More from Homer...

December 2005, I am sitting in the back storeroom of my in-laws. I am pouring over data about the Texas Longhorns. Checking their schedule; checking the yardage for, against; checking the scores for, against; etc... I was looking for a reason to believe that my Trojans would beat the 'Horns. USC had the greatest offense around during that year. They averaged just under 50 points a game. Studs in EVERY department: Sam Baker and Ryan Kalil on the line, Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith as receivers, LenDale White and Reggie Bush as backs, and Matt Leinart as the Captain. At this point in his career...Matt was 37-1...the only loss an overtime loss on the road to Cal in his first 4 games. When that game was played Hershel Dennis was the running back - Bush and White were just highly touted recruits. The defense was good but not great...but they didn't have to be. All they had to do was hold the opponent under 35...and they won! It was a good year...scares by Cal and Fresno St kept the fans and the nation interested. On paper...it was a slam dunk...USC would win. The only thing I couldn't account for was Vince Young. Young was without a doubt the most impressive athlete I have ever seen in person (this includes LeBron). He towered over everyone on the field...his body did things that no one's could (just ask Brian Cushing - the young SC linebacker responsible for keeping tabs on Young - a guy who was just drafted in the first round of the NFL draft, but was on his face a lot, diving after Young, while Young had moved in another direction piling up over 200 yards rushing).

May 2009, I am sitting thinking about the Lakers. How will this season end? On paper, no one can touch the Lakers. But, in person they leave a little to be desired...they do not have the drive of Kobe. They play with NO urgency. They play like there is a tomorrow and like there is an infinite number of tomorrows. Vic the Brick says, "they need to play with their hair on fire" and that just isn't who they are.

Kobe Bryant can not impose his will on this team. No matter how much he locks his jaw and stares down his teammates. They play with a chip on their shoulder. However, it is a little bit different than the chip that last years Celtics played with, or the Nuggets play with this year. Their chip is more like "don't you know who we are"...a sense of entitlement. They short arm rebounds. They do not hustle on defense and get lazy on offense. They sit and wait for Kobe to bail them out (maybe Kobe's new nickname should be Obama). I love the Black Mamba...but he can't do it every time. When thugs (I can't believe I agree with Mark Cuban) like Kenyon Martin, JR Smith and Chris "Birdman" Andersen are beating you...things are bad.

Unfortunately, I had a front row seat as the Trojans got rocked by VY. I am hoping this year that I don't catch a case of deja vu.

College Football

So, I take a lot heat from friends about being a loyal USC fan. I am not a bandwagon fan. I am a die hard Trojan through and through. I have lived through...

* the deplorable Paul Hackett era...I just read that a Pro team was considering hiring him as a coordinator or head coach - how exactly does he have a job?
* Curtis Conway being a coward and quitting on his team in the forgettable Freedom Bowl (Fresno St spanked SC 24-7)
* Shawn Walters being the "go to" running back
* Kyle Wachholtz/Brad Otten QB experiment
* Todd Mari"juana"vich
* Dropping 11 straight to Notre Dame
* the 90s!

But, along came Pete Carroll and his unceremonious beginning with USC. No one wanted this guy. Mike Garrett asked everyone (Dennis Erickson, Mike Riley, etc...) to come to USC, but no one wanted USC. Then the 2001 season started with a bang, 2-5. Now, Pete Carroll is the most successful college coach over the past 7 seasons. USC gets beat up from every angle - weak conference, poor schedule, losing the wrong games. Having said all of that - USC is in a class all by themselves.

* 7 BCS games with a 6-1 record
* 7 straight Pac-10 titles
* 7 straight top 4 finishes
* 3 Heisman trophies in 7 years
* No losses by more than 7 points in 7 years

I have to admit that I am loving Ole Miss dismantling Texas Tech (fraud) and 'Bama getting trounced by Utah (the only undefeated team 13-0) - it shows that the SEC isn't all that great. The only teams that can hang with USC are Florida and LSU (however they got BLOWN OUT twice this year). Don't tell me Texas or Oklahoma - the Big XII is a fraud (they play no defense - and this year they have no Vince Young to save them). Scott Van Pelt of ESPN said it best, "Oklahoma and Oklahoma St scored 10 touchdowns in the second half on Saturday, who is to say that either of these schools could score on SC's defense?" Penn St found out how hard it is to move the ball on USC's defense. The 38-24 score was not indicative of how much USC dominated. Penn St racked up 200 yards of offense and 17 points after this thing was over - in the 4th quarter.

In the end we are left with routing Big Ten teams (sweet poetry would be Ohio St beating Texas) and the Pac-10 completing a 5-0 bowl season. And, of course, Pete Carroll's words, "With all due respect, those are two great programs (Oklahoma and Florida), I don't think anybody can beat the Trojans."

He just might be right!

USC 28, UCLA 7

I was going to write a huge post about USC v. UCLA - but at the end of the day, all that matter is that SC won 28-7. Outside of a horrible game in 2006, Pete Carroll has dominated UCLA. Pete avenged the 2001 loss to Rick Neuheisel's Washington Huskies.

Bring on the Nittany Lions.

Fight On!!!!

USC v. Ohio St.

It is finally here...the long awaited USC Trojans battle the Ohio St. Buckeyes!!! This Saturday we find out if the Trojans have what it takes to win another national championship. Oh, wait, we are playing the Buckeyes...we find out if we can beat a team that plays for a lot of championships and gets blown out!!!

I can wait to get a chance to play an SEC team!

One of our pastors just took a job in the Ohio, so I assume he is being bombarded with a ton of pressure to shift alliances. Stand tall Mark...former Trojan Heisman award winner Carson Palmer certainly is...

Fight On!