While USC is 10-1, coming off a dramatic win over UCLA, and already guaranteed a Pac-12 championship game slot (sorry UTAH, looks like you brutally blew it), I’m basking in the glow of Lincoln Riley’s amazing early run at USC and his complete transformation of the Trojans.
I’m especially liking what it feels like again to go into the ND game not thinking we have little chance before kickoff because Clay Helton vs Brian Kelly was just a very unfair fight.
With USC a solid 5-pt fave over the much-improved Irish, and Caleb Williams now suddenly #1 in the eyes of many as the new Heisman leader, nothing would be finer than to see him carve up ND (a la Carson Palmer) and walk up to the podium for the Trophy. That would probably start up a new campaign by Reggie Bush to claw back his award somehow. I see a new Wendy’s ad with a Heisman and a hot burger at the table.
Go Caleb Williams! Get your name on this thing, while sinking ND at the same time. It’ll take a lot to beat co-fave Buckeye QB C.J. Stroud, but a loss to 7.5-point dog MICH might cement that.
With so many quotes out there in the media that this USC team would be fairly mediocre without Caleb (I agree), it’s about time to reward him with the award he so richly deserves!
Key Heisman dates for 2022
Monday, November 28: Heisman Ballots are distributed to electors (870 media members plus 58 former winners).
Monday, Dec. 5: Deadline for Heisman ballots to be submitted.
Monday, Dec. 5: The 2021 Heisman finalists announced.
Saturday, Dec. 10: The announcement of the 2021 Heisman Trophy Winner via the televised Heisman Ceremony on ESPN. (Private Event)
Sunday, Dec.11: The 88th Annual Heisman Dinner Gala.
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And SEC Favoritism is still alive and going strong ! >>>>> Dean Straka
@DWStraka49
#CFBPlayoff selection chair Boo Corrigan says LSU’s best wins are weighing heavier than USC’s best wins.
And add this >>>>> Dean Straka
@DWStraka49
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Corrigan just elaborated on this and said the committee has questions about USC’s defense.
If USC had a great defense it would be they have questions about the place kicker. It’s the same old bias year after year.
Just got into friendly argument with a bruin friend. He said “if we didn’t turn it over 4 times, we would have crushed you” which has lots of easy rebuttals, but what I pointed out is that we basically did the same. We have a pick, turnover on downs, and two missed field goals. I told him, if we even finish half of those drives we score 60 plus. His response “oh yeah, I forgot” followed by “we suck”. My response to that “yes, always have”.
Winning that single game sure makes it easier to anticipate and relish football at USC. All the conversations are basically tailored in our favor because of a great team performance.
Normally, I would place beating ND over UCLA as my order. But we needed last weekend’s game more than this one with the Irish coming up IMO.
I think we’ll beat Notre Dame too. But if we lose, then come back to win the Pac-12, I’d never complain about a season like that. What a smash hit LR and staff have been.
The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel and Scott Dochterman now predict that USC will face GA in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31 in Atlanta.
Other Pac-12 projections:
UCLA is pegged for the Vegas Bowl vs ARK on Dec. 17.
ORE ST vs LOUIS in the Sun Bowl (El Paso) on Dec. 30.
ORE vs MICH in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2.
WSU vs BOISE ST in the LA Bowl on Dec. 17.
UTAH vs UNC in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 28.
UW vs TEXAS in the Alamo Bowl (San Antonio) on Dec. 29.
theathletic.com
Who USC plays in the CCG all boils down to this weekend. Oregon St could be the spoiler if it beats Oregon, it could send WA to the CCG. WA needs to win. This is going to be a fun and well fed weekend.
UCLA burned its Holiday Bowl bridge. Now compared to Shamu. Ben Bolch (LAT) — One place UCLA probably won’t be for the holidays is the Holiday Bowl. The Bruins’ last-minute withdrawal from the game a year ago over a roster depleted by COVID-19 didn’t give bowl officials enough time to find a replacement team. “In general, bowl games prefer to avoid back-to-back bowl trips,” Mark Neville, executive director of the Holiday Bowl, told The Times when asked about taking the Bruins again in the wake of their pullout. “Translation: A SeaWorld orca is more likely to throw a pass in the… Read more »
Love to see the Bruins at the Sun Bowl. I think that one is the worst bowl the Pac plays in.
I feel confident SC wins this Saturday, but as SC has really “put away” only two teams this year – CO (which is horrid) and Rice (due to 3 pick sixes), I doubt we “put away” the Irish. But, I would love to see it. On the Heisman, I think the award will be decided over the next two weeks. For SC to beat ND and win the Pac, it will require Caleb to shine. Stroud needs to beat MI (and shine) and then shine in the conference championship. IF MI beats tOSU, and SC wins out, Caleb has it.… Read more »
Trojans need to score in the first few possessions and not give ND any hope & confidence they can win the game like what happened to Clemson. The coliseum needs to be roaring in inspiring our Trojans to “get after it”. Everything I have read about this Irish team is they are not a come from behind type team. If any team is going to sit on the clock and limit the other offense, it will be ND in this game for sure.
Does anyone think Bill Plaschke, 2022 California Sports Hall of Fame Inductee, will pick USC to lose to ND, or UCLA ever again? He must be sick and tired of the egg on his face all the time.
This USC team now has the swagger. If Plaschke cannot see it he deserves an entire omlett hanging from his head. Don’t be a dummy Bill, get on board.
Naw, Plaschke will double-down on stupid.😂
A homer he is not but I wouldn’t put it past him to use reverse psychology purposely picking the adversary at times. Plaschke wants an LA team in the playoffs as badly as anyone, giving him a forum to write about. Just a guess……
I don’t see Plaschke as the Evil Empire that some do. I generally enjoy reading him and often find his takes interesting and well-written. I like that he’s comfortable with taking stands, even though as far as USC football goes, he’s often not comfortable with the program, and doesn’t trust it. So he’s picked the wrong horse in UCLA during some critical times and been burned by that. USC really messed him over with this latest UCLA bend over. His critical mistake heading into this latest USC/UCLA classic was writing that DTR was superior to Caleb. He just flat-out whiffed… Read more »
I hope Bill picks ND to win on Saturday! Doubt it but it would assure an SC victory.
Although better written (most of the time) Plaschke is the Scott Wolf of the L. A. Times.
Three Trojans Earn Pac-12 Player of the Week Awards LOS ANGELES–Three Trojan football players earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors for their performances in USC’s 48-45 victory over UCLA. Sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, redshirt senior offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees earned Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week and junior defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu was named Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week. It is Tuipulotu’s fourth Defensive Lineman of the Week honor, Williams’ second Offensive Player of the Week honor and Vorhees’ first Offensive Lineman of the Week honor. Tuipulotu has also twice been named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week…… Read more »
Funny how at the beginning of the season everyone was worried about the O and D line. Now in November they are winning Player of the Week honors! I would love to see this team kick it up another gear these next two games. Crush the Irish and be Pac12 Champs.
Widow asks $55M from NCAA for ex-USC football player’s death LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Attorneys asked a jury Monday to award $55 million to the widow of a former USC football player in a landmark case accusing the NCAA of failing to protect him from repetitive head trauma that led to his death. “Matthew Gee, a hard-hitting linebacker who was on the 1990 Rose Bowl-winning squad, endured countless blows that caused permanent brain damage and led to cocaine and alcohol abuse that eventually killed him at age 49, his lawyers said in closing arguments. His widow, Alana Gee, was in the courtroom… Read more »
I wonder if USC is co named in the suit.
CBSNews.com — “Matt Gee, 49, was one of five linebackers on the 1989 Trojans squad who died before turning 50. As with Junior Seau, who killed himself in 2012, Gee’s brain was examined posthumously at BU and found to have CTE. “Mike Salmon, who went on to the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills, recalled Gee and other linebackers being “out of it” during hard-hitting practices. “Matt hit like a truck,” Salmon said. “I saw him quite a bit coming back to the huddle. You could tell … he wasn’t all there.” “It was our job to make helmet-to-helmet… Read more »
After reading the story (sad, because I remember watching these guys play), it appears that USC has exposure here (I’m no lawyer, Allen), but I suppose the NCAA has the deeper pockets. Until the turn of the century, using the helmet as a weapon was the technique for the front 7 on the defensive side of the ball, and really the entire defense when it came to tackling.
So true. When I played HS ball in the late ’60s, I used my helmet all the time when tackling. It’s a lazy way to play football, but very effective for getting your man down. Had I gone on to play ball at some smaller college somewhere, I would have definitely needed to learn to break that habit and stop that self-destructive technique, especially since I got knocked cold once and was literally out for a bit. In those days, you just might go back in. Absolutely crazy stuff when I look back. It’ll be very interesting to see if… Read more »
I feel bad for all the SC linebackers, but I WOULD like to see the NCAA get hosed again….
Just for old times sake!!
Boy, has the NCAA been taking it in the shorts. Did not know about this suit. It is based on knowledge and failure to warn. Will be interesting to see what happens. No matter the verdict, the NCAA will appeal and then settle. If this holds up, unless there is a statute of limitations on these claims, the NCAA may find itself in real trouble.