USC Football Preseason Rank 2011

The times have changed at USC.  The ESPN 2011 top 25 rankings does not include the Trojans.  These are not the days of Pete Carroll.

Fight On!

yojoe

USC Sanctions

There was no good news for USC football when the NCAA handed down its sanctions.  The Trojans will face the following:

• 2 year bowl ban
• 4 years of probation
• Loss of scholarships

The Trojans may also lose their 2004 National Championship.

Fight On!

Basketball For Whites Only

Not since the Louisiana magistrate denied marriage for interracial couples have we seen such an unenlightened point of view,

But here’s the kicker: According to a press release the newspaper and other Augusta media outlets received from the new league, “only players that are natural-born United State citizens with both parents of Caucasian race are eligible to play in the league.”

Thank you Moose Lewis, for setting back race relations at least 50 years.

yojoe out

USC Football: No Norm Chow For Now

It was previously reported that Norm Chow would be joining Lane Kiffin at USC.  Apparently Chow is not interested in moving across town to USC, he will remain at UCLA.

Norm Chow declined the chance to switch teams again in Los Angeles’ fierce football rivalry.

Chow said Thursday he’ll stay at UCLA for his third season as offensive coordinator, rebuffing overtures from Lane Kiffin to return to Southern California.

After a couple of uneasy days during which the Trojans openly courted Chow, UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel was grateful to learn his widely respected offensive mastermind had passed on a lucrative contract offer at USC.

yojoe Fight On!

Media Reaction To USC Head Coach Lane Kiffin

The reaction to USC hiring Lane Kiffin as the new head coach of the Trojans has drawn impassioned reactions from all media sources.

• Gene Wojciechowski – Kiffin has no credibility
• Dan Wetzel – I don’t think this was the worst move by the Trojans
• Peter Schrager – Lane Kiffin is leaving Tennessee in a state of rubble and shrapnel
• Dennis Dodd – Lane Kiffin? Lane Kiffin? Really? Ha ha! No, seriously, really?
• Michael Rosenberg – Well, I really have to hand it to the USC Trojans: They aren’t even faking it anymore.
• Stewart Mandel – Welcome to college football in 2010.

yojoe Fight On!

USC Football: Kiffin, Chow, Orgeron Back At USC

According to ESPN,

Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin has been named the next head coach at Southern California, athletic director Mike Garrett announced on Tuesday.

Kiffin replaces Pete Carroll, who jumped to the NFL as coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

“We are really excited to welcome Lane Kiffin back to USC,” Garrett said in a statement. “I was able to watch him closely when he was an assistant with us and what I saw was a bright, creative young coach who I thought would make an excellent head coach here if the opportunity ever arose. I’m confident he and his staff will keep USC football performing at the high level that we expect.”

It is also being reported that Kiffin will bring his father, Ed Orgeron, and Norm Chow, in what is being called a “blockbuster deal.”  Sorry UCLA.  For those claiming USC would not win without Norm Chow, that is now a worry of the past.  Norm Chow and Matt Barkley, that will be a formidable team.  Yes, Matt Barkley confirmed he is staying at USC.  And so is C.J. Gable.

That should also cover recruiting with Orgeron, word is he is already working.  As for defense, it does not get better than Monte Kiffin.

yojoe Fight On!

H/T: TrojanWire

Charlie Weis And His Comments About Pete Carroll

Weis is now backing away from the reckless comments he made about Coach Carroll.

Weis later claimed his comments were meant to be general statements about false Internet rumors and their impact on coaches’ lives.

 

These are the statements that Weis make about Coach Carroll,

“Let me ask you this question: You guys know about things that go on in different places. Was I living with a grad student in Malibu, or was I living with my wife in my house? You could bet that if I were living with a grad student here in South Bend, it would be national news.

“He’s doing it in Malibu and it’s not national news. What’s the difference? I don’t understand. Why is it OK for one guy to do things like that, but for me, I’m scrutinized when I swear. I’m sorry for swearing; absolve my sins.”

USC UCLA Pregame: UCLA Mascot Attacked By USC Students

The Men of Troy will face their cross-town rivals the Bruins of UCLA on 28NOV09.  The Trojans are favored, on bodog, by 13 points.   UCLA has not defeated USC since 2006.

One of the enduring traditions between these two schools is attempting to paint the other school’s mascot.  The students of USC succeeded this year when they painted the UCLA Bruin, Joe Bruin, Cardinal and Gold.

Tommy Trojan will be guarded by students until the start of the game.  Tommy is also wrapped to protect him.  You can watch the vigil on TommyCam.

yojoe Fight On!

Stick A Fork In Fat Man Charlie Weis, He Is Done At Notre Dame

As mentioned on Dreadnaught here, here, here, here, and here, Charlie Weis must be fired.  Charlie lost today to UConn.  Yes, he lost to Navy and UConn in the same year.  Charlie, what happened to the the “decided schematic advantage“?

Wait, maybe you were misquoted.  You intended to say that with you as head coach, Notre Dame would have a “decided schematic disadvantage.”  That is what they have.  Take your cash, your FUPA, your barely-.500 winning percentage,  and your condescending attitude and go back to Jersey.  You are a joke!

yojoe out

Pitt Over Notre Dame: Another Nail In Charlie Weis’s Coffin

Charlie Weis is on his way out at Notre Dame.  Loss last week to Navy.  Now a loss to Pitt.  As has been called on here, here, here, and here, Notre Dame must replace Charlie Weis.

yojoe out

Stanford Over Trojans By 34

Nothing to say for the Trojans, except for the final score Stanford 55, USC 21.

yojoe Fight On!

Helmets For All College And Pro Football Teams

The Helmet Project is a very cool Website.  If you ever wondered what the helmet of your favorite college or NFL team look like in the past, just go to the site.  You can even see some made-up helmets, like Penn State with a logo.

yojoe out

Navy Over Notre Dame

Charlie Weis made history in 2007 by losing to Navy for the first time in 44 years.  He did it again today by losing to Navy  23 – 21.

This takes Notre Dame out of the BCS, with their third loss of the season.

This should increase the calls for Charlie Weis to be fired.  As mentioned here, here, and, here, Notre Dame needs a new coach.

Another note on the game, specifically on the coverage by NBC, the praise for Jimmy Clausen is getting worse every game.  Praising Clausen for his ability to make comeback wins in the 4th quarter is more of an indictment of Notre Dame.  They are losing for most of the quarters they play.  That is not a good thing.

yojoe Fight On!

USC V Oregon Prediction And Odds

The Trojans of USC travel to Eugene, OR to decide the Pac-10 championship against, the Ducks of Oregon.  Yes, the team with the worst uniforms in all of sports.  Here is a preview:

Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it better: Halloween night, the din of Autzen Stadium, crisp fall temperatures and No. 10 Oregon versus No. 4 USC in arguably the Pac-10’s biggest game of the season.

“It’s going to be crazy,” Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli said. “It’s going to be one of those Autzen nights times 100.”

Oregon (6-1, 4-0) sits alone atop the conference standings with no league losses, threatening the hold the Trojans (6-1, 3-1) have had on the Pac-10 title for the past seven years.

The Ducks have won six straight games since an embarrassing 19-8 loss at Boise State in the opener, a game that got uglier when running back LeGarrette Blount punched a Broncos defensive end as he was leaving the field.

bodog has the game Oregon +3.

Dreadnaught prediction: USC over Oregon by 21 – 17.

yojoe Fight On!

Washington Redskins Ban Signs At Games, Eject And Insult Fans

It goes without saying that the Washington Redskins are a rancid football team.  But now the team, read Daniel Snyder, has reached new lows, aside from losses to Detroit and KC.

Here are some of the highlights of the new lows for the Redskins:

• Two fans wearing “Dumb” and “Dumber” shirts with photos of Snyder and VP Vinny Cerrato claimed security guards made them invert their shirts.
• Fans were prohibited from chanting “We want Gruden.”
• The team has banned media interviews of tailgating fans.
• Fans are prohibited from having signs at the game, even signs supporting our troops in Afghanistan.  Way to go Snyder.  Great to be against the troops.
• Redskin linebacker Robert Henson, berated Redskins fans on his Twitter page.  It Tweet: “All you fake half hearted Skins fan can .. I won’t go there but I dislike you very strongly, don’t come to Fed Ex to boo dim wits!!”
  • “half hearted” Henson, learn to tackle and to properly use phrasal adjectives.  You not good at either.

USC Notre Dame Final Score 2009 Game

The Trojans get another victory over Notre Dame with a final score of  34-27.  The standout player for USC was tight end Anthony McCoy, with 5 receptions for 153 yards.

If you want to know what is wrong with Charlie Weis, one need only to listen to the comments he made coming off the field.

We ran a combination route where Golden got doubled, which we thought he would, over on the right-hand side.  He did, over on the right-hand side.  We were going to to to a high-low or to the left and when Duval came out of the break he slipped coming out of the break. He was open, but he slipped, slipped, slipped coming out of the route.

Translation:

I am a great coach.  I made the correct call.  I had an unbeatable scheme.  It was all Duval Kamara’s fault.

Pathetic.  Be a head coach.  Take responsibility, don’t blame a player.  Notre Dame deserves a better coach than Charlie Weis.

yojoe Fight On!

Charlie Weis Claims Moral Victory After Loss To USC

Note Dame coach, Charlie “I Looked at Myself and Saw a Disaster” Weis clamed the 2009 loss to USC was a moral victory.  Irish fans have to understand that Weis can not turn this team around in just five seasons, despite the fact that his team will, in “every game . . . have a decided schematic advantage.”  You must understand, he is suffering from the poor recruiting done by Ty Willingham.

Again, you can not expect Weis to turn the program around in just five seasons.  It has taken a number of head coaches to get their teams to national championships.  Nick Saban did it in his 4th season, Pete Carroll did it in his 3rd season, Bob Stoops did it in his 2nd season, and Urban Meyer did it in his 2nd season.  Well, those are all less than the five seasons Weis has had, but it is different for Weis.  Not sure how it is different, but it is.

It can not be Charlie Weis’s fault, he is just too great of a coach.  Remember Charlie Weis making history last season by losing to Navy for the first time in 44 years.  That was also Willingham’s fault.  Don’t blame Weis.

Charlie Weis Says USC Notre Dame Will Be Big Story

From Yahoo Sports,

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP)—Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis gathered his players after the final practice before the 25th-ranked Fighting Irish face No. 6 USC on Saturday and made a prediction.

“I said, ‘Saturday night, fellas, you’re going to be the lead story in the country one way or another. You’re going to be. So which lead story do you want to be?”’

The storyline he’d probably like to see most is Jimmy Clausen having the game of his life to beat the Trojans, ending a record seven-game losing streak by the Irish to USC to become a leading Heisman Trophy candidate. The one he’d like to see least? Another USC blowout, putting his job in jeopardy.

Dreadnaught prediction: USC by 10.

yojoe Fight On!

USC Notre Dame Quarterback Comparison

It will not be the defense, it will not be the history, it will not be the running game or wether when USC plays Notre Dame.  The only comparison that will matter is the goldenness of the quarterbacks for the teams.  While Jimmy Clausen claims to be the golden boy from SoCal.   the photographs clearly demonstrate that Matt Barkley is much more golden.

No question, USC over Notre Dame.

yojoe Fight On!

LSU Florida Tebow Will Play For Gators

The game of this Saturday is LSU v. Florida.  The latest news indicates Tim Tebow will start for the Gators.

If he’s got a 100 percent clean bill of health and the phalanx of involved parties agrees he’s fine (coach Urban Meyer said there were 12 people in the room Monday to discuss Tebow’s concussion recovery), do it. No more interested party than Bob Tebow, Tim’s father, said that if his son were cleared to play — and he stressed Thursday afternoon that the decision has not been made — he would not spend Saturday wincing at Tim’s high-impact playing style.

Dreadnaught prediction: If Tebow plays Florida wins, if Tebow is out LSU gets the win. bodog has LSU by 8 points.

yojoe out

Final Score USC Over Cal

The Trojans played well for all but the first drive for Cal.  The games ends with USC over Cal by 30 – 3.

Best did not look like a Heisman winner tonight.  Both Barkley and McKnight played well.  It was great to see Taylor Mays back on the field, and as always Damian Williams was nails.

yojoe Fight On!