NCAA USC Trial… WHATEVER

Hello Football Fiends-

So yeah. The NCAA inquiry into USC’s violations got underway today in Tempe.

Look, I don’t even want to THINK about it, let alone predict the outcome. However, if pressed I’d say – past wins vacated, no forward looking type sanctions. Sigh. Look. Nothing good will come of this. We will take a hit. And We Will Mourn.

So be it. At least we’re not SMU. I doubt the NCAA will ever issue the death penalty again.

It’s the off season, so… see you all sometime soon football fiends. Am off to Vegas for a party with my  bestest pals from high school this weekend, but I’ll be back to weigh in on all things footbal sometime next week.

-Your Gridiron Goddess

CFB Picks week 9

Week 9?!!! How’d it get to be weeek NINE already, Football Fiends? WOW.

You know the drill. 16 games. 32 teams. 16 winners. 16 losers.

Here are my College Football Picks for Week 9:

Auburn over WVU

Boise State over San Jose State

Illinois over Wisconsin

Texas A&M over Iowa State

Florida over Kentucky

Ole Miss over Arkansas

BYU over UNLV

Vandy over Duke

Cal over UCLA

USC over Arizona (now we all know this is exactly the type of game in which my Trojans have a tendency to stumble. Only they won’t. USC by 3 tds, y’all)

Bama over Tennessee

Oklahoma over Kansas State

South Florida over Louisville

Nebraska over Baylor

Mizzou over Colorado

Ohio State over Penn State

ETA: I’ve been asked “What about Texas-Oklahoma State?” I pondered this and left it off for a reason. I think Oklahoma State will win it. And am not sure if it is because I am Hater or because I truly feel OK St has a shot.

-Your Gridirion 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

A Harem of the Gridiron Goddess Post: ByronVolFan on SEC Preview 2008

Gridiron Goddess is happy to welcome back ByronVolFan, our resident Tennessee Volunteer Alum and official SEC previewer!

Your SEC Preview

by ByronVolFan

Hello, once again, from the banks of the Mississippi River and the Bluff City. It is getting to that time of year when the sandstorms of the sports year have us crawling through the wasteland of the summer in search of the Promised Land…there it is…COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!! It’s juuuuust around that next dune, my friend. We will soon make it there…fear not.

This heat has begun to suck from my memory the idea that a cold fall morning calls for getting the grill ready for the BBQ and a strong and spicy bloody mary. I have forgotten how, no matter how crazy the night before may have been, all God-fearing sports fans are up in time for ESPN’s College GameDay. There are very few excuses for missing this and the only REAL excuse you have is that you are en route to an actual SEC game. [This year, I learned, that your roommate will chastise you if you miss GameDay because your fiancé wants to talk on the phone. There is no purgatory big enough for such crimes. We may miss church tomorrowbut Herbie and Corso demand our reverence…even if they malign our beloved alma mater. And, they probably will even as we slam down our red Dixie cups, sloshing our Bloody Marys on the table, and call them every 4-lettered word we have ever heard. In fact, we probably make some up just to let those Yankees know we mean business.

Your Gridiron Goddess says: A commitment to GameDay is no small feat on the West Coast. It starts at 7am out here. And yet, it is my 2^nd favorite time of the week. College Football Saturday is my Holy Day.]

Your humble Southern correspondent also learned some other valuable truths this year. Do NOT assume that your team will not make the conference championship unless it is mathematically impossible to do so. I made the mistake of planning the proposal of marriage on the day of the SEC Championship. When I bought the ring and set up all the necessary surprises, I would not have bet that UT would have made the game. However, we did but to watch that game at a surprise party in honor of your new fiancé…was disheartening, at best, for this Volunteer. Thankfully, my soon-to-be bride loves football as much as I, was equally as disheartened, and was distracted by the wedding magazines her friends had brought her. So, up yours, Football gods!!! You tried to ruin my impending marriage by letting her see me lose my mind over Ainge’s “play”, however, I outsmarted you with those wedding magazines…the first, last, and only time those things have ever HELPED a guy in need!!

On to football news…last year, I humbly submit to you, that I I was pretty dead-on. Got the championship game right and was fairly close on most teams, with some notable exceptions. So, gloating aside (as this is a new year and ample opportunity to get my butt handed to me) here’s the “down and dirty” breakdown of the SEC in the 2008 season.

SEC East

Florida (9-3, 5-3). Tebow is the man. I know that I’m supposed to hate him as the Florida QB, but I can’t. However, I’ve heard the same song and dance out of UF about RB’s and D. I’m sorry, but I just don’t see the improvement to win the title here and the rest of the conference is figuring Florida out. Good year, close games…but no Atlanta.

Georgia (11-1, 7-1). The hottest team in football last year–well in the 2^nd half of the year at least. Moreno will be in New York at the end of the year and Stafford will prove much better. The Georgia/Florida game will make/break the division…and probably the conference. I’ve got Georgia beating them again as Moreno will just kill the Gator D. A good deal of pundits are worried about the schedule. Really? Their road games are South Carolina, Arizona State, LSU, Kentucky, and Auburn. So, they lose at LSU and play one INCREDIBLE game at Auburn…but where’s the BIG scare here? Other than Richt’s inability to close the deal when highly rated, I just don’t see it. Conference champs and SEC rep to the Sugar Bowl.

Kentucky (5-7, 1-7) Kentucky’s back to their doormat status. Loss of their star athletes and a coach who probably secretly wishes he could run the Full House triple option every game with players with no facemasks…makes for a hard rebuilding process. (Note: It would be cool, however, if someone pulled out that kind of BS consistently…I mean, it works on NCAA Football on PS2!!!)

South Carolina (8-4, 5-3) Spurrier’s QB’s…Spurrier’s QB’s…blah blah blah. First, in the interest of full disclosure, I have them beating Tennessee. This is not biased, but I’m just still not sold on them…never have been. The Ol’ Ball Coach is slipping. The program will never usurp Georgia, Florida, and UT in the East on a consistent basis (and yes, I know that in my 2008 rankings, they are ahead of UT…I’m talking about the program level). New QB, loss of some key players…mid level bowl and more “aw shucks” from Darth Visor himself.

Tennessee (8-4, 5-3) Bias Alert! Gonna be an ugly year. I’m sorry, Amy, but I just don’t see us going back to the Coast and leaving with a victory against UCLA. , I wouldn’t put money on that game if I were you. New OC and QB and the same inept banana hammock calling the defense. However, we’ll be better than expectations. Crompton is mean as a snake at QB. I like him a lot and the new OC could really take us to the “next level”. Also, I wouldn’t be super fan if I didn’t point this out…there was another time that we lost a superstar QB, had a new QB coming in a great OL, experienced RB’s and WR core, and a ready-made-tough-as-nails D…that was in 1998. It’s a stretch, I know…and I’m not predicting it! Back to reality, close games but coaching and inconsistent play at QB will eat us alive.

[Your Gridiron Goddess says: UCLA is going to STINK up the joint this year my friend. They barely have a QB that can even WALK right now But they do have Norm Chow, grrrrr..]

Vanderbilt (4-8, 2-6). The only good thing about Vanderbilt being so bad is, as I’ve spent more time in Nashville for work and personal, the Vandy fans make me laugh. There’s always next year. Personal highlight of my Vandy picks…beating Ole Miss!

SEC West

Alabama (8-4, 4-4). But wait, didn’t Saban walk on water and bring sight to the blind and cure cancer and find Jimmy Hoffa and figure out what Bob Dylan’s “Desolation Row” was about? No. Good QB…but inconsistent QB…will lead you to the Liberty Bowl every time. Just ask South Carolina and Miss. State. Wilson’s got the talent and the fire in his gut, but damn, that boy looks stupid sometimes. That, and a ridiculous schedule this year makes it tough for me to find a much better path.

Arkansas (5-7, 2-6). I have to admit, that when I got to Arkansas on my picks sheet, I couldn’t believe that they, by default, had this many wins. The latest stop on the Petrino Boat to Nowhere is pretty bare. Casey Dick? Really…a Petrino-style QB? I’m just not seeing it. Thank God for Western Illinois!

Auburn (9-3, 6-2). Year in/year out the toughest team to call but this seems to be about right given the schedule and the fact that, apparently, I’m drinking the Georgia Kool-Aid this year. The only interesting call I’m making here is that Alabama beats Auburn in the Iron Bowl. They’re just due for it and I smell something like that brewing in the last month of this year. Incidentally, the month of November will be ridiculous in SEC football. Jobs will be secured and lost in those four weeks.

LSU (11-1, 7-1) SOMEHOW, once again, LSU benefits from a ridiculously great schedule. They’ll lose to either Auburn or Florida on the road (my money’s on Auburn) and they’ll have to play South Carolina on the road (yawn). The rest of the games are at home (or neutral site against Arkansas…yawn). I mean, I don’t care who’s at QB, they’re still loaded and all of those drunk Cajuns (not a term of derision!) provide an incredible home field advantage. Still great on D and have great skill players and one BIG OL.

Ole Miss (5-7, 1-7). As has been noted, I’ve never been impressed with Houston Nutt. I always thought he was overrated as a coach. All I’ve heard is “Snead will save the day for the Rebs”. Ok, but Snead is not Tebow…who else do you have? Riiiiiight, that’s what I thought. Not convinced, here, that this is the year that Houston Nutt sends the Rebs to Atlanta (the only SEC West team never to have done so…tee hee hee!).

Mississippi State (8-4, 5-3). Bias Alert! WOW! Ok, so I should have sent my beloved Bulldogs bowling last year. 8 wins though? Byron, are you crazy? Yes. Sure, they lost some people, but they’re stacked behind them. A coach like Croom seizes momentum in his program and uses it to get his guys back in the game. I’m betting on a one game improvement? “8 wins Byron?”. Yes, remember, that if Arkansas didn’t have one of the greatest RB tandems in football history last year, State would have crushed the mighty Arkansas. They only lost by 2 touchdowns…which for MSU standards vs. a Heisman candidate…pretty dern good! This year, there’s no Heisman in Fayetteville and State has a chance to beat up on the new guy, Bobby Petrino.

Championship Game: Georgia vs. LSU…Georgia gets revenge on LSU and heads to the Sugar Bowl.

On a side note, for those of you that like your football to be fun and crazy…pay attention to New Mexico State. Hal Mumme, disgraced former coach at Kentucky who makes Mike Leach look like a run-first coach, and Joe Lee Dunn have teamed up down there. Dunn is notorious for having some of the most odd-ball defensive formations imaginable. Ever seen 2 down linemen on D? He’ll show it to you. That combined with Mumme’s 158 passes/game, it’ll be funny to watch.

So, that’s the preview from south of the Mason-Dixon line. I’m not even going to pretend to forecast the nation this year. There’s just too many variables and changes this year that it’s going to be a toss-up year. Good luck to your teams. If you’re a Big 10 fan, can’t wait to see OSU be overrated and shown up in the post-season. HA!

(Your Gridiron Goddess says: Sept 13 is the day the Buckeyes dream of another trip to the BCS Championship game dies)

Good luck everyone and continue to check out The Gridiron Goddess for all of your football needs!

O.J. did it again…

Well looks like OJ done gone and fouled things up again.

Only this time his last name isn’t Simpson, it’s Mayo.

Allegations surfaced this weekend against freshman basketball phenom O.J. Mayo. He has been accused of accepting cash and gifts before and during his time at USC, which is in direct violation of NCAA laws.

If true, and all reports look like it is true, this is going to hit USC’s Athletic Director Mike Garrett and his NCAA Compliance Committee hard. With the as yet not proven (or not enforced, depending on your viewpoint) Reggie Bush allegations hanging out there murking up USC’s reputation, this violation will likely carry a sentence that will affect USC Basketball for seasons to come.

And you know what really fricking sucks about that? O.J. Mayo gets off basically scot free since he has declared for the NBA draft this year.

Happy Mother’s Day!

-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.

Guest Post: NCAA Rule changes

Your Gridiron Goddess says: I am so happy that Ron is posting the rule changes. I am immersed in packing and prepping for my Going Away Party Saturday night. I will post my thoughts on these changes in the next couple of days.

Please comment your thanks to my guest poster who rocks!! And now onto the post:

NCAA Rules Changes: You Win Some, You Lose Some

Your Gridiron Goddess: I have a 100.3 degree fever.

RonDean: That’s not a fever, that is your body getting you ready for the temperature in Las Vegas. Enjoy the Guest PostSo the NCAA Rules Committee is trying to make all of our lives better. That’s the claim at least. Apparently college football games are all running to long.

I know I was sitting at the end of the Notre-Dame USC game a few years ago thinking how bored I was and can this game just be over. Turns out those last few moments would be just what was needed to see Leinart getting guided(not pushed, that would be illegal) into the end zone, by Reggie Bush. Though I guess this last season I could have stood for the USC-Stanford game to be a bit shorter. Turns out shorter games would be kind of a mixed bag, much like the rules changes are.

Clock Changes: The 40-second clock would start play after a preceding play ends. This would standardize things from conference to conference. As it stands the 25-second clock starts once the ball is set but the time to set the ball varies from conference to conference.

• I have to say I am in favor of anything that standardizes things in college football. You know, like Ohio St. shouldn’t be allowed to play every JUCO in their state.

Face-mask: The “incidental” 5-yard vaiety has been abolished

• I feel like I must be reading this wrong but it appears that rather than making any face mask 15-yards. This rule actually makes the incidental contact acceptable sicne the new rule basically says it would require turning or twisting in order to draw the 15-yards. Seems like a dumb rule change.

Horse Collar Tackles: The Horse Collar(Roy Williams) style tackle would become illegal in college similar to the NFL.

• This is a great move since it prevents career ending injuries. It is a little shocking that they are easing on the Face-mask which can cause neck injuries but tightening up on this rule.

“Chop Block” Rule: This clarifies the rules regarding one player being hit below the waist while engaged with another player.

• Good idea, clarifies the rules so it is easier not to do. It also makes it easier to identify and call by the officials

Kickoffs: Teams now have the option to take possession at the 40-yard line after an out-of-bounds kickoff. It was previously the 35

• It’s 5-yards I don’t care.

Sideline Warnings: There will no longer be sideline warnings. The first infraction will draw a penalty

• This should be called the “Mack Browns Step-Son Is A Moron” rule. You can’t help but think the fact this idiot stepped onto the field and attempted to grab a live ball had something to do with this ruling.

Most of these are good rules though I am a little shaky on the clock changes.

Guest Post: Reggie Bush and Lloyd Lake

Our Goddess is still working on increasing the overall heat in the Las Vegas area, with her general presence. So you’re stuck with more of me in the meanwhile.

Lloyd Lake walked out of his deposition Tuesday with the attorneys representing Reggie Bush.

Lloyd Lake is the “sports agent” who claims he gave all kinds of illegal benefits to Bush. Of course he is now finding the moral high ground only because he feels Bush broke some kind of unwritten contract. When he went with a different Agent. I have a hard time calling Lake an agent at all. He is a former convict who has had exactly zero clients. His new found company folded upon losing Bush as a client.

Lake walked out after he claims the private security for Bush’s counsel flashed a gun. Bush’s Attorney David Cornwell felt the need to have security present. This stemmed from the first meeting between Cornwell and Lake’s attorney Brian Watkins. Where Cornwell claims Watkins informed him that Lake was a gang member and that if the Bush camp did not pay off Lake, he [Watkins] could not control him. Cornwell also said that Lake made two threats against Bush in December 2007. After discussing the threats with law enforcement and private security professionals, Bush’s legal team was told to take precautions when in Lake’s presence.

Watkins commented on the incident saying “It’s outrageous that he shows up strapped for a deposition,” Watkins said. “That’s outrageous conduct in the lawyer world. Come on, we’re lawyers. I don’t threaten people, I sue them.”

WHAT!? You think it is outrageous. You know what I think is outrageous lawyers using the word STRAPPED. Are you kidding me. The minute my lawyer uses the word strapped, my dentist tries to sell me on a grill, or my priest ask’s me if I’ve been riding dirty. Turns out that’s my cue to leave.

I’ll be honest I don’t really care if the NCAA decides Bush was ineligible. If it comes down to that and they force the Trojans to vacate the wins and championships from the Bush years. The only difference it will make in my life is that I will hear about it from my UCLA Friends (I know it’s an oxymoron, but what can I say, I was young when I made these friends. Young and foolish). When I do hear it from them, I am just going to know it is sour grapes.

If you want to let me know how much better looking the Gridiron Goddess is than I. You can head over to my blog and tell me.

CFB wrap up: Trojan Smackdown and other goodness

Hello Football Fiends!

I went 10-6 in my CFB picks this weekend. But most importantly: USC beat Notre Dame 38-0 –which is the worst beating they’ve taken from us in the entire 79 year history of our inter-sectional rivalry. Also, is the worst loss at home since 1956 when the Irish were beaten 40-0 at home by Oklahoma. The Trojans are back and they mean business.

Oh wait, the Trojans are back IF they are led by QB Mark Sanchez. Sorry JD Booty. That is my opinion based on how our offense suddenly looked like a USC offense today for the first time all season. Granted injured players are healed and returning to the lineup, but come on, this was Sanchez’s second start and he went 21 of 38 for 235 yards and had 4 TDs, O INTs and no sacks. Our offense had 462 total yards. Trojan teams put up 400+ yards of offense.

But enough of my VICTORIOUS SHILLELAGH WINNING Trojans.

What’s up with the Bruins? hee hee Are they the most inexplicably inconsistent team in the NCAA or is it just me? And why is Patrick Cowan not their starting QB? He does more for their offense than Ben Olson. But hey, who knows how the strange mind of Karl Dorrell works. His record of 29-20 at UCLA does not inspire a ton of confidence that the Bruins will win out, especially since they still face Oregon, Wazzou, USC and ASU on their schedules.

Cal has unbeaten ASU next week.

HOLY SHIT, did you see the ending of the LSU-Auburn game? What an exciting finish!!!!

YAY Stanford beat Arizona, which may only slightly minutely avenge USC’s loss only to me. LOL

Ohio State rolls on. When do they play someone who can show us whether the Buckeyes are the team of the year or whether they just have a cupcake schedule?

Oh and BTW, USC better be fricking ranked ahead of 2 loss Cal in this weeks BCS and AP polls. I’m just sayin’. I know Notre Dame is particularly ineffective this year, but hello– USC 6-1, Cal 5-2.

I am kind of cracking up at all the “OMG TIM TEBOW FOR HEISMAN AFTER TONIGHT’S PERFORMANCE” talk by the Sports Media. Tebow’s stats tonight? 256 yards and four TDs. He also ran for 78 yards and another score. He had a 40 yard pass to Percy Harvin.

Don’t get me wrong. Tebow had a great game. But compare his stats to Mark Sanchez’s, while keeping in mind that this was Sanchez’s SECOND start, and it puts things in a bit more perspective–and also gives Trojan fans a glimpse of how AWESOME our future is–Sanchez had 235 yards, 4 TDs, rushed for 11 yards (a first down) and had a pass for about 40 yards too.

Now Kentucky’s Andre Woodson– WOW –he was 35-of-50 for 415 yards, 5 TDs and no interceptions. Can we say HELLO HEISMAN.

Heh heh I like Florida and Tebow and I do realize the rest of the world is sick of USC OMG BEST EVER HEISMAN FOR BOOTY etc. But these last few weeks of not as much USC IS THE BEST EVER coverage on ESPN have been weird for this spoiled Trojan my fanatics.

Tebow and Florida will be AMAZING. NEXT YEAR. He will win the Heisman. Next Year or the Year After.

This Year–I think it is Andre Woodson or BC’s Matt Ryan’s. Tebow, McFadden and Colt Brennan will round out the 5 invited to New York. Booty might be able to salvage his chances of being invited to NY in December IF he lights up the field for the rest of the season.

USC heads to Autzen Stadium to face the Oregon Ducks next week. I am afraid of Autzen Stadium. But that is a whole ‘nother post.

-Your Gridiron Goddess, who might be developing a crush on Mark Sanchez. Have you seen him SMILE? Oh my…

A Harem of the Gridiron Goddess post: Byron’s midseason look at the SEC

Alabama–Too lucky for too long. You may beat UT next week, you may not, but don’t get too excited about this year. You still don’t have the talent you need to compete.

Arkansas–Goodbye Houston Nutt…Goodbye Heisman Trophy…Hello upset by an upstart SEC West team.

Auburn–That Byrum kid is spooky good…but #2 in the West is not a bad place to be this year.

Florida–*gags on words* dangit, y’all are good but you need to go ahead and beat this Kentucky team before the Apocalypse comes and Kentucky wins the East. *shudders at the thought*

Georgia–Sorry dawgs, Stafford just isn’t there yet. Alabama may have been a fluke.

Kentucky–yeah, nobody saw you coming…congratulations…but you haven’t beaten Florida yet. It may come down to a 3-way tie for the East after you beat my Vols like a stepchild.

LSU–tough loss and I hated it…but didn’t I say at the beginning of the year that I questioned Miles’ X’s and O’s? 4 plays up the middle…and 4th down was the backup…not your stud RB? Uuuuhhhhhhh…ok.

Ole Miss–get over it. ‘Bama beat you. It was the right call. Enjoy going 0-8 in the SEC. Maybe next time you’ll get a real coach.

Mississippi State–-The positives: Good game…over the next 2-3 years, you’ll get better and better. It’s coming. Stay with Croom. He’s the best guy for the job. The negatives: Tell your fans to shut the #$%^ up. Comments like “hope the Music City Bowl likes that call” should not be uttered from fans who haven’t played in December since 2000. Biased Upset Call here….State’ll beat either ‘Bama or Arkansas.

South Carolina–Spurrier won’t go all the way with the Special Ed offense he has now. It’ll bite them…possibly October 27th.

Tennessee–Look guys. Just win, ok. Win out and we go to Atlanta. You can beat ‘Bama. South Carolina doesn’t have the offense this year…pull something out of your butt for Kentucky (because that’ll take a miracle). Oh yeah…and when it’s 2nd and 6 and the other team only has one decent receiver…don’t line up 7 yards from the line and then start backpedaling. It’s called a hitch route…they will use it and get the 1st down…everytime. We learned this in Jr. High football.

Vanderbilt–dangit, guys, I want to believe…I want y’all to go to a bowl (but not beat Tennessee) so bad…but you just manage to be…Vanderbilt. Sorry guys…not happening this year…but, there is always next year.

–Harem Member Byron