UCLA is currently ranked 17th by Rivals. USC is 34th. Who will end up with the higher-ranked class?
38 thoughts on “USC v. UCLA”
If USC closes with the big three, then they’ll have more points than UCLA does right now. However, if UCLA grabs Budda Baker and Kenny Young as expected, then UCLA jumps back on top. Throw in one of Dupree, Godcheaux, Ballage or Evans and UCLA should close with the top class in the conference once again.
Evans and Dupree…well i’d be shocked if they didn’t sign for UCLA from what my sources have told me… The guy to look out for is Dupree… This guy is a stud and very underrated if i’ve seen a 5 star been one… Guys just dismantles defense with this athletic ability for a HS team that runs the ball 50 times a game and and yet he still get it done with very few touches… Believe it or not …he’s option number three for his Team because of its Run Run Run first attack.
I wish I had your sources, because according to the things I’ve heard, it is at best a toss-up for both of those kids. Hope you’re right because our class is short on playmakers.
Would love to be in your position with Adoree and JuJu…..those kids are electric.
Unless their visit this week goes horribly wrong… I’m told they’re both leaning to UCLA…. I asked my buddy who coaches in the PAC 12, and not at USC… why we didn’t go hard after these kids since we’ve recruited couple 5 stars out of that school… He said ” Rumor is Kiffen believed kids out of that school are soft , Sort of sense of entilement” I said…Well only a Kiffen would think that…. He agreed with m… Dupree to stand out at WR in a Run offense says “HARD WORKER ” to me .
I have an 18 year old senior sifting through college lacrosse offers–predicting the decision-making process of a teenager is as reliable as handicapping the exact second when the first raindrop from an impending storm is going to fall.
Congrats to your son and yourself… hope he make the best choice for his future … and does very well .
Thank you very much, FMUSC81. It’s actually my daughter–lax is still an “exotic” sport here on the west coast, but a great one to watch and play.
My apologies … congrats to her… my brother in law use to be a defensive coordinator for a HS in North County… it’s a very expensive private school… I agree very fun to watch indeed…. Fast paced and physical.
Thanks! Sounds like perhaps Cathedral HS… powerhouse program.
So she is heading East? Who is in the mix?
She has offers from Chapman and Redlands locally, and several schools out of state, including Smith, Keane, Post, NC-Charlotte, U of Dallas. Thanks for asking!
Congrats! I’m sure you’re a proud father!
Tough for sc to come out on top with only 15 guys.
The fact that it will be close is fantastic for USC. USC will wipe the floor with em in 2015. USC will have a Top 5 class next season, and should be in the mix for the Top class.
Of course you use the one rankings system that has the biggest spread and makes USC look bad. You poor, bald, old loser. HAHAHA…
Fight On baby! We run this city!
I thought the exact same thing. It is so obvious Scotty has a ridiculously strong distaste for USC. I would almost rather have the kid that does the bRuin blog as our beat writer. At least you know his allegiance up front.
Three sights matter, in this order (IMO):
ESPN – SC #24, UCLA #27
Rivals – UCLA #17, SC #34
Scout – UCLA #18, UCA #28
Means very little, however, until next Tuesday.
It is unsitely to see USC behind UCLA in the Rivals websight rankings that you mention. USC must set their sites high. Any sitings of Mama, Juju or Adoree on campus today will probably mean we eventually move up the rankings on the websights.
And don’t get me started on how SC is behind UCA in the Scout rankings. I’m hoping it’s some kind of oversite by the Scout Websight.
It really doesn’t mean anything until these kids show something on the field at the college level.
Didn’t everyone said in the Carroll years that Rivals was superior to Scout?
Yes they did.
It feels like it’s been forever since USC has been able to bring in a perennial full top 5 class.
No, only since the sanctions.
You have identified the larger issue. CFB commentator Matt Hinton wrote an article about recruiting in 2011 (12?), showing some statistics he put together. He divided schools into groups by recruiting prowess, and USC was in the top group. Only 7-8 schools were in the top group, and no other Pac-12 school.
USC is now “one among” in the Pac-12. Will the end of sanctions change that? The macro forces of parity are much stronger now. I think that even Nick Saban is feeling it.
I doubt that a 100% bounce back is even possible in 2015. Furthermore, the extent of the bounce back will depend on coaching in the broadest sense: victories, player teaching and development, player relations, NFL draft results, etc. Recruits have become much more sophisticated and impatient in our age of instant communication and social media. Traditions mean less. It is more and more true that you’re as good as your last victory.
Many on this site will dismiss these forces, and dismiss me as a pessimist. Well, I’m on record with my prediction. We’ll see.
BF, you may be right. I think we grow competitively each year, maybe no 2015 but soon afterward.
Steve, it will depend greatly on coaching. It looked to me as though Jim Mora and his colleagues outcoached Ed Orgeron and his colleagues.
I don’t think coaches are any more fungible than players. The best coaches have a vision/concept for their offenses and defenses, recruit players that can succeed at what the coach has in mind, know how to teach players and supervise assistants, know how to motivate players and assistants, know how to plan, and know how to make changes as new information comes in.
Is Sark that coach? We’ll see.
Sark is right that we probably won’t see for several years. I think next year will be very challenging, because the roster size dips to its nadir, and some of the team’s most talented, valuable, senior and junior players are leaving, either as seniors or early, and must be replaced from three 15-player recruiting classes. .
What you can’t take away from USC are its good academics, its alumni base, Los Angeles and Soutern California, and to an extent, its football tradition. In the hands of McKay or Carroll, that’s a LOT to work with. In the hands of
Hackett and some others, not so much.
And the “winning business” is getting harder. The competition has more money now. Beneath the bravado, all of the competition in California consists of good universities in good locations. The average coaching level throughout the conference has distinctly improved. In summary, there is not much margin for anything less than a very well-coached and organized team. Hopefully, Sark will rise to the task.
Well put. It’s like UCLA basketball. Sure, UCLA has the history and that will always have some pull. Just like USC and football.
But kids today don’t care much about “ancient history” (to them, ancient is defined as anything over 2 years ago). That’s why Oregon and Stanford and UCLA are hot. That’s why UCLA Bball and USC football are both struggling, despite their historic dominance.
Quite frankly I am surprised that USC has done so well recruiting considering their performance last year. IMHO 2014 needs to be a huge year for USC football, which includes beating UCLA and ND. If not then I think future recruiting is going to drop dramatically.
Factors do come into play when you only have 15 scholies to give out. Players know they are going to be given a solid shot at play time and not have to redshirt. That helps recruiting. The style USC plays influences greatly who wants to come here. Coaches naturally influence the decision process with the kids coming in, and when a young man feels wanted and needed he is going to respond accordingly, unless his mama gets in the way. We have the capability to do well next season, and even better as each season goes by. The numbers say USC back to dominance starting in 2016-2017. Of course that depends on successful recruiting, coaching, and winning.
These rankings factor in the number of recruits, so being on sanctions, USC will always rank lower. A better comparison (which you amazingly didn’t use) would be the average star rating. The average star rating is about even right now at 3.53 v. 3.59, both of which are very good. USC is expected to close with some 4 & 5 star players so by signing day they should be higher. But give Mora some credit as this is a very good class for UCLA.
Mora gets some kudos, incredible. Did somebody scratch the Kitten behind her ears.
Yes. Mora is a good play caller.
Finally, Cheap Lies elaborates on a fact that’s actually true.
You missed the sarcasm.
Do have to remind you that Mora does NOT call plays but lets the Dcoordinator and Mazzone call them?
We will see what we will see 2/6/2014. UCLA’s recruits vs SUCC’s recruit’s. No excuses are acceptable.
And what’s your excuse?
The great thing about JuJu coming to USC is Iman Marshall is coming with him the following year..
I think we will finish in the top 10 or close and bruins will come in under 20. But then we are dealing with kids, so this is all bs until next week.
“We get who we want not who we need” -TrojanAF oh man that’s great, with that way of thinking i wouldn’t worry about The University of Spare Change for the next 10yrs.
If USC closes with the big three, then they’ll have more points than UCLA does right now. However, if UCLA grabs Budda Baker and Kenny Young as expected, then UCLA jumps back on top. Throw in one of Dupree, Godcheaux, Ballage or Evans and UCLA should close with the top class in the conference once again.
Evans and Dupree…well i’d be shocked if they didn’t sign for UCLA from what my sources have told me… The guy to look out for is Dupree… This guy is a stud and very underrated if i’ve seen a 5 star been one… Guys just dismantles defense with this athletic ability for a HS team that runs the ball 50 times a game and and yet he still get it done with very few touches… Believe it or not …he’s option number three for his Team because of its Run Run Run first attack.
I wish I had your sources, because according to the things I’ve heard, it is at best a toss-up for both of those kids. Hope you’re right because our class is short on playmakers.
Would love to be in your position with Adoree and JuJu…..those kids are electric.
Unless their visit this week goes horribly wrong… I’m told they’re both leaning to UCLA…. I asked my buddy who coaches in the PAC 12, and not at USC… why we didn’t go hard after these kids since we’ve recruited couple 5 stars out of that school… He said ” Rumor is Kiffen believed kids out of that school are soft , Sort of sense of entilement” I said…Well only a Kiffen would think that…. He agreed with m… Dupree to stand out at WR in a Run offense says “HARD WORKER ” to me .
I have an 18 year old senior sifting through college lacrosse offers–predicting the decision-making process of a teenager is as reliable as handicapping the exact second when the first raindrop from an impending storm is going to fall.
Congrats to your son and yourself… hope he make the best choice for his future … and does very well .
Thank you very much, FMUSC81. It’s actually my daughter–lax is still an “exotic” sport here on the west coast, but a great one to watch and play.
My apologies … congrats to her… my brother in law use to be a defensive coordinator for a HS in North County… it’s a very expensive private school… I agree very fun to watch indeed…. Fast paced and physical.
Thanks! Sounds like perhaps Cathedral HS… powerhouse program.
So she is heading East? Who is in the mix?
She has offers from Chapman and Redlands locally, and several schools out of state, including Smith, Keane, Post, NC-Charlotte, U of Dallas. Thanks for asking!
Congrats! I’m sure you’re a proud father!
Tough for sc to come out on top with only 15 guys.
The fact that it will be close is fantastic for USC. USC will wipe the floor with em in 2015. USC will have a Top 5 class next season, and should be in the mix for the Top class.
Of course you use the one rankings system that has the biggest spread and makes USC look bad. You poor, bald, old loser. HAHAHA…
Fight On baby! We run this city!
I thought the exact same thing. It is so obvious Scotty has a ridiculously strong distaste for USC. I would almost rather have the kid that does the bRuin blog as our beat writer. At least you know his allegiance up front.
Three sights matter, in this order (IMO):
ESPN – SC #24, UCLA #27
Rivals – UCLA #17, SC #34
Scout – UCLA #18, UCA #28
Means very little, however, until next Tuesday.
It is unsitely to see USC behind UCLA in the Rivals websight rankings that you mention. USC must set their sites high. Any sitings of Mama, Juju or Adoree on campus today will probably mean we eventually move up the rankings on the websights.
And don’t get me started on how SC is behind UCA in the Scout rankings. I’m hoping it’s some kind of oversite by the Scout Websight.
It really doesn’t mean anything until these kids show something on the field at the college level.
Didn’t everyone said in the Carroll years that Rivals was superior to Scout?
Yes they did.
It feels like it’s been forever since USC has been able to bring in a perennial full top 5 class.
No, only since the sanctions.
You have identified the larger issue. CFB commentator Matt Hinton wrote an article about recruiting in 2011 (12?), showing some statistics he put together. He divided schools into groups by recruiting prowess, and USC was in the top group. Only 7-8 schools were in the top group, and no other Pac-12 school.
USC is now “one among” in the Pac-12. Will the end of sanctions change that? The macro forces of parity are much stronger now. I think that even Nick Saban is feeling it.
I doubt that a 100% bounce back is even possible in 2015. Furthermore, the extent of the bounce back will depend on coaching in the broadest sense: victories, player teaching and development, player relations, NFL draft results, etc. Recruits have become much more sophisticated and impatient in our age of instant communication and social media. Traditions mean less. It is more and more true that you’re as good as your last victory.
Many on this site will dismiss these forces, and dismiss me as a pessimist. Well, I’m on record with my prediction. We’ll see.
BF, you may be right. I think we grow competitively each year, maybe no 2015 but soon afterward.
Steve, it will depend greatly on coaching. It looked to me as though Jim Mora and his colleagues outcoached Ed Orgeron and his colleagues.
I don’t think coaches are any more fungible than players. The best coaches have a vision/concept for their offenses and defenses, recruit players that can succeed at what the coach has in mind, know how to teach players and supervise assistants, know how to motivate players and assistants, know how to plan, and know how to make changes as new information comes in.
Is Sark that coach? We’ll see.
Sark is right that we probably won’t see for several years. I think next year will be very challenging, because the roster size dips to its nadir, and some of the team’s most talented, valuable, senior and junior players are leaving, either as seniors or early, and must be replaced from three 15-player recruiting classes. .
What you can’t take away from USC are its good academics, its alumni base, Los Angeles and Soutern California, and to an extent, its football tradition. In the hands of McKay or Carroll, that’s a LOT to work with. In the hands of
Hackett and some others, not so much.
And the “winning business” is getting harder. The competition has more money now. Beneath the bravado, all of the competition in California consists of good universities in good locations. The average coaching level throughout the conference has distinctly improved. In summary, there is not much margin for anything less than a very well-coached and organized team. Hopefully, Sark will rise to the task.
Well put. It’s like UCLA basketball. Sure, UCLA has the history and that will always have some pull. Just like USC and football.
But kids today don’t care much about “ancient history” (to them, ancient is defined as anything over 2 years ago). That’s why Oregon and Stanford and UCLA are hot. That’s why UCLA Bball and USC football are both struggling, despite their historic dominance.
Quite frankly I am surprised that USC has done so well recruiting considering their performance last year. IMHO 2014 needs to be a huge year for USC football, which includes beating UCLA and ND. If not then I think future recruiting is going to drop dramatically.
Factors do come into play when you only have 15 scholies to give out. Players know they are going to be given a solid shot at play time and not have to redshirt. That helps recruiting. The style USC plays influences greatly who wants to come here. Coaches naturally influence the decision process with the kids coming in, and when a young man feels wanted and needed he is going to respond accordingly, unless his mama gets in the way. We have the capability to do well next season, and even better as each season goes by. The numbers say USC back to dominance starting in 2016-2017. Of course that depends on successful recruiting, coaching, and winning.
These rankings factor in the number of recruits, so being on sanctions, USC will always rank lower. A better comparison (which you amazingly didn’t use) would be the average star rating. The average star rating is about even right now at 3.53 v. 3.59, both of which are very good. USC is expected to close with some 4 & 5 star players so by signing day they should be higher. But give Mora some credit as this is a very good class for UCLA.
Mora gets some kudos, incredible. Did somebody scratch the Kitten behind her ears.
Yes. Mora is a good play caller.
Finally, Cheap Lies elaborates on a fact that’s actually true.
You missed the sarcasm.
Do have to remind you that Mora does NOT call plays but lets the Dcoordinator and Mazzone call them?
We will see what we will see 2/6/2014. UCLA’s recruits vs SUCC’s recruit’s. No excuses are acceptable.
And what’s your excuse?
The great thing about JuJu coming to USC is Iman Marshall is coming with him the following year..
I think we will finish in the top 10 or close and bruins will come in under 20. But then we are dealing with kids, so this is all bs until next week.
“We get who we want not who we need” -TrojanAF oh man that’s great, with that way of thinking i wouldn’t worry about The University of Spare Change for the next 10yrs.
Thank you Christmas and thank you SC… .