USC's out-of-conference football opponents this season should have pretty good recruiting classes.
You'd think -- considering Notre Dame, Ohio State and Virginia all rank in top 15 schools for spending on recruiting athletes in all sports. In 2006-07, Tennessee led the nation at $2 million. The Irish were second at about $1.75 million, the Buckeyes 10th at $1,236,800, and the Cavaliers 15th at $1,112,000.
With most of the costs going to travel, the median Division I program spent $632,600 on sports recruiting in 2006-07. Twenty one schools spent over $1 million. The findings are published in a report from the Chronicle of Higher Education, which is dated Aug. 1.
USC spent $903,799 on recruiting in that same period, of which $268,449 was spent on women's recruiting.
Some other familiar football opponents made the top 20 in spending, including Auburn, Nebraska, Arkansas, Illinois, Texas and Oklahoma.
Of the six BCS conferences, the Pac-10 spent the 5th most on recruiting, $8,347,000 -- an increase of 80% from 10 years before. Oregon led the conference at $1,077,300, 19th highest in the country.
Current or former USC athletes have taken at least one gold medal in every Olympic Games dating back to 1912. Next month, 39 will make the trip to Beijing (18 of them in their first Olympics) in hopes of continuing the streak. They will be joined by eight coaches with a tie to the Trojans. For more on USC's delegation, the full press release is after the jump.
"Born in Long Beach, Calif., Mark Sanchez never thought much about being Mexican, except when he ate enchiladas at family barbecues and dined on tamales at Christmas."
"For the first time in years he is taking Spanish classes, so that he doesn't disappoint Mexican fans who approach him speaking their native tongue, hoping he really is like them."
Being in the spotlight has added a new significance to Sanchez's Mexican American past.
"Jeff Garcia. J.P. Losman. Tony Romo. All quarterbacks of Mexican descent, yet Mexican-Americans haven't embraced them the way they cling to USC's QB."
Adding another twist, the best stories in today's Hot Links have been highlighted in bold (again, we're putting all the links after the jump).
Find out why the big Vegas hoops tournament is a waste of time, what to expect (and laugh about) this football season and get detailed analysis of USC's need for a big-play threat.
I was surprised to see notes in severallocalnewspaper blogs about the (un)likelihood of USC and UCLA both wearing their home jerseys in football games (bringing back a tradition from when the teams shared the Coliseum). At the Pac-10 officials meeting, the league apparently made it clear that it was a no-no, and that the visiting team could be penalized a timeout in each half.
Which brings us back to the point this blog has been making for months ... the schools just need to ask the NCAA for an exemption. I already asked spokespeople at the NCAA and the Pac-10. Really -- it's not that hard!
Pete Carroll and Rick Neuheisel were both asked about the issue point-blank on local radio, and both were explicitly clear that they would like to return to the tradition. Oh, and we also have more than 1,100 fans who have signed this petition.
As Duke basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski once said, "Too many rules get in the way of leadership. They just put you in a box.... People set rules to keep from making decisions." An administrator in either athletic department needs to show about 15 minutes of leadership and we'll have some happy fans.
We had Hot Links on hiatus (last week was pretty busy), but we're back this morning. From here on out, we'll keep the list of links after the jump to make it easier to scan the main page. But we'll make sure to give you a heads-up. Today, look for personnel moves, classic football billboards, spicy Song Girl photos and more. In a moment, we'll have a separate "last call" look at Pac-10 media day.
The lead photo on the latimes.com front page is from a story on the Governor's move to cut trans fat out of fast food. Any Trojans recognize where it was taken?
For the uninitiated, his inspirational tale will rock your world -- an all-around nice guy who turned personal tragedy into a blessing for millions.
All great teams need great coaches, and in the game of life Coach Randy is a first ballot hall-of-famer. I encourage you to take a couple hours this weekend to watch his videos and read up. Just Google him. You won't regret a moment -- and that's the whole idea.
Photo of Randy at Steelers training camp from ABC.
Speaking to reporters at the Big Ten football media day, Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel took a moment to weigh in on the Carson Palmer controversy.
It was only a few days ago that the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback talked smack about the Buckeyes. Palmer, a Heisman Trophy winner in his days at USC, said he was sick of hearing about Ohio State and wants to see the Trojans kick butt when the teams play at the Coliseum on Sept. 13. His comments were not well-received in the heart of scarlet-and-gray country.
"It just tells you one thing, he's proud of the place he played and he lives with us in Ohio and I'm sure he gets to hear a lot about the Buckeyes," Tressel said. "And I'm sure he's excited about the fact that we get to play against his alma mater and you know Woody used to always say, 'whether they're talking good or talking bad, keep them talking.' "
Columbus Dispatch sportswriter Ken Gordon, blogging on his newspaper's website, also came to Palmer's defense, calling him "a great guy."
"The guy is a USC alum, and let's face it, it's tough to live in Ohio if you're not an Ohio State fan," Gordon wrote. "The same passion that makes Buckeye fans some of the best around also tends to drive fans of other teams crazy. Nothing wrong with that, it's just the way it is."
At Pac-10 media day, Pete Carroll had an obvious plant in the audience. One of his former players-turned-broadcaster asked him to talk about an upcoming charity event. "Yeah!" exclaimed USC's coach, "thanks for asking!"
After a very pregnant pause (and a few chuckles from the crowd), Carroll launched into his spiel.
As you might have noticed on this blog, we have a soft spot for good causes (we even have a "do gooding" category) -- and we'll happily give a pass on the plant. Carroll and Co. used the media spotlight to bring attention to LA Live Peace, a rally organized through his A Better LA charity. Several members of the media were handed glossy fliers advertising the event at the Coliseum on Aug. 2 (10 a.m.).
After describing the march and rally, Carroll upped the ante. "It happens to be the gathering of all the people that do the work in the streets -- the intervention workers, all the community-based organizations and the churches that do such great stuff. I realized what an extraordinary opportunity it would be for our presidential candidates to join hands with our kids that are our future. We tell you that we're having this event -- shoot! We're inviting them too! Maybe they want to come in and connect with their future and make a statement that they do understand the work that's done on our city streets and with our communities is so critical. We need all the help we can get. It's an enormous job and we ain't got much time. Maybe they might want to join in."
L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke was next in line. "You're inviting the President ... so you going to invite Neuheisel and Chow as well?"
"I'm sure they're busy," joked Carroll. "Actually, everybody's invited ... one big happy family."
Sure, maybe it was a little goofy -- but it's nice to see somebody in Carroll's position use his spotlight for a good cause.
Finally caught up with Tim Floyd more than 2 1/2 months after allegations surfaced that O.J. Mayo accepted money from an agent's runner. It wasn't for lack of trying. I had left multiple phone messages and even ventured to a Trojans "Coaches Tour" event in Orange County but never was able to speak with Floyd until now.
And as far as the Mayo allegations go, Floyd wasn't saying much. Asked if he had been contacted by NCAA investigators, Floyd said he had not and pretty much left it at that. "Neither our school, nor our coaching staff nor our players will have any comment about that, and I would hope that you would respect that and not ask any questions of our players until the process is over because we won't have any updates for you. That's our university policy."
Floyd was more talkative on other fronts. Although incoming freshman DeMar DeRozan has achieved a qualifying ACT score, Floyd said "it's never over until everything goes through the [NCAA] Clearinghouse. He's made the necessary test score and we're hopeful that everything will go through the Clearinghouse." The coach did not venture a guess as to when that might be.
Floyd also said that North Carolina transfer Alex Stepheson had not committed to USC, contrary to a recent report.
It was an early morning wake-up call for a 7:30 meeting with the Pacific 10 Conference's coordinator of officials, but that didn't stop USC Coach Pete Carroll from initiating some spirited debate.
Dave Cutaia of the Pac-10 covered a variety of topics during his session with all of the head coaches, including chop blocks, clock changes, horse-collar tackles, face-mask violations, targeting an opponent with the crown of helmet and reviewable plays.
Carroll got rolling after Cutaia showed a video clip of a helmet-to-helmet hit on a punt return and said the tackler would be ejected.
It wasn't quite what some reporters had hoped for. Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh was asked at Pac-10 Media Day if he had any remarks about last year's epic upset over USC and whether he would have any more bulletin-board fodder. Last year, he said that the Trojans might be the greatest team in the history of college football -- then the Cardinal came into the Coliseum as a 40+-point underdog and upset its hosts.
Not taking the bait, Harbaugh merely said, "It was a great thrill -- winning in the Coliseum last year. That said, I think our players will agree it's water under the bridge." He added, "I didn't know I was a bulletin-board guy!" Yeah, right.
We're blogging from the red carpet of Pac-10 football media day, where players from around the west coast have an opportunity to meet their favorite beat writers and radio jocks. OK, not quite ... but there are a lot of big names here today and there will be plenty of coverage over the next few hours.
To kick things off, here's this year's pre-season media poll.
Remember that the LA Times does not participate, but we do report ...
USC (38) - 389
Arizona State - 330
Oregon - 295
California (1) - 274
UCLA - 204
Oregon State - 192
Arizona - 185
Washington - 139
Stanford - 76
Washington State - 61
First place votes are in parenthesis, total votes are listed after
the dash.
According to the league, the poll has picked the champs 25 of 47 years and the past 8 seasons in a row (a few of those were ties, of course). USC has been on top for six years in a row, the longest streak since an 18-year run from 1965-1982.
Earlier this week I linked to a clip of Carson Palmer talking smack about Ohio State. His comments were made on the show of his former teammate/roommate, Petros Papadakis, and quickly made their way around the country. He backed off a little bit (see video above), and was clearly just trying to have some fun with the big game.
We're loving this new Carson, who is about as witty as the old Tonight Show host. Back when we were in college he was famous for offering up more clichéd quotes than a politician, now he's calling out the home town college football team.
I'm not sure if I would call the remark witty, but it certainly was fun. I had class with Palmer and remember him as a quiet dude. It's always good to see people get fired up and kind of cool to see that side of him. Maybe Petros was rubbing off.
What started out as a post for the UCLA blog about the NFL possibly coming to the Rose Bowl next year turned into a little more on the status of the proposed stadium in the City of Industry. If you're interested in the NFL's possible return to L.A., you should check this out.
Here's an extra bit of trivia (which may not come as a surprise to all of you) that I picked up from Majestic Realty Vice President John Semcken.
One of the proposals to bring the NFL back to the Coliseum last decade was led by some of the people behind the stadium in Industry. They ran into a major problem with preservation. It wasn't simply a matter of saving the peristyle, but all of the concrete in the structure's bowl (apparently they used a different blend in the days when the Coliseum was constructed). They would have needed to drill holes through certain parts of the concrete to put in support beams, then build another stadium on top of the Coliseum. Semcken joked that the plan would have allowed future generations to return the structure to its original design simply by using a blowtorch.
Five of USC's six home games for 2008 are sold out. The only one still available is -- surprisingly -- homecoming. As of this morning, about 4,000 seats remain for the game against Washington on Nov. 1. Click here to order tickets.
Most fans know about fantasy (or "rotisserie") leagues in which they can create superstar-laden, imaginary teams and use the real-life player's statistics to see which squad would win in any given week. It's such a big hobby that traffic to Yahoo Sports (with its very popular fantasy system) eclipsed ESPN as the most trafficked sports site on the Internet.
It started with fantasy baseball and a lot of people now enjoy fantasy football. Most of those leagues are based on NFL players, but a newer segment of the fantasy world is emerging: college football.
People are a lot more familiar with NFL fantasy football. What's the biggest difference with the college version?
The biggest difference is the large player pool you're looking at. You've got 120 teams (now including Western Kentucky) as opposed to the NFL where you get 32. The thing that really appeals to me about college fantasy football is the passion. In college, they're doing it because they love football whereas in pro they're doing it for money. Every Saturday a lot of people put passion into college football.
Another good thing is that you can use the same scoring system, same waiver wire, same league setup as you use for the NFL -- you're just using different players: from the Big East, Sun Belt and Conference USA. You can take pride as an owner if you pick the new running back at Toledo who could be a superstar. Your friends are drafting Tim Tebows and Sam Bradfords and you can make a team of all small guys that can take on the big boys.
Lance Pugmire and Eric Sondheimer are in Las Vegas watching some of America's top high school basketball recruits (check out today's article and keep up with them on Varsity Times Insider). They report that they're not alone:
Operating along with all of his peers under an NCAA-imposed silent treatment with recruits, USC Coach Tim Floyd said spending the week at the club basketball tournaments for prep-aged players in Las Vegas requires a subtle system of recognition with the players USC is expected to sign later this year.
"We've already established who we want to sign for '09, so it's just a matter of making sure they know we're there," Floyd said Tuesday while watching Fairfax High standout Renardo Sidney and his club squad, the L.A. Dream Team, at Foothill High in Henderson, Nev. "You hope they recognize you."
Floyd said he plans to scout throughout the week at tournaments throughout the greater Las Vegas area, then huddle nightly with two assistant coaches to discuss not only the incoming 2009 players but whom the Trojans may pursue for the school years beginning in 2010 and 2011.
College football fans will have a "bigger, live, and on-site" show to look forward to this season on Fox Sports Prime Ticket.
News leaked last week that "Trojan Rewind" and "Bruin Rewind" were canceled, but details are starting to emerge about a new block of programming on Monday nights. "FSN Playbook," a working title, will run from 9 p.m. until midnight.
The block kicks off with an hour-long show called "Lexus Gauntlet Live." It will be shot on-location and rotate between USC (on the steps of Heritage Hall) and UCLA (near the Bruin Bear). Viewers can expect the program to be split roughly into 1/3 USC football, 1/3 UCLA football and 1/3 Olympic sports. By airing live on Mondays, the network hopes to have immediate and relevant coverage of the weekend's action.
No names have been announced, but Prime Ticket spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson said it will be "loaded with talent."
The show will not be locked into a formula in terms of review/preview, so the more compelling story line can get the most airtime. If the previous week was a blowout, they will focus more on the upcoming game. Another unique feature will be professor profiles, recognizing the academic accomplishments alongside the athletic accomplishments of the schools.
Following the live show, Prime Ticket will air a two-hour cut of a classic USC-UCLA game.
FSN does not have plans to carry Pete Carroll's weekly news conference, although it will continue to be available from the school at usctrojans.com and limited clips will be posted here on All Things Trojan.
As of today, the only remaining 2008 USC football home game tickets
still available for purchase are for the Washington and Oregon games
(there are less than 1,000 tickets remaining for the Oregon game). The
other home games (Ohio State, Arizona State, California and Notre Dame)
are now sold out.
Tickets are available at the USC Ticket Office by calling 213-740-4672 or online at www.usctrojans.com.
Carson Palmer hates the Buckeyes and is talking some smack. Click here for audio. [AM 570 KLAC]
Ted Miller's doing more Pac-10 preseason position rankings. Anthony McCoy sits at ninth among tight ends (no guarantees about his starting spot), while the offensive line is fourth in the league. [ESPN]
Meet David Cisneros, the USC alumnus who was seen by the entire world rockin' a Rey Maualuga jersey in the front row of the MLB All-tar game. It was impossible to miss that bright splash of cardinal. Here's a shot with his buddy, Beaver Valle. David e-mails: "I am not a Yankee fan, I am actually an Angel fan, rooted for American League, but chose to represent my school clear across the country!!! As soon as I got off that number four train at Yankee stadium I had four guys tell me "Go SC, FIGHT ON!!" I had a couple people in my section tell me "Go SC." Even Michael Young recognized me during batting practice and gave me a Victory Sign!!!! I represent wherever I go. I received about thirteen text messages that night from people who saw me on TV. Most of them were looking for me, but to have someone recognize me and give me props in the newspaper, that is what makes being a Trojan so special!!"
UPDATE: GAME TICKET PACKAGES HAVE BEEN SOLD OUT. TAILGATE TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR $65.
By now you know that USC-Ohio State tickets are the hottest in the land. Forget face value. Cheap seats start online at well more than $250. Some of the best spots are going for several thousand dollars a pop.
So how about this deal: $300, and get a full tailgate catered by one of the city's most popular restaurants? Score!
Lawry's The Prime Rib is hosting a tailgate at the Coliseum from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 13. The full package is $300 per person and includes a game ticket and tailgate with a full Lawry’s signature prime rib meal buffet, lounge seating with large umbrellas and big screen TVs.
Tickets for the tailgate alone cost $65 per person. If you do the math, your price for the game is less than what it'll cost you from a ticket broker. And who doesn't want chow from a restaurant not only legendary in Los Angeles, but in the entire world of college football?
For tickets and more information, contact Summer Stearns at (310) 360-6281, Ext. 225.
[NOTE: An earlier version of this post listed a lower price. Although it's gone up, it's still a deal!]
UPDATE: GAME TICKET PACKAGES HAVE BEEN SOLD OUT. TAILGATE TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR $65.
The junior transfer from North Carolina has been considering the Trojans as well as UCLA and Arizona State. He played high school basketball for Harvard-Westlake and is looking to return to the Los Angeles area because of an illness in the family. The circumstances that caused him to transfer may mean that Stepheson would be eligible to play immediately for his new school.
I've received a number of e-mails about Stepheson over the last few weeks and his name is frequently mentioned on Internet message boards. As somebody observing from a distance, I would imagine that UCLA is the best fit because of its proximity to his family and available scholarships for next season. ASU lacks the former, USC the latter.
More important, this young man has a lot going on in his life right now. I know some people in the recruiting world are antsy, but let's just wish him and his family the best -- wherever he ends up.
O.J. Mayo had a buzzer-beating 69-foot shot the other day in NBA summer league action. Even though he's turning out plenty of highlights, his stats are still lacking. Through five games, he's averaging 4.8 turnovers compared with just 2.6 assists. Mayo's 18.8 points in 31 minutes per game are coming against guys who probably won't make the NBA. Still, it's just for practice so take it with a grain of salt. For more about Mayo's first games as a pro, check out Steve Springer's article in today's paper.
Davon Jefferson has yet to put his sneakers on the court for the Lakers, but it's good to hear that Desmon Farmer is still keeping his dream alive. He scored six points in eleven minutes for Toronto the other day.
Washington's Nick Young has 27 points in two games. Young also has the dubious distinction of getting nine fouls in onee game. Yes, summer league operates on modified rules -- it takes 10 to foul out.
USC sports information is reporting that "seating capacity in the Coliseum has been upped from 92,000 to 93,607 with the addition of seats in the lower northeast (Sections 27 and 28) and southeast (Sections 1 and 2) areas of the stadium."
Those would be the sections on either side of the peristyle/sun deck. The additional seating will allow certain groups to be rearranged (e.g. making the student section more contiguous), with the extra capacity going toward season-ticket holders and possibly some limited general admission.
A representative called this "a year of unprecedented demand." All of the football games are sold out, but there's a chance that a limited amount of tickets (for a couple of games) will go on public sale soon.
Thursday night, Victoria's Secret will sponsor Pinkapalooza at the Santa Monica Pier to launch its new back-to-school collection. The Pink collegiate line includes USC sweats, T-shirts, totes and, of course, underwear.
Tomorrow's festival runs from 5 to 10 p.m., headlined by a Fall Out Boy concert at 9 p.m. (who said emo and preppy can't get along?). There will also be a contest between USC and UCLA fans, with the winning school getting a sponsored tailgate for this year's rivalry game at the Rose Bowl. The first 3,000 people to show up with a pass (you can print it here) will also get free rides and games all night.
For those who haven't been, the Santa Monica Pier has hosted some great events this summer, including Ronnie Renner's world-record-breaking motorcycle jump. Organizers expect 15,000 people for Pinkapalooza.
In college sports, the Pacific 10 Conference in 1992 instituted a rule prohibiting football players from wearing bandannas, allowing them to wear elastic skullcaps only if they were in the school's primary colors or black.
Former USC coach Larry Smith was instrumental in the formation of that rule, according to conference spokesman Jim Muldoon, and was acutely aware of gang-related issues.
Former NFL player Marcellus Wiley says he has known players to make gang signs while celebrating big plays, even if they have no direct association with those gangs.
"A lot of guys when they get into the league, they aren't actually throwing up gang signs as if they're still active gang members, or were ever gang members," said Wiley, who grew up in South Los Angeles. "But it's just like Reggie Bush wearing [the area code] 619 under his eyes. It's just kind of to symbolize where you came from."
ESPN Radio is hosting auctions to benefit The V Foundation on Wednesday. Different packages will be put up for bid every hour from 3 a.m. until 8 p.m., and several people will get an unforgettable Trojan experience. Most fans won't even be able to find tickets to the Ohio State game -- but you could get the VIP treatment and meet Pete Carroll. Check out the four USC lots below.
In order to bid, tune in tomorrow to ESPN-AM (710). More items are being auctioned on its website, and the ESPN Zone in Anaheim will also host an additional silent auction during the on-site broadcasts.
Last year, more than $800,000 was raised for this great cause.
USC Football Package - 9 a.m. An Opportunity of a Lifetime! Winner and one (1) guest will be invited to observe a team meeting, help set up for practice, meet the coaches, and have dinner with the team. Also included: two (2) tickets to a USC football game. (Winner can choose between Arizona State, Cal, Oregon, or Washington.) Note: NCAA rules prohibit family members from bidding on this experience. Winners must be 21 years of age or older. This experience is non-transferable. Dates and details are subject to change.
The Herd Experience - 3 p.m. Hang with Colin during USC vs. OSU week! Winner and two guests will golf with Colin Cowherd at Pacific Palms Resort the week of 09/08/08 (Tuesday or Wednesday). Winner and 1 guest get front-row seats to see The Herd live broadcast on 9/12/08 with breakfast. Winner also will get access to the 710 ESPN VIP Tailgate Party prior to the USC vs. OSU Football game on 9/13/08 and will receive two (2) tickets to the USC vs. OSU Football Game. Tickets will picked up at the VIP Tailgate party on game day.
Two stats emerge when you look at O.J. Mayo's NBA summer league bio. In three games, he's averaging 18.7 points -- and 6 turnovers. Although his play may not be consistent, he is showing flashes of brilliance (check out the video clips after the jump).
Davon Jefferson is on the Lakers' squad but has yet to get any playing time.
Great find by the guys at Trojan Wire ... here's Pete Carroll discussing why he thinks students should play more than one sport.
A number of USC football players have put their speed to use on the track. You may also recall that Gregg Guenther played football and basketball for the Trojans a few years ago. He started eight games at tight end but stopped playing football his senior year so he could concentrate on basketball. He wound up playing in the NFL, not the NBA.
A pair of Trojans did radio interviews last week: Pete Carroll was on with Mason and Ireland (click here for audio, it's about 3/4 of the way in) and Mark Sanchez was on Dameshek, Denholm, and Long (click here for audio, it's about 3/4 of the way in). [ESPN 710]
On a sweltering 100-degree day, USC forward Amy Rodriguez pounded a shot into the top of the net during an Olympic tuneup for the U.S. women's national soccer team. It was her second game-winning goal against Brazil this year. The United States is currently the world's top-ranked squad, with Brazil fourth in the FIFA standings.
Before the game, Rodriguez was interviewed about her wild ride on 101Soccer.com -- a site run by a number of USC alums, including interviewer Danny Page. Click here for the audio.
[Note: If video player doesn't appear, email adam@laist.com.]
Embedded reporting is a technique well known on the battle field, but a lot of people don't realize how useful it is on the playing field. George Plimpton helped pioneer the practice in the 1960s. Recently we saw Spencer Hall go through football training camp and Stefan Fatsis try to kick in the NFL. Former USC tailback Petros Papadakis even hosts a TV gameshow with a similar premise called Pros vs. Joes.
None of those efforts match the one by Ben Malcolmson.
As part of a story for the Daily Trojan in 2006, Malcolmson tried out for the USC football team -- and made it. You can still hear the excitement in his voice when he talks about it today. "[As a reporter] it's so cool witnessing the Trojans and the greatness that the team has gone through over the past few years -- but it takes on a whole new dimension when you become a part of it."
Two years later, Malcolmson is still embedded with the football team -- now as a staff member. One of his responsibilities is running a popular website and blog at USCRipsIt.com, where fans can get a look deep inside USC football.
You can learn more about Malcolmson's journey this weekend on the season finale of Amazing Sports Stories on FSN West. The half-hour program will air on Sunday at 8:30 p.m.
It was tough for him to name a single highlight from his walk-on days, but one opportunity stood out. "Getting that one play in the Notre Dame game was incredible and something I'll never forget," he recalled. "It still gives me goosebumps today just talking about it."
So a guy walks onto a legendary football team and gets into a big game ... but against Notre Dame. Sounds like a familiar movie with a twist.
"I like Rudy a lot." Then Malcolmson laughed, "but it's hard to support that considering it's a Notre Dame film!"
Late summer is allergy season for college football fans. You've got this incurable itch for the gridiron. Your head is getting stuffy and there won't be any spicy mustard around for two months. What's a fan to do?
FSN PRIME TICKET is coming to the rescue with eight weekends of classic programming, reliving some of the greatest events in Southern California sports history. Although no USC games will be aired, plenty of Trojan athletes are featured in the high school games. Check out your favorite players before they donned the cardinal and gold:
Airing July 11, 9 p.m.: Mater Dei vs. Servite (2006) Featuring USC linebacker Chris Galippo (Servite), future Trojan offensive lineman Matt Kalil (Servite) and heralded USC commit Matt Barkley (Mater Dei).
Remember a couple of months ago when it seemed Pete Carroll was destined for cabin fever? A new NCAA rule was preventing him from traveling the country to recruit. USC's coach apparently suggested that some of his peers might be lazy -- something you could never accuse him of. Carroll could have tossed his hands up in the air and spent all his time on some beautiful South Bay beach. Though he did managed to squeeze that in last weekend, here are some of the ways he's been passing the time:
Getting 5,000 friends on Facebook. The man's been on the social networking site fewer than five months, and he already hit the maximum number of friends (amazingly, only a third of his Facebook friends are in the USC network). As a result, the powers that be created a separate Pete Carroll fan page. You can't make this stuff up.
Leading a peace march/rally. Sure, it hasn't happened. Yet. On Aug. 2, Carroll will be a featured speaker at the Coliseum for LA LivePeace '08. Yes, you are invited.
Not to put undue pressure on the new quarterback, but the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas has set opening lines on two key USC football games, favoring Mark Sanchez and the Trojans by 4 1/2 points over Ohio State and 17 1/2 over Notre Dame.
I was on Dameshek, Denholm, and Long last week and predicted that USC would be favored by at least 2 1/2 points against the Buckeyes, but I'm surprised they're already taking action on the second-to-last game of the season with practice still almost a month away.
There's a compelling article in today's LA Times about Brandon Jennings, a highly regarded basketball recruit from Compton who originally committed to USC, switched to Arizona, and then decided to skip college altogether.
Jennings will play for one year in Europe, and many presume that he'll then play in the NBA. He can't go directly to the NBA from high school because of a league rule that the head of the NBA player's union isn't very happy about:
"I continue to be against an age limit, I'm against limiting the options these kids have," union executive director Billy Hunter said. "It's going to be a very big issue the next time we negotiate. . . . I'm strident in my position to eliminate the age limit."
The NBA's current collective bargaining agreement with the union expires after the 2010-11 season.
Hunter said the 2005 approval of a rule that players need to be 19 and a year removed from high school graduation to be drafted came about because it was "the only sticking point to close the deal," and was inserted at the "insistence" of NBA Commissioner David Stern.
I happened to bump into Stern a couple of weeks ago during the NBA Finals and asked him what he felt about the age limit (as established in the league's collective bargaining agreement). His first reaction was glib. "Hey! I signed the deal -- I have to be happy with it!" When I asked if there was any way to improve it, he added, "Well, we asked for two years. We got one. Tune-in in three more years."
Some college football blogs portray Pete Carroll as a larger-than-life figure. Occasionally they'll use Photoshop to make the USC coach into a bit of a caricature.
No need to doctor this picture.
Last month, Carroll joined fellow Trojans Steve Smith, Matt Leinart, Brad Budde, Ron Yary and Jeremy Hogue on a trip to the USS John C. Stennis. The crew of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier got autographs and even played catch with the USC group. The event sounded like a great morale booster and fun for all involved.
And yes, Carroll drove the aircraft carrier.
Hogue, who played center for USC, did a full write-up (and took photos) that you can see after the jump. Rick Nyberg of ProAngle Media/Vootage also produced the following video:
At Pac-10 media day, Pete Carroll had an obvious plant in the audience. One of his former players-turned-broadcaster asked him to talk about an upcoming charity event. "Yeah!" exclaimed USC's coach, "thanks for asking!"
The biggest difference is the large player pool you're looking at. You've got 120 teams (now including Western Kentucky) as opposed to the NFL where you get 32. The thing that really appeals to me about college fantasy football is the passion. In college, they're doing it because they love football whereas in pro they're doing it for money. Every Saturday a lot of people put passion into college football.
College football fans will have a "bigger, live, and on-site" show to look forward to this season on Fox Sports Prime Ticket.
Thursday night, Victoria's Secret will sponsor Pinkapalooza at the Santa Monica Pier to launch its new back-to-school collection. The 
ESPN Radio is hosting auctions to benefit 
Embedded reporting is a technique well known on the battle field, but a lot of people don't realize how useful it is on the playing field. George Plimpton helped pioneer the practice in the 1960s. Recently we saw 
Remember a couple of months ago when it seemed Pete Carroll was destined for cabin fever? A new NCAA rule was preventing him from traveling the country to recruit. USC's coach apparently suggested that some of his peers might be lazy -- something you could never accuse him of. Carroll could have tossed his hands up in the air and spent all his time on some beautiful South Bay beach. Though he did managed to squeeze that in last weekend, here are some of the ways he's been passing the time:
