USC football: NCAA delays penalty; Trojans will open season at Hawaii as scheduled

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Game on.

USC’s football season opener at Hawaii, which was in possible jeopardy because of NCAA sanctions handed down against the Trojans, will be played as scheduled on Sept. 2.

As part of its probation, USC was prohibited from taking advantage of an NCAA rule that allows teams to play 13 games if one is in Hawaii.

Both USC and Hawaii had contacted the NCAA because the game was scheduled years ago.

In an e-mail, NCAA spokesperson Stacy Osburn said: ‘The Committee on Infractions has delayed the penalty that precludes the University of Southern California from playing a 13th game from the 2010 and 2011 seasons to the 2011 and 2012 seasons. This one-year deferral of the penalty allows Hawaii to host its Sept. 2 game against USC. In making this decision, the committee noted a number of factors, including that the game has been scheduled for at least five years, will be televised, and many fans have already purchased travel packages to the game.’

I’ll have more later at latimes.com/sports.

-- Gary Klein