There’s nothing to make a Sunday night quite like a 52-comment mini-forum.
Especially when the first questions asks if I am ready for the new season. Did the last one actually end? I can’t tell with recruiting, spring practice, summer workouts, passing drills, arrests, transfers, high school camps, someone getting kicked off the team, etc. Oh, and practice starts around August 6.
OK, on to the rest of the answers.

Lindys magazine has ASU rated No. 3 out of respect for Dennis Erickson and because the Sun Devils play eight home games. I think that’s a bit high, however.I’ll unveil my Pac-10 predictions later this week.

Mitch Mustain seems quiet and does not appear to be a player who will get into trouble. So I wouldn’t predict anything. But over the years at USC, you never know who will get into trouble.

Michael Coleman has not transferred to a Division I school yet and Josh Tatum still appears to be talking to Miami.

I’m sure Chris Carlisle would be happy to share his workout regimen for anyone interested. Players workout around 7 a.m., so if you go to Howard Jones Field, let me know how it goes.

RouSean Cromwell’s health seems fine in scrimmages and he will probably be a role player again this season. To expect anything more is unreasonable.

I have not watched extensive film of Mitch Mustain from last season, because I’m too busy answering all your questions abouth him.

Considering the Pac-10 supervisor of officials, Dave Cutaia, is also an arena football ref, no, I do no think Dave Baker would make a better commissioner of the Pac-10. He would be a “bigger” commissioner than Tom Hansen.

Quarterbacks do not appear as muscular because they require flexibility for the greatest range of motion. For instance, Matt Leinart needed to squeeze through all those VIP entrances at Hollywood clubs his senior season.

I’ve itnerviewed Mark Sanchez countless times the past two seasons and I’ll probably post an interview on this blog during training camp.

The new schedule poster’s been out since the spring.

There is no chance Will Ferrell will play Mitch Mustain in the film version of “Mitch and Me” although he might considered for the untitled role of “actor who needs a new image besides being a USC suckup.”

We really need to update the videos. I suggested three new videos of nothing but Mitch Mustain, where he does nothing but answer the first 250 questions on this blog about him. Or maybe recites the team roster.

The coaches don’t seem too worried about the 2008 offensive line yet. Then again, they don’t seem too worried about the 2007 tailback, 2008 quarterback or 2008 defensive tackles either. But they do speak highly about Butch Lewis, Zach Heberer, etc.
Of the current class of recruits, I’d say Tyron Smith looks like he has the most upside right now.

It’s hard to say the special teams coach is on the hot seat, because USC does not exactly have one person in charge of the unit. So blame Pete Carroll for that. I find that usually ends all debates. The coordinators will both under scrutiny this season. Steve Sarkisian because it’s his first season calling plays and Nick Holt because he returns so much talent, people will expect near perfect defensive perfomances.

Mitch Mustain will not be allowed to leave USC after one season. It’s in his contract.

The freshmen seem to be fine, hanging out quite a bit. I ran into a large group having dinner the other night and since they are all in summer school, they spend a lot of time together.

One of the biggest recruits who away was tailback Ricky Williams. Another might have been DeShaun Foster. More recently, tight end Marcedes Lewis was highly coveted but did not want to join his Poly buddies. DeSean Jackson is another, although at the time Patrick Turner was so highly rated, it did not seem as disastrous, other than the fact he’d told USC he was coming but changed his mind.

All things being equal, the quarterback with more experience in the program gets the edge in a two-way battle. But I think the decision might be delayed as long as possible to try and find that difference between the two, even though Pete Carroll prefers to designate a starter in spring.

I believe Carson Palmer could one day be in the Hall of Fame. I believe Matt Leinart will get a star on the Walk of Fame.

I once considered ranking a team on how good it really is instead of its easy schedule and was rewarded with USC’s loss to UCLA.

I have a longstanding rule of only listing my top three recruiting locks. If I do the next five, then I’ll be asked to do the next five and we won’t have any fun in February waiting to see who actually signs a letter of intent.

Pete Arbogast was hired by USC to work on its new video projects. Essentially, many USC games in all sports will be on the Internet this year, all for a nominal fee, of course. They say it’s a great idea if you’re in Europe or Japan and want to watch the football game. Personally, if I were overseas, I can’t think of anything I’d want more than hearing Arbogast and Paul McDonald’s voices.

Felix Chevrolet has been declared a cultural landmark, so all housing projects are on hold. I can hear the teeth gritting now from some of the stodgy members of the athletic dept.

I could easily see Joe McKnight and Ronald Johnson on the field together. I envision McKnight being thrown all over the field in different spots, a la Reggie Bush and probably a lot sooner than Bush his freshman year now that Bush proved how successful transition can be made from high school. And USC doesn’t have any proven receivers, like it did when Bush arrived.

It’s too early to say what John David Booty’s draft status will be, but his size is probably what “experts” are using to base their projections on now. Not that I would ever listen to Mel Kiper, etc.

Tom Malone did exactly hold a press conference to announce his NFL decision. It was actually Matt Leinart who held one and USC tried to get other players who made similar decisions to show up too. If there was a foolish aspect, it was that Malone did not turn pro, when his stock was so high. Oh wait, that’s Leinart. No, Malone. Anyways, Malone pretty much did what he was told and showed up for the press conference. I believe Lofa Tatupu was there too, but I can’t remember. I’ve tried to block the day Leinart said he would be around even longer from my memory.

Travon Patterson could return punts but only if the coaches have more confidence in him. They prefer a safe approach, with a Greig Carlson/Desmond Reed. McKnight is an intriguing option because he seems to have great hands and probably wouldn’t mind doing it. Some players don’t like returning punts. Darnell Bing didn’t and Sultan McCullough wasn’t keen on it either.

The jury is out on Carson tight end Morrell Presley because he’s not even a junior yet and USC offered him a scholarship based on a day or two of camp. That’s not to say he won’t be a great pickup, but we don’t gush around here on anyone. That’s for the recruiting services/Internet geek sites.

If any WR fits the mold of Steve Smith or Keary Colbert, it might be Patrick Turner. But then that means there’s someone else on the team ready to be go-to receiver. It might be Ronald Johnson, but only camp will tell.

What, no more questions?