30 thoughts on “Open Forum

  1. What do you think are the chances SC will land the following recruits: Robert Nkemdiche, Su’a Cravens, Justin Davis, Ty Isaac, Michael Hutchings, Max Redfield, Tahaan Goodman, Alex Anzalone, and Chans Cox. These are the names I see frequently in reports. It’s interesting that I haven’t seen any DT mentioned that SC is going after unless they plan on converting players from DE to DT. Thanks.

  2. What’s the deal scholarship wise with transfers, early departures, etc. I can’t understand the per incoming class limits vs the overall limits. Can SC fill those spots with freshmen or transfers,, would those transfers have to be of the same remaining eligibility???

  3. While there has always been corruption and cheating in college sports, it seems that the drug abuse, the off field incidents, the players coming to college with rap sheets and the programs that are getting caught cheating is far worse than it’s ever been. While at Florida, Urban Meyer had 30+ players involved with crimes and a recent article said he had lost control of the program while he was there, a report says 40-60% of Oregon football players use pot, I can’t remember how many football programs are currently on probation. College basketball is a joke, you can recruit idiots who only have to pass one semesters worth of joke classes to stay eligible, they play the season without attending class for the spring semester and they head off to the pros. Do you see a time in the near future where college sports just implodes from all the crap going on these days ?

  4. Will USC Athletic Director Pat Haden have Hudson Taylor, three time All-American Division I wrestler, Columbia University wrestling coach and founder of Athlete Ally, address all the SC teams (including varsity, club and intramural) about being an ally to the LGBT community and also about being a champion for inclusion at USC?

  5. I didn’t see it answered in the last round – why did you, or did you really at all – think Shabazz might actually come to SC? If previously answered, then this – how bad will UCLA beat SC in basketball next year?

  6. When Obi Wan said, “Only a Sith deals in absolutes”, do you think he realized what he said was an absolute?

  7. Hi Scott:

    Have you had a chance to attend a women’s beach volleyball game? If so, how do they look?

  8. I ask because there are “so many” (read one guy with many usernames) UCLA fans here that always mention USC ”choking away so many champeeenships during the Carroll era.’
    Do you A) think for a program that claims to be a powerhouse basketball school the bruins are losing credibility having not won a title in 20 years (since the 70s before the last one) and seeing as they CHOKED away THREE STRAIGHT Final Fours a few years ago
    and B) think they pretty much HAVE to win it all this year with Shabazz & Co and will be considered failures like the Miami Heat otherwise if they don’t?
    Thanks for the forum! Had to ask this question to cater to the UCLA fans here 🙂

  9. What do you think the reason is that Lane Kiffin allowed Amir Carlisle to leave and transfer to Notre Dame? Ive never heard of a coach allowing a player to transfer to a rival especially one that we play every year. Is is simply that Lane felt there was no real threat to him going there or what?

  10. Any feedback from the coaching staff about all the injuries related to conditioning, such as hamstrings? The athletes that participated in track seemed good to go, but many of the others who played catch with the QBs before spring ball appeared prone to injuries. Do these players get conditioning instructions for the summer before fall camp? Also, any concern that early morning practices can make them more susceptible to injuries?

  11. What is the reason that no ucla football players were drafted in the first round? And probably the next 3-4 as well.

  12. I have a little debate going on with a friend who is a Domer-freak. He states ND is the most hated football program in the college game due to envy and I say due to ND’s recent-previous years of losing, SC has taken that #1 position over as the most envy-hated program. Give me a top 3 or 5 based on what you know or hear in your profession. Thanks!

  13. I don’t get this weird fixation so many fans have with the Coliseum. The 1928, 1931, 1932, 1939, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1978, 2003 and 2004 national championships were won by flesh and blood students and coaches, not a hunk of concrete. The Coliseum is 90 years old, built in the Depression era of the Model T and Model A Ford and Studebaker, when Al Capone ran Chicago, radio was a new technology and penicillin hadn’t even be discovered. The Coliseum is completely obsolete. It’s 2012 and we should be playing in a state of the art facility designed for football, not for track meets and the Olympics, like the new proposed stadium. The Coliseum smells all right, of urine on the floor from the backed up toilets. We got out of the dilapidated Sports Arena- why to we still cling to an even more backward facility for our marquee sport?

  14. Scott, according to ESPN the Magazine, there is a huge marijuana problem in college sports, college football in particular, and in Eugene specifically. You can read about ESPN’s 2012 version of Reefer Madness here:

    http://deadspin.com/5903106/

    This begs many questions but I’ll focus on two…

    1. Is “Chip” Kelly short for “Potato Chip”, as in the munchies? He certainly looks like he chows down regularly.

    2. Does this new reputation give Chip Kelly a recruiting advantage? Do you think De’Anthony Thomas ignored L’il Wayne’s classic lyric, “Smoke weed, talk s— like Lane Kiffin”? Or do you think maybe that lyric is a bit ambiguous and the kids think L’il Wayne smokes the weed, and CLK just talks bleep? I guess what I’m asking is if that hurting Kiffin’s rep with the star athletes of today.

  15. @gotroy22

    The circumstances of Galen Center versus replacing the LA Coliseum for a new stadium are different. Both venues are outdated, but one program has probably the greatest history of success in the entire country (USC football), while the other hardly has any history at all (basketball). The hoops program needed a new arena just to compete with other programs in recruiting. USC football doesn’t need that, so most fans (including myself) can put up with old nasty bathrooms and horrible concession stands if it means preserving the tradition of playing in such an old, historical stadium. Until USC goes several years of irrelevancy nationally, most fans won’t mind keeping the Coliseum. They’d probably prefer it. If the program struggled for a while, fans might start agreeing a new facility would help spark interest in the program again. That’s probably the way it should be too… just my opinion though. Sense of nostalgia being in an arena like the Coliseum, I guess.

  16. Reports out of Sacramento last week had USC coaches following DL prospect Eddie Vanderdoes around with a “camera crew”, filming him in the weight room and on the baseball field.

    What’s the truth: local paper overstating a commonplace activity (simply capturing film of a potential recruit) or recruiting violation (similar to coming out of the tunnel with smoke and music, or seeing a jersey with your name on it)?

    Was he really shadowed “documentary-style” or was he just filmed by a coach?

  17. If Cromwell Field is in such bad shape, has anyone considered holding next year’s Pro Day on the new indoor field in the new McKay building?

  18. wolfman, with Matt Lienart in the news it recalls your previous assertion that he stayed at Southern Cal for his Senior season because was ascared to go pro after his Junior season. i wonder if you think this was also the case with the Pious Passer? i ask because he is not a player who we would exactly say thrives on pressure.

    much has been made on this blog of his inability to lead a comeback victory in three seasons (OSU didn’t count), and this was with the lack of any pressure relative to fighting for a big bowl appearance. when i think of how Vontaze Burfict got into the Pious One’s head with his Jedi mind tricks, i have to wonder how will he take the pressure of a Heisman and BCS Champeeeeship pursuit?? should we be worried about this or no?? thanks as always wolfman!!

  19. Bucket,

    Your lame attempts to constantly cheapshot a team that kicked your team’s ass 50-0 while subtly trying to instill some sense of worry or lack of confidence in SC fans is a huge waste of time. Do you even mildly believe ANY Trojan fans will be anything less than ecstatic for Barkley and our Trojans come September? Laughable!
    Continue hating our success!

    FIGHT ON!

  20. Geez Louise!! this post is called Open Forum. i addressed my question to THE WOLFMAN. stop trying to mischaracterize my legit question, solely because you fear you won’t like the answer!! i am only trying to get some insight from the foremost expert on the Southern Cal football team!! do you mind??

    the wolfman works hard to foster an environment where fans from all strata of the sport community are free to ask legitimate questions without fear of reprisal.

    and neither you, Ibc, nor your Cyber Bully cronies will ever change that!!!

  21. Scott,

    When Charlie Bucket has a conversation in the comments section here between himself and one of his many other characters (Count Smakula, Thaimex, Yoda etc.) how long does he wait between posts so as not to make it look too obvious. I can only imagine that this waiting period seems like forever to him considering how much time and effort he spends here.

  22. Vulfman, sanks for your schteller job coverink the NFL draft! But I haff vun qvestion, in vhat round vas Christian Tatupu drafted?

  23. has there been any discussion using Farmer as a kick returner? seems like he has straight-ahead speed, but not much moves from what little i saw of him last year.

  24. Wolf,

    I’d like your take on whether or not the 86-yard, game-winning drive at Ohio State in 2009 counts as a comeback victory for Matt Barkley, in your opinion. I ask because I don’t believe Joe McKnight rushed for all 86 yards on that drive. Your friend “Charlie Bucket” likes to repeat himself in saying that you give all the credit to McKnight despite Barkley completing a couple 3rd down passes and a couple 4th down QB sneaks.

    Barkley threw a 21-yard pass to Joe McKnight (on 3rd down), a 26-yard pass to Anthony McCoy, and a 10-yard pass to Damian Williams (on 3rd down).
    If my math is correct, Barkley threw for approx 57 of the 86 yards on that final drive. Being that he is the QB calling the signals and making the reads… I’d say he “led” the drive.

    So, does Barkly deserve to share the credit with McKnight and say he led the game-winning drive in that comeback victory?

    Thanks for the forum.

Comments are closed.