Welcome to Round 1 of our TDB poll. Please look at each matchup and click on the name of the host you would rather listen to. You can check back in and press the results button to get the updated totals to see who is winning and who is losing.
Use the comment section to explain your choices or nominate someone else as a write-in candidate.
Micah Banuelos (6-2.5, 290), 4-star OG from Burien Kennedy Catholic (WA), announces commitment to USC over ORE, which had been favored by the experts. Long thought to be an ORE lean, Banuelos expressly cited conference realignment as one of the keys to his recruitment. He also favored USC’s coaches. “Man, USC… I love USC,” he said. “Something that they bring to the table is Lincoln Riley. I feel like he knows how to lead a program. The amount of players that he brought out of the transfer portal to rebuild the culture, it was a smart move. It was a… Read more »
Micah committed! Glad I was wrong
From the starting Qb at Penn State:
https://twitter.com/seancliff14/status/1550605374159572992
if college players start kneeling during the national anthem like they did in the NFL, I’m out. When this “intellect” who plays QB at PSU starts talking like a union rep, college football could be shooting itself in the foot. NFL went down this road and it wasn’t pretty.
No need to worry about that. Most college bands are so large that when they take the field to play the anthem there is no room for either team on the sidelines. The teams leave the locker rooms when the band leaves the field.
USC Athletes Earn 11 Medals At The World Championships, Would Have Finished 2nd If Competed As A Country
Men: Rai Benjamin, USA (400m H SILVER), Aaron Brown, CAN (4x100m GOLD), Andre De Grasse, CAN (4x100m GOLD), Michael Norman, USA (400m GOLD. 4x400m GOLD).
Women: Allyson Felix, USA (Mixed 4x400m BRONZE, 4x400m GOLD), Dalilah Muhammad, USA (400m H BRONZE), Jaide Stepter-Baynes, USA (4x400m GOLD), TeeTee Terry, USA (4x100m GOLD), Nicole Yeargin, Great Britain (4x400m BRONZE).
usctrojans.com
2023 ESPN 300 (Five Trojans aboard so far)
1 QB Malachi Nelson (5-stars, Arch Manning is now #2)
6 WR Zachariah Branch (5)
19 WR Makai Lemon (4)
75 ILB Tackett Curtis (4)
122 CB Braxton Myers (4)
espn.com
From Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports article, “10 Teams Poised to Bounce Back in 2022”: USC (4-8) It’ll be nothing short of the biggest shocker in college football if USC isn’t vastly improved from the 4-8 team that took the field over the 2021 season. Lincoln Riley’s move from Oklahoma was one of the biggest coaching surprises in years and Riley’s presence led to the arrival of a ton of skill position talent on offense via transfer. Former OU QB Caleb Williams is a preseason Heisman contender and Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison is already the Pac-12’s best wide receiver. Don’t… Read more »
He’s going to Oregon. All signs point that way. Hope I’m wrong.
Chris, It all depends on how much Nike is willing to invest in him. I think Nike’s budget for frosh OL must be close to maxed. If Nike pays him six figures, he is probably a Duck. SC does not pay guaranteed money to true frosh. But if Nike will not pay him, SC will probably get him. Recruiting now is very much a game of NIL money. The last two OL SC lost out on were lost because other teams were willing to pay substantial guaranteed money.
How do we know with any degree of accuracy that USC lost the two big highly publicized OT battles because of NIL money? Isn’t that pure speculation? Floridian OT Francis Mauigoa chose MIA. Maybe he just likes the school, coaches, players, proximity, and location better. Plus, Mario Cristobal is a great recruiter. MIA first offered Mauigoa July 25, 2021, when USC was deep in the throes Clay Helton’s death rattle. Fellow Floridian OT Lucas Simmons picked FSU, where he camped in June 2021 after being offered on May 21. USC didn’t even offer Simmons until Jan 2022. That’s a lifetime… Read more »
Allen your last paragraph is what needs to happen. Top recruits have to see USC on the field this season looking good, winning games, being talked about on football telecasts and placing in the top level ratings. That’s the ticket to turning heads and making the right impressions. And the recruits will follow!
That said, I’m still surprised (as well as overjoyed) USC beat ORE for OG Micah Banuelos today. I don’t care what his stars were, this was a big-time contest at a huge position of need between the Trojans and the Ducks, the only other real threat to USC western dominance IMO because of Knight’s money. Today was BIG for USC. And big for LR too, who now doesn’t have to worry about everyone constantly questioning his ability to bring in good OLs. He just brought in a very good one (from out of state as well), against the people we… Read more »
The Perfect USC WR Combo (my 10 picks)
Competitiveness: Drake London
First to Dominate in Modern Era: Hal Bedsole
Footwork: Dwayne Jarrett
Hands: Robert Woods
Juggling Catch Ability: Erik Affholter
Most Underrated: Gary Wellman
Physicality: JuJu Smith-Schuster
Routes: Johnnie Morton
Size: Mike Williams
Speed: R.J. Soward
I am a USC Trojan fan ………Fight On !!!!! AND an Indianapolis Colts fan……Do I buy what writers are saying ( USC can win 9-10 games this year ) …..YES ! …….. Do I buy what NFL Writers are saying (40 % writers say Colts win division …… 2-3 NFL Network writers picking Michael Pittman #1 WR in NFL …..This up-coming season ) <<<<<< Am I buying that …….NOT YET . Wouldn’t mind it Tho .
He had a 1000 yard season and wasn’t the team’s #1 option. If they would have thrown as many Red Zone balls his way as they threw to T.Y. Hilton, Pittman would have had 16-18 TDs or more.
There’s a lot of difference being a team’s #1 and #2 receiver, in terms of how teams play you. For instance, When Antonio Brown left the Steelers, Smith-Schuster (of whom I am a huge fan) had a lot more trouble trying to replicate his early NFL career numbers and success. The Steelers tired of him (and his injuries) and shipped him off to KC last year. That’s one reason why I like USC’s addition of Jordan Addison so much. Many suggested USC didn’t really need him because the Trojans are loaded at WR. But with Addison as the #1 guy,… Read more »
When you combine these attributes, you get the perfect USC WR. You get Keyshawn Johnson.
He’d be the first to tell you too. Just give him the damn ball! ✌
It really liked the discussion of the NCAA sanctions against SC and Ohio State below. No rational person would claim that elite football players were not paid by boosters or hanger-oners.over the last decades. Although never reported, I would be shocked if the most egregious violators of the rules were not in the SEC. Given that reality, the NCAA was a bastion of hypocrisy. Everyone knew payments were being made (and the rules violated), but every pretended as if it were not happening. Sua Cravens reported that he was offered $15,000 by an unnamed southern school to make an official… Read more »
Jeremy Pruitt was the DC at FSU under Jimbo Fisher who was the OC at LSU under Saban. Pruitt was the DC at Bama after Kirby Smart left for UGA. Check out what Mike Leach said about Saban at last week’s SEC Media Days. Paraphrasing, he wasn’t this coach at Michigan State “but Alabama resources and circumstances.” This is the resource. https://www.al.com/opinion/2015/03/paul_bryant_jrs_bank_is_the_ti.html Who turned in Tennessee? SEC has always followed honor amongst thieves. Rumors here are it was Kirby Smart, who also knows how it’s done down here – if you ain’t cheatin you ain’t tryin. Why? Pruitt brought recruits… Read more »
Well at least now nothing has to be under the table, behind closed doors. Every university is free to round up as many donors as they can, set up as many deals for players as they can and buy the best team their money can buy. Since NYC has no college football, USC in the 2nd largest media market is in the best position to go get the best team in the country. The good ole boys in Alabama will run out of money. Just think if they will operate this way for football what else are they doing that… Read more »
GT, I think you nailed why Saban is now openly complaining. He can no longer dominate recruiting like he used to. He is done and knows it. My guess is AL was pre-Alston far dirtier than either SC or tOSU, just like the UCLA Bruins under Wooden were clearly dirty. Yet the NCAA left Wooden alone and went after Jerry Tarkanian at UNLV. Wanna bet Mike K at Duke was likewise engaging in “pay for play.” Saban just knows how to play the pretend game. Just think what SC is about to pull off – it had a team with… Read more »
The West region has a historic collection of superior 2023 TE talent, and one of the top ones came off the board Saturday.
Folsom (CA) star TE Walker Lyons, rated #5 nationally by the 247Sports Composite, announced his commitment to STAN yesterday over ALA, GA and USC. Lyons said he will graduate early before taking a two-year LDS mission.
USC remains in excellent shape to land #1 TE prospect Duce Robinson from Phoenix Pinnacle (AZ).
scorebooklive.com
Sports Talk Hosts Round 1
So far, it looks like we’ve got three blow-outs and one real nailbiter.
A USC alum contacted me and said that I should have added Rodney Peete and Fred Rogan to our list. Apparently they have a program that can be heard 12 noon to 3pm weekdays on 570AM. Any thoughts on these two?
Initially, I didn’t think so, even though who doesn’t love Rodney, one of my favorite USC QBs of all time. Best smile ever. Bruin Killer. But I don’t think they quite stack up to the other more media-dominant candidates we discussed. On second thought, it would be interesting to match up one against the other, from the same show. Pretty cool from that standpoint, though I don’t listen to them much. JMHO.
NCAA Getting Ready To Bend Over for the SEC Again! How Tennessee could avoid major sanctions from NCAA despite the litany of rules violations USA Today — “University of Tennessee leaders said they moved swiftly to do the right thing as soon as they caught wind of serious recruiting violations in the football program under coach Jeremy Pruitt. “Now they’re hoping the NCAA follows their lead. “So far, the signs are positive. In the 51-page document detailing the allegations against Tennessee obtained Friday by Knoxville News, the NCAA goes out of its way to praise the way university leaders have handled the… Read more »
Over 200 individual violations in 18 categories totaling $60,000…and that’s not lack of institutional control!!!
Simply unbelievable!
So now we add UT to the list of teams who have committed worse violations, yet received less punishment than the Trojans. Welcome to Club Double-Standard, UT, enjoy the company of your fellow members Miami, Ohio State, LSU, Penn State, Florida State, Auburn, Oklahoma…
Give me a break. IIRC, Bush or his family got $100K. Terrell Pryor and 8 others sold THEIR PROPERTY for $1500 each or less of free tattoos!! Ohio State had to vacate their 11 wins in 2010, including Sugar Bowl, 9 players ineligible for 2011, and 2012 bowl ban which cost the team a shot at the 2012 national championship. I agree about FSU. I recall last year Danny Kannell on the Cover 3 podcast talking about the “$100 handshakes” he got as a Seminole. He said they added up to around $1500/year. Nothing happened. Pruitt’s wife was an NCAA… Read more »
Where you are dead wrong is that the judge/jury/executioner NCAA never came close to proving USC knew about Reggie Bush’s parents’ arrangement with the so-called agent/felon to pay their rent in exchange for representation rights. That’s a FACT. The NCAA also manufactured and blatantly misstated evidence, and intentionally prevented proper cross exam. That’s another FACT pointed out by the judge in McNair vs NCAA. USC was railroaded because the NCAA and Paul Dees wanted to take them down regardless of any actual proof. That’s another FACT. Todd McNair, the RB coach who supposedly knew per the NCAA, eventually collected at… Read more »
My point to volunteerTrojan was don’t claim that Ohio State wasn’t punished by the NCAA. And USC, like Ohio State, doesn’t have clean hands. They may not be as dirty as the southern schools, but if you honestly believe USC is lily white, you live in a land of rainbows and unicorns.
Then there was no reason for you to proclaim, “Give me a break. Bush or his family got $100K.” Actually, Reggie getting $100K is the first time I’ve ever even heard that.
Nobody ever said USC was “lily white”. So quit making up stories.
You left out “IIRC,” which means “if I recall correctly,” which I apparently did not.
Convenient dodge when made up facts are trashed.
The Agent/Felons GAVE Bush’s parents free rent and gave Reggie a sweet ride at the least. All they wanted was for Reggie to reimburse them their expenses. Reggie refused and they blew the whistle. If Reggie paid them back the $300K, it all would have gone away.
Reggie did pay off Lloyd Lake’s partner I think. I think that’s how he justified his super selfish decision to let USC burn while he headed off to the magic place where they grow money on trees before you move on to the media.
In the end, USC got stuck with the whole tab. That’s why I don’t care if he ever gets his Heisman back, even though he was overwhelmingly the best CFB player in the country when he won it.
Let’s not forget this was not the University or boosters trying to get a player to stay. This was outside sources trying to get him to leave to make money off of his pro career.
Scioto, my friend, you put words into my mouth. I did not say OSU wasn’t punished. Read it. I said “less punishment”. My post was about disproportionality with respect to the punishment rendered by the NCAA, which is especially grievous to USC fans since the NCAA never actually proved the accused coaches knew anything. There certainly was no hard evidence against the coaching staff like Tressell’s forwarded emails regarding Terrell Pryor…
I admit when I’m wrong. And I was wrong, very much so, Memo to self – no more Friday night commenting.
Regarding the Volunteers, will they get the Mizzou treatment or UNC treatment? Who knows, but I’m sure the Austin Peay Governors get the Cleveland State treatment.
Ha, Austin Peay…reminds of their classic rally chant we enjoyed while they were in the OVC and I was getting my undergrad degree at TN Tech. “Let’s go Peay! Let’s go Peay!”
Tennessee Tech. Up on the Plateau.
I live in Nashville, Franklin/Cool Springs to be precise.
Lived in Nashville 16 years. West side, went to Whites Creek High School.
Moved here a little over 10 years ago. Ohio via Wash DC. Now, It’s a close close call whether I see more CA or IL license plates, followed by NY and NJ. Leave those politics behind people, that’s why you left whether you realize it or not.
https://open.spotify.com/track/38paDDziQ57k1f4VfKTeGk?si=z88ETbwORva9SBdcHlaATA
Welcome to TN. Enjoying some life long long TN friend’s company on a cruse to Alaska as we speak. The boy left the country, but the country still resides in this boy, and my politics are much more TN than CA by a long shot. But my cfb allegiance is to USC. Fight On!
https://open.spotify.com/track/6kGT91dOpbL8un1jHSnqrZ?si=gcxojZhJSdWzY_Igq1yb2A
I’m still hoping to read some of your Friday night comments @Scioto. No sense in throwing the baby out with the bath water! ✌
👍
Allen, come on man, the only reason USC got slammed was because of the arrogant SOB Mike Garret. The NCAA is NOT a court of law, it is a country club! Play nice, be humble, plead guilty and fix it and you are clean. Be an A** Hole and think you can fight and win? You are toast! Tennessee and all the others learned from USC, go along to get along. Those are the rules of the club. Mike Garret thought this was his shining moment to show how great a litigator he was and it blew up in his… Read more »
There’s a lot of truth to what you say. Mike Garrett was the male athlete definition of arrogant. And he truly did hurt USC’s cause because of his stupidity, naivety, and bravado. But I think that you used to be able to fight the NCAA. I know some big schools did and really helped themselves. But the Draconian, Way-Over-The-Top USC penalties (can you imagine losing 30 rides over three years, and all to your direct competition), set a new bar for The Country Club to deal with. After they tried to kill off USC, and couldn’t do it, they decided… Read more »
What would have backed up Garrett’s bravado is if the university would have legally challenged it instead of actually backing down and taking it. Big mistake in my opinion.It worked for Penn State, and the fear of future court expense and the possible exposure of unfair practices and lack of due process in the way they hand down their sanctions, probably softened the penalties for future violators. Just a hunch
You might right there SDT. If you are going to fight then take it all the way not stop at the first punch. If not willing to go all the way then roll over from the start and cooperate.
As an Old Trojan I recall Garrett at Wilksinon’s OU as a sophomore. He was a running beast, all 5’10 and 185 pounds of him. Not big. All heart. All toughness. I can not recall if McKay beat Wilkinson’s Sooners that day or not. Whatever his failings as an administrator, he was clearly out of his element, he was a great running back for McKay and the Trojans.
JERRY CROWE, NOV. 9, 1990 TIMES STAFF WRITER Twenty-five years ago this month, a compact, iron-willed man from the Maravilla public housing projects in East Los Angeles won the Heisman Trophy. Mike Garrett established the benchmark for all the USC tailbacks who have followed, from O.J. Simpson to Clarence Davis, Anthony Davis to Ricky Bell, Charles White to Marcus Allen, Ricky Ervins to Mazio Royster. “He was the one who set the standard, in terms of saying, ‘Give me the ball; I want the ball,’ ” said his coach, John McKay. Garrett was the first Trojan to average more than… Read more »
I don’t buy this , if USC had played nice sucking up to the NCAA on the sanctions, at all. The committee was stacked with USC haters, including a rep from ND, lead by the biggest hypercritical moron ever, Paul Dees. No matter what MG would have reacted, the Trojan football program was going to get slammed short of the death penalty. The envy-jealousy-outrage of a Hollywood football team beating everyone was too much to swallow lead by a HC who was never serious or reserved and invited movie-recording stars to watch practices was too much for the folks from… Read more »
In handing down the severest penalties against USC since SMU was given the infamous Death Penalty in 1987, evil NCAA infractions committee chair Paul Dee officially proclaimed that he actually condoned and supported the unequal treatment of schools and players: “High-profile players merit high-profile enforcement,” was the excuse the hypocritical Dee gave for intentionally brutalizing the USC football program. From 1993 through 1995, while Dee was the MIA AD, 57 ‘Cane football players falsified their Pell Grant applications, receiving over $200,000. It was described as the “largest centralized fraud ever committed in the history of the Pell Grant program,” by Federal officials. From… Read more »
FPD!
Waste of human flesh.
You could even argue that Paul Dee (the master of MIA illegalities) literally destroyed the Pac-12 by maliciously trying to cripple USC. The Ripple Effect is hard to ignore.
With the rest of the Pac-12 gleeful that USC had been finally severely waylayed by the evil NCAA over Bush’s parents, USC, seeking to rebuild its elite-5 program rep, eventually deserted the woeful Pac-12, leaving it a wasteland of old rivalries, one pissed off Governor, and reconfigurement, if not dissolution.
How’s that for a run-on paragraph?
Dee’s hard-on for SC to be destroyed had many unintended consequences. Ultimately, Fat F**k failed—USC is on a better path than MIA—even w/ Cristobal as the ‘canes new coach.
Cristobal has some pretty good qualities it seems. He’s perfect for MIA. I think he’ll do well there, but LR and USC still beats ’em all (except ALA), and that includes Brian Kelly and LSU.
I hate leaving the PAC, but due to how the rest of the PAC behaved during this time they deserve it
Agreed, Garrett poured some gasoline on the blaze. But Paul Dees was fanning the flames while his university broke every rule in the book.
Wow, Scioto, you really went off the rails on this one. The salient point in my post was about the ever elusive consistent application of “lack of institutional control”, which was of course the bludgeon used to hammer USC, not about comparative $$ values, who is or is not lily white, or anything else.
Lack of institutional control implies widespread and repeated operation outside of the NCAA “rules”. What has just been proven about UT has to be far closer to “lack of institutional control”, just on participants and violation count alone, than anything the NCAA ever proved about USC.
Sorry volunteer Trojan, you all are missing the point. It is NOT the violations it is how you handle them. Mike Garrett thought he was Perry Mason (sorry if I date myself) and could fight the NCAA thinking he was in a court of law. He was not. He belonged to a club, be nice play along with the other members and you get a slap on the wrist. Be arrogant a**hole and they will slam you hard and throw you out of the club!
Sorry GT, I didn’t miss the point, I ignored it because it’s not my original point. I know that it’s impossible to prove a negative, but given the climate of the times, with USC perched atop the CFB world when all that went down, I just don’t think the NCAA would have done much differently than they did in their sanctioning. I believe this because of who was at the helm of the “investigation” and judgment…one Paul Dee. Given Miami’s track record of violations under Dee’s watch during two different stints as AD, there is no way on earth he… Read more »
Well we will never know if a different approach would have worked out better. But that is the past, we are on to better times.
That we are, GT, that we are. And I can’t wait until summer camp begins!
What is concerning is the NCAA is very inconsistent in its actions in rule violations.
Here Tenn with 18 serious violations gets away with it easy. USC with a relatively minor violation gets hit with heavy sanctions.
Other schools like Miami and Florida has committed large serious violations with getting a slap on the wrist.
The NCAA has no consistent codes.
I have no idea of who is Petros Papadakis, but Cowherd is such a USC homer, I voted for Petros.
I actually like Rich Eisen but could never vote for a ttun man.
Petros hosts a radio show in LA. He went to and played for USC. He’s the antithesis of Cowherd, for some reason he bashes them nonstop. He thinks he’s funny, but he isn’t. Think Paul finebaum but more early morning radio DJ.
IMHO, PP is an insufferable blowhard that I cannot stand listening to…I even avoid the station his talk show is on because he has an annoying way with his commercials.
He is upset that USC has not treated him as a God.
Petros is a western regional, Pac-12 color guy, not really national like Cowherd. Petros was also one of the most mediocre tailbacks USC ever had, an inspirational CAL transfer who self-proclaimed himself as a “co-captain of the worst team in USC history (5-7 2000 outfit which finally got Paul Hackett fired and Pete Carroll hired).” Petros loves to bash USC over everything possible that the school does or stands for. CAL would have been perfect for him, but he couldn’t hack it there for some reason. He’s impossible to take seriously much of the time and would be a lot… Read more »
way ……….WAY Too Early To discuss this but I have been reading a fair amount of articles on internet about 2022 Pac-12 predicted Team records …..To break it down (off the top of my head ) My impression is 20% of the articles giving USC an 8 win season ………55% articles giving USC an 9 win season ………..25 % articles giving USC an 10 win season ………Again maybe it is a bit too early to discuss this ………FIGHT ON !!!!!
Camp starts in a few weeks, perfect time to discuss. I think we win 10 games. We certainly have the best player and the best offense in the conference. I think for us to win more than 10 games and be in the playoff hunt our defense will need to have some break out performances. I think Tuli is our only certainty for all conference first team I think we have 6 to 7 guys who are capable of being there with him- Shane Lee, Gentry, Bullock, Height, McCutchin, and Foreman have huge potential. If one or two step up… Read more »
My first good feeling about all this is AT LEAST we are back to talking (and believing) that there will be winning football <<<<<< I have missed that ! …..(Thank You Clay Helton ) …….Fight On !!!!!
I forgot Solo. If he is healthy, big huge enormous if, he can be a stud. There’s very few dudes on the planet who look like him and are that athletic. Hopefully he finally is healthy.
Should Colin Cowherd (to me an OBVIOUS USC Fan ) be in this poll (Considering he is a favorite of any USC Fan I know at least ) ?
All the more reason for Cowherd to win this thing! He’s such a huge USC honk now. But I have no idea how our Sports Talk Host poll will turn out. Stay tuned for Round 2!
Allen I LOVE THE GUY …..But I do question myself …..Do I give him high marks because he is good at covering sports OR Because he is a fellow USC fan ?
He’s a unique, very thoughtful, and prepared radio/TV personality who somehow manages to talk three hours a day, five days a week, emphasizing football and basketball.
He gets stuck in some predictable ruts, but he’s much more an opinionist than a journalist, so I cut him some slack. He’s wrong a lot and admits it frequently. In fact, that’s become part of Cowherd’s schtick. He brings in good guests too. Just had Jordan Palmer on. That guy definitely knows QBs!
Colin Cowherd — “I’m told Caleb Williams makes over $5 million a year in NIL money. That’s just this year. It’ll increase next year. “
I think there fair chance Caleb stays all 3 years. He may make more playing at SC rather than in the NFL.