: “USC kicker Mario Danelo died tragically on January 6th, 2007. The players had asked coach Carroll if it would be okay to leave the first kick for him. It was a kick that everyone felt rightfully belonged to Danelo; a kick, however, that could never be taken. But it was in this simple moment of silence that the USC Trojans found the perfect way for Mario Danelo to enter the coliseum, and take a bow for the Trojans for one final time.”

Below is the post I wrote on my old blog in the days immediately following Mario Danelo’s death:

USC’s 21 year old redshirt Junior kicker Mario Danelo was found dead Saturday afternoon. He was found lying at the bottom of a cliff in the Los Angeles suburb (and his hometown) of San Pedro. There is no explanation for his death. No scuba, snorkeling or surf gear was found near him.

Danelo missed only one field goal attempt all season. Son of former NFL kicker Joe Danelo, Mario was a walk on to the Trojan Football team in 2003 and was a backup for two years. In 2005 he earned a scholarship and a starting position.

Scout.com had to say of his performance in the 2005 season: During his first year of significant playing time, all Mario Danelo did was set USC, Pac-10 and NCAA records for PATs with 83 and PAT attempts with 86. Danelo got off to a rough start by missing his first ever field goal attempt, but rebounded to hit every other try and finish the season making 11 of 12 field goals. Danelo was perfect from inside 40 yards on field goals …

My sincere condolences got out to the Danelo family. Your son was a great Trojan and beyond that, a great human being.

He will be missed.

Rest in peace, Mario.

-Your Gridiron Goddess

Mad Genius of the Week Award goes to: Appalachian State University

Football fiends and fans, you know what? Your Gridiron Goddess has got a feeeeeeever and there’s only one prescription for it: More Cowbell.

Oh what, you expected me to make sense in this heat? hahahhaha It is 98 degrees inside, I’ll do my best, but I am pretty sure most of my brain cells have melted away by now. Are my plants supposed to be dancing like they are animated? Oh nevermind… heh heh heh

This may be redundant at this point, but the Gridiron Goddess Mad Genius of the Week Award goes to the Appalachian State Football team and Coaching Staff. Sure, the national exposure and payday associated with playing a Div 1-A (or Bowl Championship Div–dumb name) team such as Michigan seems reason enough to put them on their schedule.

But for one thing, for Michigan’s Powers that Be not to seem to realize that perhaps scheduling the two time reigning National Champions of Div 1-AA (or whatever that new dumb name is) football who very well could compete at a 1-A level if not for the financial aspects may not be the best thing when your defense is slow and full of holes and has been exploited by teams such as, oh, my USC Trojans at Rose Bowls in 2004 and 2007.

Indeed, the App State fellows have made it clear to the press that they studied tons of tape and saw something they could work with. One only has to look at the two Rose Bowls played between the Wolverines and Trojans to see exactly what the Mountaineers staff saw as their opportunity to deliver one of the most shocking upsets in Div. 1-A football.

What this Gridiron Goddess want to know is — am I the only one not too shocked by Michigan’s loss? Sure, the program has not been bad in recent years, but it has not been vying for Nat’l Championships. The Wolverines went 11-2 in 2006, but 7-5 in 2005 and 9-3 in 2004. For a program such as this, that is not good enough. They have the money, visibility and resources to consistently churn out winning, championship vying teams.

Has Lloyd Carr lost his touch? I believe so. It has long been rumored and assumed this season would be his last. Perhaps old Lloyd has one foot out the door and is not quite as in control of his program as he should be, as he once was.

Michigan football has been resting on its laurels and overrated for years now. Perhaps this “shocking” loss is exactly what the Athletic Department needs to shake things up and make positive changes.

Congratulations to the Appalachian State Mountaineers for playing smart, calculated, exciting football. You earned that win through planning and talent. Enjoy it!

-Your Gridiron Goddess

Hello, welcome, come on in and stay awhile…

 

Hello football fans and fiends who’ve made their way over to my little corner of Al Gore’s interwebs via the Deadspin link. Much thanks to the guys at Deadspin for the traffic.

I was laying around today (er well yesterday now I suppose) watching football, football and more football. (Michigan, seriously, WTF. Lloyd Carr’s days are so numbered.) It is hotter than Hades here in LA and UGH no a/c in my apartment… but I digress. So I’m laying around watching the Auburn game and the phone rings and it was my good pal Nacho Friendly congratulating me.

For what, I said? And he told me about being mentioned on Deadspin. Well wow–I’m on Deadspin on my absolute favorite day of the year–kickoff of College Football?! COOL.

And yeah, my Trojans ONLY won by 28. I’m not happy. But it is relative. Carroll pretty much never runs up the score and that is a good thing, character wise. However, seems like National Media types tend to only give credit to teams who win huge. Well, by any standard but the BCS’s, a 28 point win and 2nd and 3rd string players in for a good chunk of the game IS HUGE. It just seems, in this screwy era we call the BCS, perfect isn’t good enough. Sure, SC won by 28, but tons of other teams beat their opponents for more.

That is definitely something I will ponder in the coming days. Right now, well right now I am gonna refill my wine glass and continue kicking back with Nacho and watching Any Given Sunday. Cause that is how we roll, yo.

Glad you stopped in and I hope you find your time here at Gridiron Goddess enjoyable.

-Your Gridiron Goddess