Mailbag

Why is 'SC playing so many night games? I counted 7 games that start after 4pm (Stanford is the 4th in the first 5 games).  Is it due to their #1 ranking = TV ratings= $$$$ for 'SC?  I don't recall a season when they played so many night games ... I could be wrong.  (They DEFINITELY did not play this many when I went to 'SC.) -- Kathryn S

Why is USC on different TV stations on any given weekend? ABC? Versus? -- Gabriel in Los Angeles

In some ways USC is just along for the ride. Leagues typically negotiate contracts. ABC has first crack at the Pac-10, up to six games per season per team (they maxed out on USC, plus the Nebraska game). They can farm those games out to other Disney companies (The Mouse happens to own ESPN). Fox gets to choose next, and can sublicense some of their games to Versus. Though Versus isn't known for much more than NHL and the Tour de France, at least it guarantees the game national coverage. For games that don't get picked up, USC has a relationship with Fox Prime Ticket and Fox Sports West to get some local play. And you thought your fantasy draft was complicated!

Other leagues do their own thing. You may have noticed special logos for the SEC on CBS, and, yes, the spiffy new Big 10 Network. Since they're independent, Notre Dame has an exclusive with NBC. At a rumored $9 million per year, maybe they can save up to buy out Charlie Weis' contract (that's a $21-million problem).

So what does this mean for game time? More people watch TV at night and advertisers pay for eyeballs. The money isn't all for USC (there's revenue sharing similar to bowl games), but the relationship holds: #1 ranking = TV ratings = $$$$ for 'SC. The Trojans set a record with seven night games last year and tied it this year.

But wait, there's more! The Trojans have a built-in audience in the second-largest TV market in America (think fast ... how many college teams are located in #1 New York?). It doesn't hurt that USC has an enormous legacy and a zillion story lines (yes, I counted). It's another way they're the Yankees of college football. That means more late starts even when USC isn't the best in the land.

I hope you'll explain in your blog to Trojan fans why the USC offense, despite being loaded with spectacular talent as usual, has regressed steadily during the past two years, to the point where disorganization has led to the Washington game being the most frightfully embarrassing fiasco in recent memory.  The USC offense was so chaotic, the signal calling so fitful and inconsistent, the mistakes so frequent, that even Pomona College or Glendale College would have been ashamed of them. I've said for two years, "Bring back Norm Chow." The USC offense once struck terror into opponents.  Now it can't even get out of its own way. -- Edward in Marin

Nobody is going to mistake these Trojans for the Pomona Sagehens or the Glendale Vaqueros. Actually, the Vaqueros dress a lot like the Trojans and even won a bowl game near Pasadena last year, but that's another story.

Since Norm Chow isn't coming back, let's try to put this in perspective. Two years ago USC fielded a team with two Heisman trophy winners in the same backfield. They were first-round draft picks. A third member of that backfield is having a better NFL season than the guys with the hardware. Both receivers are getting NFL paychecks. And the tight end. And three offensive linemen. Yup, nine of the eleven guys who started on offense are now certified professional football players. Even with all that talent, the '05 team managed only three points in the first half against Arizona State.

I think part of the "problem" is the shadow of 2005. Of course the offense has declined since then! I wouldn't say it's been steady, though. Aside from a season-opening whuppin' of Arkansas (just a soft SEC team, of course), the 2006 Trojans weren't able to reach 30 points until about halfway through the year -- in a loss to Oregon State. This year's offense has done much better on the scoreboard.

That's not to say there aren't problems. The preseason sixth-string tailback (high school All-American Alan Bradford) may need to start this weekend because of injuries. Booty isn't leading the Heisman race. The win in Washington was close. I believe these are called high-class problems, and I'll address more of them in a post with questions for the Stanford game.

What about that punt return team?  It's so bad, Reed never even gets a chance to catch the ball, let alone make a return.  The other team surrounds him before he has a chance.  The only decent punt return was Joe McKnight's, when he did it all on individual talent, no thanks to his teammates. - Edward in Marin

Even though USC hasn't returned much (only 9 out of 27 opponent's punts, 6.2-yard average), there's a lot of strategy involved. I would have to watch some tape to say for sure, but consider this: Teams with decent field position are often kicking shorter than they could to try and pin USC inside the 20. I haven't seen a hang-time clock this season, much less a comparison of hang time vs. distance, but that's a major factor that allows teams to get down. Other kicks might be going for touchbacks.

Other than Reggie Bush, special teams haven't been spectacular for awhile. McKnight's 11-yard return was good, but Reed has the team's season long at 14 yards. Not everybody can average 9.9 yards per punt return (like #5 in '05), but let's see what happens against Stanford. They should be punting a lot.

What is the cause of USC's long list of season-ending and career-ending football injuries, most of which occur in practice?  Is there something wrong with the conditioning, training or practice regimes that cause this? -- Edward in Marin

The short answer is that huge men, many over 300 pounds, are slamming into each other at high speed.

The long answer is that though most injuries are flukes, USC does practice at an up-tempo, hard-hitting pace. Carroll has explained in the past that he wants his players to compete and he wants to prepare them for game day, so he doesn't give the team any real "light" days. His critics will say this has caused a lot of injuries, and they're correct -- it contributes. But how do they explain four injuries at Washington (O'Dowd, Rachal, Johnson, Wright)?

I've yet to see a logical connection between the injuries from this season and strength and conditioning. You can joke that the team is too strong and it's beating itself up in practice, but there really isn't a satisfactory explanation.

In the end, it comes back to the short answer. Football is a grueling sport. Just ask Earl Campbell (who filmed a very moving episode of Costas Now, currently repeating on HBO) or the San Francisco 49ers. The Campbell and 49er links are VERY good reads for fans trying to understand how punishing the game is.

Have you heard anything about the following recruits committing to SC: Jurrell Casey, Brendan Beal, Jeff Demps, Travis Sanford, Anton Lynn. -- Bion

Just the basics from the major recruiting websites:

• Casey - The DT from Long Beach Poly is visiting Ole Miss this weekend, but still has the Trojans on the top of his list. He doesn't have a USC visit planned, but he's close enough to check it out anytime.
• Beal - Possibly the top LB recruit in the nation, he's split between USC and Florida. He'll visit Troy during the Arizona game.
• Lynn - The highly touted safety is deciding between USC and Penn State.
• Demps - The RB from Florida doesn't have USC on his list.
• Sanford - The JuCo wideout from Mississippi is hard to find info on. I'll try to find out some more.

Can USC actually make you pay a parking ticket if you're not a student? -- Brian

From the Transportation Services website:

"Transportation Services contracts with the California DMV and collections agencies to pursue collection on unpaid citations. Information gathered by other means may be used to collect. Your student fee bill or payroll could be charged. Also, your vehicle may be subject to immobilization."

If you're a student and it gets put on your fee bill, it could affect registration, transcripts, etc.

If you're not a student, it's hard to say how serious they are ... but I love the anecdotes.

This is probably an urban legend, but I once heard from a USC employee about a student who racked up thousands (!) of dollars in tickets and paid them all together on her (daddy's) Black American Express. When informed that she could have been arrested had she been pulled over with so many unpaid tickets, she offered to "prepay" a large sum for the tickets she was likely to incur in the future. Maybe she should try the valet.