Here’s USC general counsel Todd Dickey on Tuesday: “The Coliseum has not benefited from substantive physical upgrades or preventative maintenance for more than ten years because the Commission has focused on attracting an NFL team that would renovate the stadium.”

But here’s Dickey last October: “It’s a great college football stadium. It was earthquake retro-fitted in the mid-’90s and should be good to go for decades.
“There may be some seats that need to be replaced, but it’s in pretty good shape. I don’t hear any complaints from our people about the quality of the Coliseum.”

Chilo Rachal did not practice because he was sick while Drew Radovich is also battling a stomach virus. Kyle Moore intercepted a tipped John David Booty pass, which drew comparisons to a famously tipped pass about a year ago.
While yesterday’s practice bothered Pete Carroll for a lack of enthusiasm, today’s was considered much better.

USC basketball coach Tim Floyd said MRI results on forward Kyle Austin’s back did not look good and there is a chance he could redshirt.

UCLA agreed to let USC lease the Rose Bowl on game days provided USC lets UCLA lease Pete Carroll on game days.

We don’t want to say USC’s offense is predictable but a Pac-10 coach who faced the Trojans told us that when one personnel group comes in, it’s a pass to Vidal Hazelton. When another personnel group comes in, the play is a bootleg. And when a third group comes in, it’s a play-action pass.

Monte Kiffin, the father of Lane Kiffin and defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (and Pete Carroll’s mentor) was contacted by Nebraska about the head-coaching position. At the same time, Lane Kiffin’s name is being thrown around for the Arkansas job.

UCLA quarterback Ben Olson contacted USC when he transferred from BYU and then-offensive coordinator Norm Chow recommended taking him but the Trojans eventually decided against it.

The first full practice of rivalry week did not have the usual enthuasiasm in Caesar’s opinion, at least compared to last week’s stated perfect practices before the Arizona State game.

OK, time to address the USC-to-the-Rose Bowl announcement. This really smells like a negotiating ploy by USC to pressure the Coliseum into agreeing to its demands for improvements. But it’s not just improvements, because who is against improvements?
There’s no doubt revenue-sharing plans (like luxury suites) that are really holding this thing up.
I question the timing. For one thing, it detracts attention from the USC-UCLA game, which I guess is the point. But the next time a coach says the players are being distracted by media attention, they should be reminded that USC chose to distract its own players the week of the biggest game of the year with this annoucement.
“I dont think its right,” Coliseum general manager Pat Lynch said. “The focus should be on the game and the players.”
Remember, UCLA has exclusive rights to play at the Rose Bowl, so the Bruins would want something (money) to let USC join them for two years. And USC did not address how it would host Cal on Nov. 8, when UCLA hosts Oregon State.