Southern Cal Coach Pete Carroll (official thread)

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

Herbie is once again blowing USC on Gameday (it must be something he has to do weekly). Somehow he thinks they still have a chance at making it into the BCSNC game.

[BB73]

There are some interesting quotes in this article. Pete's very frustrated by not getting into the title game.

si.com

I was in Corvallis last weekend, watching Oregon State stick it to Southern California for the second time this season. As we all know, the Beavers knocked 'SC out of the national title game with a 27-21 upset in September. By no-showing in last Saturday's Civil War, in which Oregon clubbed them 65-38, the Beavers lost their shot at playing in the Rose Bowl, in the process thrusting USC into a kind of post-season Groundhog Day.

Regardless of the gracious things Pete Carroll and his charges will say about returning to the Rose Bowl for the fourth year in a row, you know the prospect of another bus ride to Disneyland is driving these guys barking mad. This means that an entire generation of Trojans will never take an airplane to a bowl game. 'SC players are on a first-name basis with the wait staff at Lawry's restaurant, where they know the difference between the "Beef Bowl cut" and the "Diamond Jim Brady cut," and how many shrimp come with the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail. That would be five -- the number of times USC will have played in the "Grandaddy of 'em all" in the last six years. It's safe to say this is one grandparent the Trojans would not mind seeing trundled off to a rest home.

Walking off the practice field with Carroll last week, a few days before his team beat Notre Dame for the seventh straight time, I sought to plumb the coach's frustration. In 2006 and 2007, a one-loss season would've earned his team a ticket to the BCS title game. (Both times, the Trojans dropped a second game). In 2008, however, it took only that sole defeat to keep them out of The Game. With Pac-10 schools going 14-16 against non-conference foes (including an embarrassing 1-6 mark against the Mountain West); with half the conference under .500; with the Washington schools playing their worst football in a generation, the BCS computers could not have been less impressed with the Trojans' seven Pac-10 victories.

"But at least they're in the Pac-10," Carroll interrupted, as I ticked off the woes of the Bruins and Cougars and Huskies. "What conference is The Citadel in?"

A millisecond later, he was spouting assurances that he had nothing but respect for The Citadel (a member, incidentally, of the Southern Conference, one of the strongest leagues in the FCS, formerly known as I-AA). But the battle was joined.

"Who's better?" he asked, "Oregon State or Ole Miss?" Which team is more deserving of a shot at the national title, in other words: the team that lost to the Beavers in Corvallis, or the one that got rolled by Mississippi in their own Swamp?

"Oregon State is vying for a conference championship. What's Ole Miss doing?"

Cont'd ...

I think that Pete would have been better served by pointing out that Florida only has 1 win against any teams in the AP or Coaches top-25.

[Gatorubet]

Originally Posted by BB73

I think that Pete would have been better served by pointing out that Florida only has 1 win against any teams in the AP or Coaches top-25....with one game remaining against number 1 Bama.

Ya know, some of us still have games left.

[BB73]

Originally Posted by Gatorubet

Ya know, some of us still have games left.

This could be the 3rd straight year where the SEC CCG has propelled the winner into a BCS Title game the team otherwise would not have reached.

Frickin' CCGs.

[rocketman]

We know what's going to happen a week earlier, in the Rose Bowl. After hearing for the better part of a month that an anti-climax awaits them; how vulnerable they are to an emotional let-down, the Trojans will take the 65-inch Liquid Crystal Display TV that is Penn State's Spread HD offense, and they will stomp and grind it into the Bermuda grass of the Rose Bowl until there is nothing left but pixels.

Am I the only one who thinks PSU has a damn good shot at beating USC in the Rose Bowl? PSU's offense is a hell of a lot more capable than a Beanie-less, Pryor-Less Buckeye squad, or anything USC has seen this year for that matter. Yeah, we held them to 13 points and our defense pales to USC's but I think they match up WAY better than we ever could, especially on defense.

[ohiostate=life]

Originally Posted by BB73

This could be the 3rd straight year where the SEC CCG has propelled the winner into a BCS Title game the team otherwise would not have reached.

Frickin' CCGs.

Roger that...And back to the column-If Pete wants to complain, he should take a look at his anemic defense during the OrSt game and their inability to stop an oompa loompa from running all over them. Like our buddy Spiels always says, "You win, you're in." Quit bitching Petey.

[BuckeyeMike80]

Originally Posted by rocketman

Am I the only one who thinks PSU has a damn good shot at beating USC in the Rose Bowl? PSU's offense is a hell of a lot more capable than a Beanie-less, Pryor-Less Buckeye squad, or anything USC has seen this year for that matter. Yeah, we held them to 13 points and our defense pales to USC's but I think they match up WAY better than we ever could, especially on defense.

Penn State will run the ball at USC instead of trying to out scheme them.

That's what Oregon State did - they established the run and kept running it even if it didn't work all the time.

And they also found ways to pressure Sanchez without bringing more than 5 guys at a time....Penn State has the athletes to do this also.

[FrancisSawyer]

Originally Posted by rocketman

Am I the only one who thinks PSU has a damn good shot at beating USC in the Rose Bowl? PSU's offense is a hell of a lot more capable than a Beanie-less, Pryor-Less Buckeye squad, or anything USC has seen this year for that matter. Yeah, we held them to 13 points and our defense pales to USC's but I think they match up WAY better than we ever could, especially on defense.

They should definitely rewatch that Oregon State game. If Penn State's line plays like it's possessed, they very well could win. Small quick running backs (Rogers) are like cryptonite to huge lumbering linebackers (Mualuga) as we saw in that game. Penn State has one of those USC's offense hasn't been performing as well as expected but if they get into the groove I don't think there's anything Penn St can do to stop it.

[Muck]

Originally Posted by BB73

Pete's very frustrated by not getting into the title game.

Then he should have won all his games.

I think that Pete would have been better served by pointing out that Florida only has 1 win against any teams in the AP or Coaches top-25.

I tend to think that someone who's gotten more media blow jobs than Sen Obama might want to think twice before complaining about the court of public opinion.

[Bucky Katt]

Originally Posted by BB73

There are some interesting quotes in this article. Pete's very frustrated by not getting into the title game.

si.com



I think that Pete would have been better served by pointing out that Florida only has 1 win against any teams in the AP or Coaches top-25.

Particularly amusing considering THIS ARTICLE from last week containing this quote:

"There's nothing about that that I like," Carroll said. "The feeling that you have to campaign or do something like that doesn't sit right with me at all. I don't like it."
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"When I sense that, I don't like that," he said. "I try to stay away from that as much as possible. I would always like the play to speak for itself. ... I don't blame anybody for doing it. I just don't like taking part of it."

[Gatorubet]

Originally Posted by Muck

I tend to think that someone who's gotten more media blow jobs than Sen Obama might want to think twice before complaining about the court of public opinion.

Let alone his claiming "a share" the National Championship in '03 when the AP had them number 1, despite agreeing to follow BCS rules.

[censored] you Petey. (Oh. [censored] you Tubby for your fake NC rings that year too. *You can bitch about not being in it, but you can't coronate yourself champion. )

* Muck, Ears did win all his games that year, so the "he shoulda won them all" comment is not always appropriate, but in Petey's case it is spot on.

[Muck]

Originally Posted by Gatorubet

* Muck, Ears did win all his games that year, so the "he shoulda won them all" comment is not always appropriate, but in Petey's case it is spot on.

Going undefeated as a member of a major conference and being left out...you may have reason to bitch.

If you don't go undefeated...don't bitch.

[xcrunner]

Originally Posted by Muck

Going undefeated as a member of a major conference with a decently hard OOC schedule and being left out...you may have reason to bitch.

If you don't go undefeated...don't bitch.

FIFY...

[OregonBuckeye]

Originally Posted by rocketman

Am I the only one who thinks PSU has a damn good shot at beating USC in the Rose Bowl? PSU's offense is a hell of a lot more capable than a Beanie-less, Pryor-Less Buckeye squad, or anything USC has seen this year for that matter. Yeah, we held them to 13 points and our defense pales to USC's but I think they match up WAY better than we ever could, especially on defense.

They have a chance. But USC has been dominating their Big-10 opponents this decade and it's getting increasingly hard to ignore. Plus, it's still across the country and Clark is a soft QB. I think USC will win(assuming they beat UCLA first) by 10 or so.

[BuckeyeNation27]

Just watched the Sanchez press conference. I don't know if I've ever seen anything as awkward regarding early entries. Pete Carroll basically said the kid was making a mistake.

He somehow did it in a classy way, too. Props to him for that at least.