Time to put a number on this Rose Bowl. We’ll get things started: USC 27, Penn State 13.

ESPN ignored the Oregon cheerleaders, but maybe this will make up for it a little.

We ask Mitch Mustain if he would transfer and Mark Sanchez talks about distractions in the Morning Buzz.

If you take everyone at their word*, who won following the recent events of the past few days?
USC? Pete Carroll is happy because he says Ken Norton is staying. And he keeps the best linebacker he said he ever coached. That’s a victory.
UCLA? It now appears like it will hire a defensive coordinator based on something more than being a star player. An even bigger victory.
So everyone wins? Well, not quite. DeWayne Walker will not be replaced no matter who Rick Neuheisel hires, so that’s a loss. But it could have been worse.

*We do not take everyone at their word, but that’s for another post.

Can someone inform ESPN that some people watched the Oregon-Oklahoma State for an occassional look at the cheerleaders?

Wide receiver Damian Williams said that like just about everyone else on the team, he applied for early NFL evaluation. But Williams said there is no chance he will go pro. He just wants to know what he needs to work on for next year.

Former USC defensive line coach Jethro Franklin was among a group of assistants let go by the Houston Texans today. He might be a candidate to end up at Tennessee, but we’ve previously said that Ed Orgeron is expected to become associate head coach and defensive line coach for the Volunteers.
Maybe Rick Neusheisel will call instead.

Pete Carroll was asked today about the Ken Norton-UCLA saga.
“Everybody wanted to see a rivalry,” he said. “This is competing. I think it’s over. But I bet there will be more stuff.”
One question is how this is different than if a rival school told a recruit that Carroll is leaving for the NFL ? That happens frequently. Or is it different this time because a recruit decommited?

Freshman forward Leonard Washington will make the trip to Oregon with the basketball team although he remains sidelined with a sprained ankle. He is still wearing a protective boot on his foot.

Ken Norton was asked after practice if he was interested in the defensive coordinator’s job at UCLA now that DeWayne Walker is going to New Mexico State.
“I’m done talking about that stuff,” Norton said.