A Death Sentence......Almost

Could not have happened to .....better program.

Southern Cal....NCAA violations.......no post season.....scholarships lost...

Not since the "Death Penalty" levied upon SMU .......in the '70's.......has a school been punished to the extent USC has......

Justice?

Yes!

From our friends .....at TMZ.com:

USC Football 'Vacates' Nat'l Championship Win

Originally posted Jun 10th 2010 12:00 PM PDT by TMZ Staff

The NCAA just blew up USC football's world by forcing the Trojans to vacate their victory in the '05 Orange Bowl ... a win that earned them the National Championship. 



This all comes after an NCAA investigation concluded Reggie Bush got improper benefits while at USC.

According to the NCAA findings Bush received a car, and his family received a house and other financial benefits.

In addition to the National Championship game, USC must also vacate its 12 victories from the '05 season -- Reggie's last before turning pro -- and the university is banned from bowl games for the next 2 seasons, and on probation for 4 years.

Fight on.

NOTE: The NCAA specifically uses the word "vacate" instead of forfeit because the Trojan's opponents in those games don't get the win.

Ambushed....on the Oregon Trail

Read it..........for it did indeed happen:

Final	1	2	3	4	T
1 USC	0	0	14	7	21
Oregon State	7	14	0	6	27

For the first time since 1967, the Oregon State Beavers carved up a #1 ranked team. Oddly enough .......the team they beat in '67....was none other than the Trojans from Southern Cal...led by a running back named O J Simpson.

This game.....and the defeat of the seemingly invincible USC......has sent shock waves throughout the world of college football.

How did this happen? USC was a 27 point favorite.......they had a bye week........

Here's how.....USC opened the season with an impressive win over ACC school, Virginia. They then had a week off to prepare for 2nd ranked Ohio State.....and whipped the Buckeyes soundly.

Then.........USC had a week and a half........to read about how great they were.....maybe the best team ever.

And remember..........these are still 18 to 21 year olds.....

But about the game itself..........USC was out played, out hustled , out hit, out coached, and out manned. Oregon had more 1st downs, more yardage, and seemed they were the favorite from the start.

Oregon bunched the bully in the mouth..........USC........fought.........for a while........but ended up limping home to mommy .........

This seems to be an annual occurrence for the Trojans.....Last year, it was the lost to un-ranked Stanford.

The funny thing is ..........tomorrow.....against any of the top 10 teams in the polls.......USC would still be favored....go figure.......

From .... " The Oregonian"........

Giant Killers III

Things We Learned From the Weekend

Southern Cal.......is good, really good. The men of Troy destroyed Ohio State, 35-3 to strengthen it's hold on the number 1 spot in college football's two major polls.


South Carolina........is not "USC".......The local Columbia papers still refer to this school as USC. You are not. You are the university of South Carolina..........that's it. You have lost this year to Vanderbilt. Saturday, you lost for the 45th time against Georgia versus 16 wins in the series history. "USC" is Southern Cal.........South Carolina is .....just South Carolina.



3-2..........No, this is not a baseball score. This was the final score of an SEC football game between Auburn and Mississippi State. But , I heard the game itself....was very exciting.....(yawn).


Speaking of baseball........they are still playing the summer classic. The Atlanta Braves took 2 of 3 from the first place N Y Mets over the weekend........Carlos Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs pitched a no-hitter.......and the Milwaukee Brewers fired their manager, Ned Yost.


The Atlanta Falcons.......are.....well.......the Atlanta Falcons, again. After a historic first win last week for rookie QB Matt Ryan, the birds laid an egg against Tampa, losing 24-9. That running game? which garnered 300 yards against Detroit? Yesterday they gained 105. And Ryan threw 2 picks. Well........the Kansas City Chiefs come to town next week. And that can't be all bad for the Falcons.

Hump Day News & Views

It's Wednesday....It's "Hump Day".....Let's jump right in......


USC #1? ( USC jumps 2 spots to top of poll) Yes.....and they deserve the ranking......When the University of Georgia decides....one day....to think "outside" the box.......Maybe they will learn to schedule some real teams....instead of some intra-state weaker sisters........to start a season.

If Clemson is the class of the ACC.......then the ACC is in ......deep doo-doo....... Clemson flops and spreads sputter

Yet...another example: "Nothing good ever happens ....at 2 in the morning....when you're out on the town....and you're a pro athlete".....Lesson #3,275........

Jaguars T Collier critical following shooting


Some things.....I'm thinking about.....


17....and pregnant....Yes, the 17 year old daughter of Vice-presidential nominee, Sarah Palin.......is 17.......unwed.......and pregnant.....Are we sure.......she's not .......a democrat?

Gustav, Hannah, Ike.....Josephine? In the words of Vince Lombardi, "What the hell is going on out there? These are all hurricanes or potential storms coming off the northern coast of Africa. We've always told you people......."Slavery was wrong"!


Believe it.....the NFL starts up tomorrow.......too bad Atlanta won't be included .....

Speaking of the ATL......after the Olympic break, the Atlanta Dream and the WNBA are back........you mean.......they were .....gone for a while?

Tiger Woods has been keeping at least one part of his body active since his recent knee surgery.....Seems the missus .......is expecting .......their second child.....That gives a whole new meaning to the Tiger chants....of ......."Put it in the hole!!!!".........

Finally.........Over the past couple of weeks ....Michael Jackson turned 50.....Obama made history.........Palin makes news............the democrats create a media storm........Gustav creates a weather storm..........New Orleans survives........the republicans attack ........the dems strike back.......Hannah is on the horizon.......Ike is in the batters box...........Russia won't leave Georgia alone.......gas prices fall........gas prices rise............College football starts.....The Yankees fall .......The Rays rise.......The Cubs are winners.....the Braves are losers.......

Oh .....and..........it's only .......the beginning of September........

What a wonderful world........

#1..........For a Week

That sure lasted a long.....millisecond.......



Yesterday, the Associated Press and USA Today released the latest rankings of division 1 college football teams.....(Rankings)

What a difference a week makes..........After one game, Southern Cal (3rd in last weeks poll), leaped frogged both Georgia and Ohio State , to claim the number 1 spot in this weeks poll.

Georgia fell to Number 2, while Ohio State came in at number 3.

Of course, the Bulldog Nation is crying foul........but it makes sense to me.

USC traveled some 3000 miles to Charlottesville, VA.......(Three time changes) .....not to mention climate changes ... and .....guess what? USC totally destroyed a division 1 , ACC team by a beat down score of 52-7. It could have been worse...USC coach Pete Carroll called off the onslaught in the 4th quarter.

Meanwhile, #1 Georgia played division II (I know they have changed the name to FCS, but I like still calling it division II)........Georgia Southern........in the comforts of Sanford Stadium....between the hedges..... in front of the usual 92,000 red & black clad Bulldog fanatics.........

Now the "Dawgs " didn't play badly.........scoring 45 points......but giving up 21, in their 45-21 win.

Which was more impressive?

Are you seeing the point?

When a team is ranked #1 in the nation........playing against a team everyone knows it will beat......."style points" .....often make a difference to poll voters.

Think about a 7 point swing in the scoring of the Georgia game.....Say, Georgia.......scored one more touchdown......and held Georgia Southern to one less.........

Final score: Georgia, 52.......Georgia Southern 14........

Sounds a whole lot more impressive than 45-21. USC understands this....

Hope these dogs......have learned ..........a thing or two.

Love ....and Basketball

But can he ball? By now everyone has heard the reports of Lil Romeo signing a national letter of intent to attend the University of Southern California to play basketball for the Trojans. Lil Romeo, who's real name is Percy Romeo Miller is a 6'0" senior guard at Beverly Hills High School. He averaged 13.9 points and 5.6 assists last year. Lil Romeo's father, Master P , was also a wannabe baller......twice trying out for NBA teams but never making the squads. Miller calls the scholarship deal, "the most important thing" he has ever had to do. He says he hopes kids will learn from him that "education is more important than money". One recruiting service ranks Miller among the top 15 point guards in the country. That remains to be seen.....But it is refreshing to see a young man put his interest in more than just baggy pants and gold chains. Lil Romeo.......We're with you man!

Things we Learned Saturday.......

Yes, FOX.....and the rest of America -- There will be a game 7. J. D. Drew awakened from a season long hibernation to have the game of his career as the Redsox blew out the Indians 12-2. I'll be the first to a

dmit -- I had all but counted Boston out. We should have learned our lessons 2 years a

go when these same Boston Redsox overcame a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees to win that ALCS.





Sometimes......you just are what you are. Poor South Carolina......poised to take sole possession of the SEC east and land a trip to the championship game in Atlanta.......The unthinkable happens.....They get punked by Vanderbilt. The 'cocks, along with their no. 6 ranking are now just another Carolina team that fades late in the season.


Laughing at Notre Dame has reached the point where it really isn't funny any more. The Irish suffered their second worst home lost .......ever. USC destroyed the Irish -- even in those pukey green uniforms.....And the natives are getting restless.


South Bend Tribune: "Where's ND's progress?"



Tim Tebow is one tough white boy. Tebow willed the Gators to victory over a Kentucky team that featured Heisman candidate Andre Woodson. It seemed every time Kentucky pulled close -- Tebow would do something spectacular and the Gators were scoring again.

LSU may never lose at home.....at night.......ever again. Auburn had the Tigers beat. A magnificent back and forth game saw Auburn taking a seeming winning lead (24-23) with just seconds left. Enter Demetrius Byrd.......Bryd makes a fabulous catch as time runs out to give LSU the come from behind 30-24

victory. By far.......the game of the week end.

In the strange but true category -- Appalachian State.....yes that Appalachian State .....lost ....at home to Georgia Southern, 38-35.

Vandy's win over the Gamecocks was its first win ever in 15 tries against Steve Spurrier and the highest -ranked opponent the Commodores' defeated in 70 years.

Pete Carroll.......Man of Mystery?

Many are calling it the biggest upset in College Football this year. Depending upon which poll you subscribe to, USC was either #1 (coaches poll) or #2 (AP writers poll). But.....yesterday they got beat by Stanford. Yes .....that Stanford. The Stanford that was a 41 point underdog! The Stanford that was playing the Trojans in the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Stanford that was 1-3, having given up 45 points to UCLA, 55 points to Oregon, and 41 points to Arizona State. The Stanford that was out gained 459-235 in total net yards yesterday. Yes.......that Stanford beat USC 24-23 in a historic game that leaves sports enthusiasts scratching their heads searching for answers. The answer lies at the top. Pete Carroll's act is finally catching up with his program. No one questions the talent and speed of USC, but a total lack a a disciplined system has manifested its way into theses Trojans. Carroll's "I'm just one of the guys" personality has worked for several years, but those teams had proven leaders and stability within the players and coaches. It's gut-wrench time for Carroll and his staff. A program......this good for so long......and this talented and deep....does not lose ...........at home..........to Stanford.

Carroll's Career Coaching Stats:

NCAA: 69-12

Bowl Games: 4-2

BCS Games 4-1

NFL Regular Season 33-31

NFL Postseason 1-2