USC Trojans (official thread)

[cincibuck]

USC is one of the best arguments I can think of to get at least one BCS game in Big 10 Territory. If they win the Pac 10, or if they qualify for the NC game 06, 10, 14 etc. They are playing at home. Hell, even Indiana has an advantage a t home! look at the all time recods, look at the betting odds and see if home town/home field advantage isn't significant.

Rotate the NC game at the very least, Soldiers Field in Chicago, Meadowlands, New Jersey, Miami Dolphins Home field, Florida, Candlestick Park, San Francisco.

No home fields. This is a national championship, not a fund raiser for Sunbelt tourism.

Cancel the Big 10 - PAC 10 Rose Bowl contract unless they are willing to do a home-home series.

I firmly believe the Big 10 record in bowl games would be much higher if they weren't always on the road and if they weren't always getting the shorts on ticket allocations for same.

 

[Gatorubet]

Well, the ranking puts Fla with Michigan St. So.. yeah... that's "Suck ass" to me. Not to mention, Florida went winless for a season as recently as 1979. Ohio State has never been winless.

Oh, I can think of a catagory where Ohio State is winless.....but I don't want to ruin my babe chances as your Cabinet member so I'll refrain.

 

[Best Buckeye]

Oh, I can think of a catagory where Ohio State is winless.....but I don't want to ruin my babe chances as your Cabinet member so I'll refrain.

You have no chances, I cozied up to Ryn and the main job is mine.

 

[RugbyBuck]

My problem is with a disparity in perception and hype. Certainly, USC is one of the great teams in the country, but they can drop the NC game repeatedly and lose no shine in perception. We have the incredible run we've had under JT, get there last year and somehow our program sucks because we lost. Yes, obviously we laid a huge turd in the desert, but my point is that the loss isn't/shouldn't be a huge black mark against the program. USC loses to Florida and there's no problem.

 

[endzoneBucki]

USC is one of the great teams in the country, but they can drop the NC game repeatedly and lose no shine in perception. We have the incredible run we've had under JT, get there last year and somehow our program sucks because we lost. .

That is the USC myth. Before Pete came along they sucked for quite a few years.

 

[OH HSKR FAN]

USC's program went into hibernation mode through most of the 80s and all of the 90s.

 

[dwimmer38]

SEC

I came across this paragraph while reading an article on SI about Les Miles:

EDIT - the article is in the following post

We've heard it. We get it. We've put it in bold type across the cover of Sports Illustrated: The SEC is the toughest conference. Florida proved that in the title game.

 

[ScriptOhio]

LSU's Miles called out USC; now Tigers must deliver

Les Miles is already sounding the trumpet for the SEC's strength -- and it's only July.
Bob Rosato/SI

OK, it's official. What once sounded amusingly intriguing has now become a critical necessity.
USC and LSU have to play for the national championship this season. It is no longer possible to envision any other satisfying conclusion.
The nation's strangest and most unlikely rivalry of the past four years -- one that has thus far played out entirely off the field -- reached a new level of bitterness this week when the Tigers' increasingly rambunctious coach, Les Miles, made some strange and derisive comments about the Trojans.
"I would like nothing better than to play USC for the [national] title," Miles reportedly said in a speech to a heavily pro-LSU gathering in New Orleans. "I can tell you this, that they have a much easier road to travel. They're going to play real knockdown drag-outs with UCLA and Washington, Cal-Berkeley, Stanford -- some real juggernauts -- and they're going to end up, it would be my guess, in some position so if they win a game or two, that they'll end up in the title [game].

Entire article: SI.com - Writers - Stewart Mandel: LSU's Miles called out USC; now Tigers must deliver - Friday July 6, 2007 2:46PM

 

[Taosman]

"I firmly believe the Big 10 record in bowl games would be much higher if they weren't always on the road and if they weren't always getting the shorts on ticket allocations for same".

This is an excellent point! There is much to said for the home field advantage.
Notice how SEC teams don't like to travel?
I give credit to USC for traveling when few in college football will.
We are going to have a great opportunity to show the country our product with our coming schedules.
Then, let them try to ridicule us!

 

[Taosman]

Another school that should be in the title chase every year is......Texas.
That is, if you drink the Texas recruiting koolaid.
Either, their recruits are over hyped/over-rated, or their coaches are just
average and win with better talent.
Which is it?
How about, a little bit of both!

 

[BB73]

Stewart Mandel makes this solid point in that SI article:

USC's easy "path" last year included a BCS team (Notre Dame) and two major-conference division champions (Nebraska and Arkansas). LSU's non-conference schedule, meanwhile, consisted of Louisiana-Lafayette, Tulane, Fresno State and Arizona. Under the BCS' old strength-of-schedule formula -- the one that shined so favorably upon the Tigers in '03 prior to its removal from the standings, the Trojans played the nation's toughest schedule; LSU's was 11th.

 

[Taosman]

2007 LSU schedule

Thu, Aug 30 at Mississippi State (Davis Wade Stadium) 8:00 p.m.

Sat, Sep 08 Virginia Tech Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium) 8:15 p.m.

Sat, Sep 15 Middle Tennessee Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium) 7:00 p.m.

Sat, Sep 22 South Carolina * Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium) 7:00 p.m.

Sat, Sep 29 Tulane at New Orleans, La. (Louisiana Superdome)

Sat, Oct 06 Florida * Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium) 7:00 p.m.

Sat, Oct 13 Kentucky * at Lexington, Ky. (Commonwealth Stadium)

Sat, Oct 20 Auburn * Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium) 7:00 p.m.

Sat, Nov 03 Alabama * at Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Bryant-Denny Stadium)

Sat, Nov 10 Louisiana Tech (Homecoming) Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium) 7:00 p.m.

Sat, Nov 17 Ole Miss * at Oxford, Miss. (Vaught-Hemingway Stadium)

Fri, Nov 23 Arkansas * Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium) 1:30 p.m.

SEC Championship Game

So, the question needs to be asked;
Is this schedule strong enough to get them into the National Championship game?
Mid Tenn., Tulane and La Tech?
They lose one game and it's iffy in my opinion. They lose 2.....no way!

 

[Zurp]

So, the question needs to be asked;
Is this schedule strong enough to get them into the National Championship game?
Mid Tenn., Tulane and La Tech?
They lose one game and it's iffy in my opinion. They lose 2.....no way!

With the new BCS format, you don't need a tough schedule to get in. All you need to do is win all your games, and have the perception of being a good team. LSU, being in the SEC, will always have the second part of the formula. All they need to do is win all their games. Teams like Boise State, with the new BCS format, won't get into a BCS title game, because they will never have the perception of being a good team, no matter how many wins they have.

As for losing one game - you no longer deserve the "right" to be in the title game. Getting in with 1 loss, no matter who you are, is all up to chance. Getting in with 2 losses, and it's a sad, sad day for college football.

 

[808 Buck]

Nothing like having a Michigan man at a SEC school. Now, he's faster than everyone else, in addition to being smarter than everyone else. Let's see - no Georgia, no Tennessee, toughest road opponent is Alabama. If Les doesn't make it to at least the SEC Championship game, he might have some "esplainin" to do. LSU has a helluva team athletically coming back. Might be better to let things build, rather than start calling other teams out, especially potential BCS opponents.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

There is no way in hell LSU will play USC for the title. It's entirely possible neither team gets there. SC's not as invincible as one would believe. Look for Booty to be exposed as average, at best, this year. He had Smith and Jarrett bailing him out last year. Yes, SC still has talent, there's no denying it, but I'm not handing them (or anyone) the crystal just yet. Even if they do make it to the title game.....

LSU - Les Miles. End of discussion. I actually like LSU.. or I have historically. That is to say, when I'm watching LSU v. X I find myself usually rooting for LSU instead of the other team... but I don't follow them really that closely. But, I do know that Les Miles is not the guy to take talent and coach em to a championship.

Oh.. and all the talk about how much talent LSU has coming back.... Does LSU get better losing JaMarcus Russell, Dwayne Bowe, Craig Davis and LaRon Landry, Jessie Daniels? Here again, I'm certainly not saying that LSU sucks, has no chance bla bla bla.

I'm saying LSU lost it's starting QB along with 2 starting WR's and actually, if you consider Justin Vincent's graduation, they lost a TB too.... Sound familiar?

I'm saying LSU is going to be very good - their D, even with the losses in the secondary, is likely to be very very good..... but they're certainly not a just show up and you'll win team. New QB, new WRs TB by committee.. doesn't sound like a recipe for a "Hand em the trophy season"
Certainly not if your team is Ohio State.... I guess LSU is somehow different? It must be that Miles can outcoach Tressel..