USC vs Stanford: Rumors of the demise of the dynasty are greatly exagerrated

Hello Football Fiends!

Did you know Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh is a giant flaming stinking pile of isht? You didn’t? Well now you do and trust me, I’ll remind you again and again.  Look, I give the guy all the credit in the world for the coaching job he’s done at Stanford over the past three seasons. Stanford is a difficult program to get to succeed what with the school’s pesky academic requirements and yet Harbaugh took a 1-11 team and three seasons later had them pull off back to back upsets of top ten ranked teams. Impressive. However, the man needs a giant personality transplant. What a nasty piece of work he is. He seems to have a giant chip on his shoulder where USC football and Pete Carroll are concerned. Well his shit talking, rudeness, and mocking will be tolerated no longer. The USC Mafia will call him out and He. Will. Pay.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s address all these ridiculous “The Fall of Troy: The Dynasty is Dead” statements the press has been screaming from their pulpits. People. Let’s get real. USC has the talent, it has the depth, it has Pete Carroll. After seven years at the top of the Pac-10 pile, and with coaching attrition the likes of which no other major collegiate program has (a whole post dedicated to that will go up this week) Pete Carroll’s Trojans were due a rebuilding year.

Three losses is not the end of the freaking world folks. Nor is it the end of the elite status of USC football. Let’s take a look at what Pete Carroll has accomplished in his years at USC:

2001: 6-6-0 (5-3-0 Pac-10) Loss in the Las Vegas Bowl to the University of Utah,  Not Ranked

2002: 11-2 (7-1 Pac-10) Pac-10 Champs, Finished the season #4, Carson Palmer Heisman, Beat Iowa in the Orange Bowl, lost to Kansas State and Washington State

2003: 12-1 (7-1 Pac-10) Pac-10 Champions, AP National Champions, Beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl, finished season ranked #1 AP  #2 BCS, only loss was to Cal by 3 in triple overtime

2004: 13-0 (8-0 Pac-10) Pac-10 Champions, AP and BCS National Champions, Matt Leinart Heisman, Beat Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl for the BCS Nat’l Championship, Wire to wire AP #1

2005: 12–1 (8–0 Pac 10) Pac-10 Champions, Reggie Bush Heisman, Played Texas in the Rose Bowl for National Championship and lost, end season ranked #2 Only loss of season to Texas in Nat’l Championship game

2006: 11–2 (7–2 Pac-10) Pac-1o Champions, Beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl, finished season #4. Lost to Oregon State and UCLA

2007: 11–2 (7–2 Pac-10) Pac-10 Champions, Beat Illinois in the Rose Bowl, finished season ranked #2 in the Coaches Poll, #3 in the AP Lost to Stanford and Oregon

2008: 12–1 (8–1 Pac-10) Pac-10 Champions, Beat Penn State in the Rose Bowl, finished season ranked  #2 in the Coaches Poll and #3 in the AP, Lost to Oregon State

Folks, those are some pretty consistent numbers. So we have three losses so far this season, so what. Consider the case of the University of Florida football program.  Urban Meyer took over the Gator football program at the start of the 2005 season. They went 9-3. The following year, in 2006, Florida won the SEC and the BCS National Championship game.

Then 2007 rolled around and the Gators lost 4 games. They lost to  Auburn, LSU, Georgia and Michigan (in the Capital One Bowl) and ended the season ranked #13.  Tim Tebow won his Heisman that year.  Did anyone cry “end of an era” “The dynasty is over” back then? Hell no. In fact, for years after the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Seminoles started dropping off the national radar, they were also still given the benefit of the doubt. Words like rebuilding and phrases like “a down year” were bandied about. The media stressed the rich recruiting in the state of Florida and stated that the Gators (or Hurricanes or ‘Noles depending on the year) would be back.

So why not cut USC some of that same slack folks? We’ve got a true freshman at QB who has a bad habit of throwing balls into coverage. We’ve got a new offensive coordinator who has shown some of the worst play calling in FBS division football. Our defense is…bizarrely slow and out of position most of the time. We’ve got discipline and chemistry problems. Sometimes those things take a season to work out. Sure, that hasn’t really happened in the Pete Carroll era of USC Football yet–but let’s face it, all those John David Booty led teams, while successful, didn’t really set the world on fire. Matt Barkley will mature and with that maturity he will become a stronger player and USC will rise to the top of the Pac-10 and BCS once again.

And you know what? It’s just one season. So stop rubbing your hands together in glee celebrating USC’s fall from grace. While many streaks do die this year (seven straight Pac-10 championships, seven straight BCS bowls, seven straight 11 win seasons, etc), this is no cause for true alarm. Pete Carroll and the Men of Troy will work the kinks out.

And when they do, boy, I wouldn’t want to be Jim Harbaugh or the Stanford Cardinal. The complete lack of class they showed on Saturday will be paid back to them. You can’t keep USC down for long, especially not with Big Balls Pete at the helm.

-Your Gridiron Goddess

College week 7 Picks: Beatdown in Southbend

Week 7 Final: 12-4

Week 6 Final: 14-2

Week 5 Final: 11-6

Week 4 Final:11-5

Week 3 Final: 14-2

Week 2 Final: 11 – 4

Week 1 Final: 10 – 4

Hey Football Fiends-

It’s the big USC v Notre Dame weekend. The Trojans are favored by 10.5 and this is one game that I do think we will not only win, but cover the spread. Consider the past 2 contests between USC and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame – USC has won by a margin of 76-3. Matt Barkley may not yet be Mark Sanchez, but he’s at least as good as the 2007 Trojan QB, John David Booty.

College Football Picks Week 7

USC over Notre Dame

Pitt over Rutgers

BC over NC State

Ohio State over Purdue

Wake Forest over Clemson

Cal over UCLA

Texas Tech over Nebraska

VA Tech over GA Tech

Oklahoma State over Mizzou

Arizona over Stanford

ASU over Washington

Miami (FL) over UCF

Florida over Arkansas

Bama over So Carolina

Penn State over Minnesota

Auburn over Kentucky

-Your Gridiron Goddess

Thoughts on USC at the Horseshoe…

USC QB Matt Barkley

Hey there Football Fiends-

We’re less than 24 hours away from kickoff in Columbus. USC vs Ohio State. The Rematch. Collision in Columbus. Showdown at the ‘shoe. Call it what you will, but fully expect USC to dominate on both sides of the ball.

Oh sure, there are articles all over the internet that call up the Ghosts of Seasons past and bring up GASP Vince Young and the 2006 Rose Bowl. Which, I feel the need to point out was FOUR SEASONS AGO.  Do you not think that Pete Carroll, one of the finest and craftiest coaches in the NCAA, hasn’t changed the way his team prepares for a mobile QB? I can assure you that he has. And that the speed and agility of USC’s defense will knock the isht out of Ohio State’s already holey and suspect Offensive Line.

Terrelle Pryor – We’ve got your number and we’re coming for you.

Let’s just run down a few stats. I’m not going to go into a whole USC vs Ohio State by the numbers thing. That’s not my style. I’m just going to throw a few facts out and then we’ll see what happens tomorrow.

USC has 22 consecutive non-conference victories.

USC has won seven straight road openers – Colorado, Auburn, VA Tech, Hawaii, Arkansas, Nebraska and Virginia. Not a FCS team amongst them (Take notice Florida, Texas, et al)

The scores of those seven straight road openers:

• 2002 USC 40  Colorado 3
• 2003 USC 23  Auburn 0
• 2004 USC 24  VA Tech 13
• 2005 USC 63  Hawaii 17
• 2006 USC 50 Arkansas 15
• 2007 USC 49  Nebraska 31
• 2008 USC 52 Virginia 7

QBs Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, John David Booty and Mark Sanchez were all brand new at one point. Carroll did not play them conservatively in their first road openers and do not expect him to play true freshman Matt Barkley conservatively, either.

In 2003 Matt Leinart made his road debut at Auburn. The Tigers were heavily favored. Leinart went 17 for 30 passing with 192 yards.

In 2006 John David Booty made his road debut at Arkansas. He made bacon out of the Hogs, throwing for 261 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs.

In 2008 Mark Sanchez went into his first non conference road game at Virginia and set Charlottesville on fire with 338 yards and 3 TDs. Not to mention what he did to the Buckeyes at the Coliseum 2 weeks later.

Do I even need to mention the score of last year’s USC v Ohio State game? It was 35 – 3 for those who may have forgotten.

Let’s take a look at USC vs the Big Ten in this decade:

• 2002   The 2003 Orange Bowl vs Iowa.  USC 38  Iowa 17
• 2003  The 2004 Rose Bowl vs Michigan  USC 28 Michigan 17
• 2006 The 2007 Rose Bowl vs Michigan  USC 32 Michigan 18
• 2007  The 2008 Rose Bowl vs Illinois USC 49  Illinois 17
• 2008  The 2009 Rose Bowl vs Penn State  USC 38  Penn State 24

Matt Barkley is young sure. But he also steps into a program that has proven it can reload year after year with barely a hiccup. Big games are not where USC struggles.  USC excels in Big Games.

Ohio State is a Big Game.

My prediction: USC 31  Ohio State 13

-Your Gridiron Goddess

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

ARCHIVES: What we mean when we say “Fight On!” or “Roll Tide” or “War Eagle” or…

Hello Fellow Football Fiends!

(This post originally ran on September 20, 2007)

This is gonna be a different kind of post for Gridiron Goddess. It focuses on the intangible feeling alums of certain universities get when they say “Roll Tide” or “War Eagle” or, of course “Fight On.” So read on, I hope you enjoy it and WAHOO Another weekend of football is nearly upon us. Oh, and I happen to think this picture of all the USC fans doing their Fight On thing here is a beautiful, sacred thing.

Some people have a security blanket. Some people have a teddy bear.

I have a security sweatshirt.

On Saturday morning, er, almost afternoon actually, as I crawled out of bed close to noon and grabbed my white hooded USC sweatshirt, it suddenly occurred to me just how many events in my life that particular sweatshirt has been witness to.

In February 1987 my father and I went on a road trip. It was my Senior Year of high school and we were off on the obligatory father-daughter bonding college campus trip. We loaded up the banana mobile (a yellow Oldsmobile station wagon that was the bane of my existence until I embraced it for its gigantic 8 cylinder engine) and set out for Southern California.

On our agenda: University of Southern California, California State University Long Beach and the University of San Diego, where one of my best friends was a freshman.

First up was USC, being the closest. It was also not a school I intended on attending. We got lost. We got lost in such a bad neighborhood that when we got to USC, its neighborhood seemed good. Anyone who knows about SC knows this is so far from the truth that it is laughable.

I wanted to go to Long Beach and major in Art. LBSU has a great art program. And if not there, to USD where Didi was and Jodi was going to go. USC was a VERY distant third.

Until I stepped foot on campus. Just seeing the carved rock entrance signs that say University of Southern California gave me chills. And they still do. Seeing the red brick campus and all the students and everything going on there— it was what college was supposed to be. At least to me. So I marched us to the bookstore and bought a sweatshirt. A white hooded sweatshirt with USC on it in Cardinal and Gold.

And it was this moment that I knew this was where I was going to college.

It was this sweatshirt I wore to my Long Beach State visit. It was this sweatshirt I wore to my USD visit. It was this sweatshirt I was wearing on the drive home when we got snowed in at Mountain Pass and had to backtrack to Baker to find a room for the night. And wore to bed because there was a hole in the window, the heat did not work, and the advertised cable television out front that we were so relieved about—well, every time the lobby TV changed channels, so did the one in our room. My Dad and I laughed and laughed and laughed that night.

It was this sweatshirt I wore to nearly every football game of my collegiate career. It was this sweatshirt I wore on every break home—just so that everyone knew I no longer lived there, that I’d gotten out and was going to a fabulous school.

It was this sweatshirt that was at the ready when my parents told me they were getting divorced. It was this sweatshirt that was there when nine years later, they remarried each other.

It is this sweatshirt I am wearing in my first ever picture with my newborn niece. She is now 15 and looking at USC in her future.

It was this sweatshirt I wore when I moved to San Diego. It was this sweatshirt I wore when I moved back to LA. And nearly every weekend for twenty years. It’s been to Chicago, to Las Vegas, to New York, to San Francisco, to Phoenix, to Tucson, to D.C., to Orlando, to Hawaii, to Philadelphia, to tiny Ely, NV; to Paris, to Cabo San Lucas, to St. Thomas, Antigua, Anguilla and St. Martin.

It was this sweatshirt that I wore when I went thru the not changing my clothes phase of breakups with the most serious and loved of my exboyfriends.. It was this sweatshirt that I again turned to when I made the difficult choice to leave The Philly Fan because it was healthier for me. It is this sweatshirt that until recently, I did not even realize had been such a witness to my life. And such a talisman of comfort and home and family. When I chose USC, I took the first step into my adult life. And it is fitting that this first purchase at my school would become my oldest surviving and still in use and most beloved sweatshirt.

Linus ain’t got nothin’ on me with his blanket.

FIGHT ON!

-Your Gridiron Goddess, who will replace this picture tomorrow with one of her in that aforementioned 20 year old sweatshirt. When I am not, you know, drunkity.

Trouble in the house of Booty

Former Trojan QB John David Booty has some family issues today, fellow football fiends. His older brother, former NFL QB (Browns and Raiders) and MLB player (Florida Marlins) Josh Booty was arrested on Wednesday for drunken driving. Reportedly he needed to be subdued with a taser gun.

Well I have one thing to say to that: OUCH.

And wow, the Booty Boys do bear an uncanny resemblance to one another. That’s Josh’s booking shot on the left and John David on the right.

-Your Gridiron Goddess, now with a 100.3 degree fever and 200 feet of bubble wrap. Sexy, eh? 😉 LOL

Happy New Year to all and to all a good night!

USC 49

Illinois 17

Thank you John David Booty and the rest of the Trojan seniors and departing upperclassmen for an amazing run!

HA HA HA HA HA OJ.

Hey fellow football fiends!

Did you all see the reports that the FBI knew about OJ’s plan to steal his memorabilia like 3 weeks before his heist or something? Maybe I have it wrong. I was reading the scrolling info at the bottom of a screen while imbibing cocktails with my high school classmates. Will have to look into this issue further.

OH HAI. I AM DRUNKITY.

Hey, whatever, It all comes down to one thing – The Juice is so going down. Make no mistake Browns and Goldmans, somehow, someway, this joker will get what is coming to him.

-In other news: Why do I so just feel like the writing is on the wall: ARod will be a Dodger. The boys in blue have the money. We’ve got Torre. LA wants its first World Series since 1988. Yeah ARod will be a Dodger.

-HOF and Barry Bonds and the much talked about asterisk. Has anyone else noticed how much home run percentages have gone down since MLB banned steroids? And they still don’t have a reliable test for HGH.

– Pats/Colts: I still feel strongly this is going the Pats way. The Pat’s backup tailback Sammy Morrison is out for the season. But the Pats have such a powerful offense I don’t feel this will make a difference. More troubling, for the Colts, is the fact that Marvin Harrison is questionable with his knee injury. Doctors told him today knee pain is likely to be plaguing him for the rest of his career.

-Does anyone else feel bad for Andy Reid? I do. I mean sure, his sons are troubled. But they are adults, not kids, not teens and… God this may sound callous, but when an addict is an adult, there is only so much you can do. They have to make the decision to heal themselves on their own.

-With Joe Torre’s arrival in Los Angeles I can’t help but think we’ve got the coaching juggernauts here in the City of Angels. Torre, Phil Jackson, Pete Carroll. Hell yeah!

-QB John David Booty is the starting QB for the Trojans game against the Beavers of Oregon State. HEH their team name is the Beavers. (I am 12 years old, clearly!) Meh. I like Booty, don’t get me wrong. I just like Sanchez better. (And I love Leinart most of all, but I digress)

Ok I am now sufficiently sobered up to sleep! Have a fantastic football filled weekend my fiends!!!!!

-Your Gridiron Goddess, with the Juice’s Heisman in USC’s Heritage Hall

Booty or Sanchez? Inquiring Trojans and Ducks want to know…

UPDATE: SANCHEZ TO START SATURDAY AGAINST THE OREGON DUCKS. WOO HOO!

Coach Pete Carroll is rumored to be announcing which USC QB is getting the start against Oregon either tonight or early tomorrow. Do you go with the seasoned, though rusty from weeks off due to injury John David Booty? Or do you go with the young upstart who had so much success in South Bend Mark Sanchez? Both have their strong and weak points. Sanchez’s arm is much stronger and for that reason I dig him–he’s an exciting player to watch. Booty–his long balls and accuracy has always made me nervous.Booty has practiced with the receiver’s glove off his throwing hand for the past two days with pretty good success by all reports. But is “almost having all the feeling back” good enough for the #5 ranked Ducks of Oregon and their exposive Dennis Dixon headed offense?

I tend to think not.

And sure, Sanchez was skittish early in the 1st quarter at Notre Dame, but he came back and threw for four touchdowns with no picks. Booty was looking wobbly even before he broke his finger during the loss to Stanford. And a wobbly veteran against Oregon is scarier to me than a new QB fresh off a big game in a loud stadium is.

I don’t know. I’d go with Sanchez if I were the Coach. But I’m not. And if Carroll goes with Booty, I will try to trust in him.

Image credit: Trojan Wire

-Your Gridiron Goddess

Vive le Sanchez! Numero seises in da house!

USC QB Update: I hear my new inappropriate crush Mark Sanchez has been taking the majority of snaps in practice this week, leading one Gridiron Goddess to believe he is going to start this weekend against the Ducks of Oregon in Autzen stadium.

YAY!

Autzen is a scary, noisy, hellish place for visiting teams. Sanchez being cool under the pressure and noise of Notre Dame stadium gives me confidence that he can perform well at Autzen too. Booty, on the other hand, seems to be nervous in these loud, raucous, hostile environments. Example: Loss to UCLA @ the Rose Bowl last season.

I am less afraid of the Oregon-USC match-up with Sanchez under center. USC enters this game as the underdog for the first time in a Pac-10 match-up since 2001. The line on the game is currently Oregon -3. So YIKES, more or less even. Which makes sense given the return to health of USC’s defense and Oregon’s loss of top WR and other key players.

In any case, it should be a great game for everyone but me. LOL I like it when the Trojans are winning by 40. Oregon’s offense is ranked second nationally in yards (550.9 per game) and scoring (46.6 points). QB Dennis Dixon is a force to be reckoned with. USC is ranked third in total defense (252.1 yards) and 10th in scoring defense (16.6 points). Rey Maualuga, Sedrick Ellis, Lawrence Jackson et al are forces to be reckoned with.

But still, I do not like Autzen Stadium. Especially at night. Luckily this game is during the day.

-Your Gridiron Goddess