USC announced today that its summer football camps are closed to the general public. They could have been open if USC wanted them to be, like during the Pete Carroll era, but chose not to. Basketball camps, which does not have nearly the same interest, will be open to the public.

The all-important details on the College Football Playoff were released today, including the recusal procedures, which apply to USC athletic director Pat Haden, who sits on the committee.

Here’s the key phrase:

• If a committee member or an immediate family member, e.g., spouse, sibling or child, (a) is compensated by a school, (b) provides professional services for a school, or (c) is on the coaching staff or administrative staff at a school or is a football student-athlete at a school, that member will be recused. Such compensation shall include not only direct employment, but also current paid consulting arrangements, deferred compensation (e.g., contract payments continuing after employment has ended) or other benefits.

Full rules here

Continue reading “College Football Playoff Selection Procedures Announced” »

The USC spring depth chart listed Khaliel Rodgers as the starting right guard. But the position seems far from settled and I consider it the weakest on the line. Who else might start? Jordan Simmons? Damien Mama? Viane Talamaivao? Toa Lobendahn, who is at left guard but could be surpassed by Aundrey Walker? Chris Brown?

You could throw a dart at the list of names and have as good a chance as the coaches right now at being correct.

USC’s nine-game winning streak was snapped by the master, Mike Gillespie, last night. But Dan Hubbs is doing the the best job since Gillespie was foolishly fired. Here’s a story from the Chad Kreuter era for your entertainment.

One night USC was playing at Dedeaux Field, Kreuter was ejected for objecting to the way the umpires interpeted a rule. After the ejection, Kreuter went to the umpires’ locker room and plastered the walls with photocopies of the rule.

After a staff member discovered the situation, a crew rushed to take down the copies before the game ended and the umpires returned.

USC WR Marqise Lee will go somewhere between 23-32 in the first round according to this batch of mock drafts.

It should be a honeymoon season for USC coach Steve Sarkisian, who is likeable and gets to follow Lane Kiffin. But if the Trojans lose their second game at Stanford or suffer an upset the following week at Boston College, will the fans be forgiving?

The schedule does not appear overly difficult but looks full of trap games. Games at Arizona, Utah and Washington State are all contests USC usually wins but sometimes gets upset, like against the Wildcats in 2012.

No games are more important than Notre Dame and UCLA but those trap games might determine Sarkisian’s season.

Mike Garrett’s decision to fire Mike Gillespie was one of the worst decisions I’ve seen at USC. And the Trojans’ loss was UC Irvine’s gain. Gillespie is 11-4 against the Trojans since he got hired by UCI in 2008.

You didn’t just think Mike Gillespie would roll into Dedeaux Field and let the Trojans win their 10th straight do you? The Anteaters broke a 1-1 tie in the 7th with four runs to break the game open.

UCLA announced today that it would not accept a $3 million donation from banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling. I mentioned the above ad Sunday so it is good to note the university returned the money.

UCLA also confirmed what any Sterling watcher knows: He bought the above ad, which means he thanked himself for the donation.