More than 50 percent of the readers voted “no” when asked if USC could be favored against Alabama in the 2016 season opener if the Trojans continue to have strong recruiting classes. Now maybe they figure USC will start Max Browne, Sam Darnold or Ricky Towne in their first college start and that is too much to ask for to be favored.
I’m not sure I’d feel all that different if Cody Kessler started especially with fresh memories of the UCLA game. But if USC has the No. 1-ranked recruiting again (or close to it), what’s with the lack of confidence? Is it coaching? Does Nick Saban hold that much of an edge. Imagine how lopsided the poll would be if Urban Meyer faced USC in the 2016 opener.
Maybe a guy who is so relentlessly negative about Sark & Co. should not be so shocked when his readers have limited expectations of Sark & Co. The post just before this was a crack about the new OL coach being poached from a high school! If the readers had voted the other way, Wolf would be asking, “Don’t any of you clowns read my scoops?”
OHHHHHHHHH! so it’s the WOLFMAN’S fault the Dummies have no faith in Siete???
WHAT ELSE is the wolfman’s fault i wonder???
“of COURSE the NCAA slammed Southern Cal with Sanctions, what ELSE they gon’ do with all those negative wolfman posts!!!! dont act so SHOCKED, wolfman, it’s on YOU!!!”
Biggie plus 2 is coming
I’m pretty sure that ISIS wouldn’t be on such a rampage if Wolf hadn’t blown the lid off the scandal of the Nikes on the statue.
No, it was the scoop on the Bear statute at Bridge Hall that caused the rise of ISIS.
ok, now you gueys are being ridiculous.
Says the demented troll who never misses a day
Now that’s ridiculous!
Garry Faust!
Come on, you have to admit that Sark hiring a coach from Gilbert High was an embarrassment.
That’s what I’m saying — and then Wolf says, “Gee, guys, I can’t believe you don’t think SC will be favored! You don’t suppose it’s the coaching, do you?” Wolf is in full Eddie Haskell mode in this post.
LOL. Nice Scott. I knew your poll had a hidden agenda.
That’s precisely why I NEVER bother to participate in Scott’s self serving polls…..
I don’t know why the doubt of beating bama. Bama has lost to Boise, Oklahoma, Ohio St. in major bowl games. They are ucla of the southeast. They can’t win the big one. Sc will be better with the offense they run. SC will have a season under their belt with the new recruits both on offense and defense. USC picked up great players. If Sark doesn’t choke the game, USC wins easily.
Pasadena SUCC = Pixie dust dreams.
How could this be ? Will our staff all be losing HS asst coaches by then or something ?
1. Starting a new QB against Alabama is a HUGE wildcard that de facto prevents USC from being favored.
2. The strength of USC’s recruiting classes would be an advantage against a team that, relatively speaking, does not field the same quality classes (think of a middle tier team like, say, Arizona). But USC’s recruiting is not an advantage against Alabama since the Tide will have equal (or superior) recruiting classes.
3. Alabama has consistently been the nation’s strongest program for nearly a decade. If you’re going to ask a highly speculative hypothetical more than a year in advance of a game, then I’ll go with the team with the recent proven track record. Who knows what either of these teams will look like at that point! Too far to tell.
Comic Book Guy Wolf, trolling his alma mater once again.
It kind of reminds me of Charles Barkley’s recent take on NBA GMs that focus on analytics while ignoring traditional scouting: “All these guys … have one thing in common — they’re a bunch of guys who have never played the game, and they never got the girls in high school, and they just want to get in the game.”
That sentiment describes Wolf oh-so-perfectly.
One thing I’d add is that the freshman who played on the OL last season will be experienced Juniors and the quality of depth will be vastly improved, so it may not matter if it’s a “new” starting QB….in 2016, Max Browne will be a 4th year Redshirt Jr., for crying out loud…….
Bam-Bam ‘Bama has Saban. We have Sark. How is this poll even a fair question ?
We need a real coach like Nick or Uber if we want to win or our new no.1 class will have the same success as our last.
I felt bad for the players last year….. they seem to be good kids and they deserve better coaching. USC gets recruits for being USC, and it helped that Sark could promise playing time because the roster is still low. But I feel this new class will also deserve better coaching. Sark had better players than every team he faced last season, and probably will again this season….. Sark will be able to win just enough games not to get fired for at least a few years and we will have to fight on through a few 8 and 9 win seasons , and losses to any decent team and a few mediocre ones as well.
9 wins maybe….Ark St then Idaho, ever mighty Colorado and Cal plus UW which loses everybody equals 5.
Possible wins home v Stanfux, Utah & Ariz and @ASU
we’ll eed to run the table though….
ND in South Bend – not a chance, revenge of the NerDs
Oregon in Eugene – last score was 62 to what ?
UCLA – for the City Championship ? Against Mora ? I wish
Time to pay up and get a real coach like Uber or Saban or Miles or Malzahn if we want to win.
Mora and little uglies get gutted by Ducks every year
In ’12, USC lost 62-51 to Oregon.
In ’11 at Eugene, USC beat Oregon 38-35.
Over the last 9 years, USC is 5-4 vs the Ducks.
Over the last 9 years, ucla is 2-7 vs the Ducks and over the last 13, ucla is 2-11.
Time for ucla to just stop playing the Ducks. Good move little uglies. If you can’t beat ’em, quit playing ’em.
So Stinky, the SUCC Men’s BB program should withdraw from the Pac-12, and join a intramural conf., where the competition is about SUCC’s speed and no one keeps score.
Who cares about Oregon-UCLA ? Neither team has beaten Oregon in last three years. Time for us to hire a real coach like Uber or Saban who turn top talent into NCs
Scott, the question was do you think USC would be favored…I answered no because they have no control over the SEC biased odds makers…now, if the question was do you think USC will beat Alabama in 2016, the answer would have been yes!
It’s a poorly worded poll. COULD the Trojans be favored? Of course they COULD be favored. I think a better question is WILL they be favored, but that’s not what was asked.
Just another lame poll to get the trolls out. The game is over a year away. Either team could be favored by then. By the way, check your spelling of the kids names.
Well there’s the rub. If only USC fans voted they might have optimistic enough to vote USC over Alabama in a couple years. But there is no limit on voting and no prerequisite of actually being a fan. Basically I’m saying the data is skewed.
Not to mention that most of Wolf’s followers are Welfare U fans not Trojans. Of course Wolf’s poll would show no faith in USC.
Kenny the SUCCster recently paid $1,000,000 for a used Yugo. So now, in Kenny’s I’m rich and stupid mind, everybody else who wouldn’t buy a Yugo for $1.00 are cheapskates.
Owns, take it easy on him, the man has no eyebrows for chissakes.
A self opt-in web poll has no statistical validity, so like most stuff on this blog, it’s meaningless. Troll on, Scooter, troll on.
why SHOULD they believe it, wolfman???
DumbCoach U has had by FAR the most talent in the country the last 20 yrs and ZERO Crystal!!!!
even when they they are ranked #1 to start the season, they fall all the way to UN-ranked!!!!!!!
i mean can you BLAME the Dummies??? you gotta BELIEVE, wolfman, and they DON’T!!!
#OhNo!
Quick Thought: if only Healy was still around, the “OH NO!” soundbite by Carroll would accompany EVERY Southern Cal reference!!!!
#OhNO!!
As trojandn noted, the problem was with the poll question, not the responses. I, too, suspect Alabama will be favored. I also believe USC will win. The poll only asked the first question, not the second.
Don’t forget Leinart at Auburn…..
Socal won’t have a top recruiting class because they don’t need any more WRs and DBs next years which artificially boosts their last recruiting class! Sark could put some of them on his personal diet and turn them into Linemen!
Sark always plays second fiddle to Lane Kiffin, which is pretty sad!
Total Success On!
If Alabama played Ohio State tomorrow, they would be favored. It is the mytique of Alabama. Can we beat them? Heck yes, even with a new QB. They are going to have new players on the field too. Sark won’t wait till game 3 to name his starter in 2016.
I just went to the archives and saw your prediction of the score, USC 50 UCLA 0 “it’s gonna be a great day!” LMFAO
It was the wrong year was all. 50-0 HAPPENED.
Don’t give up your day job. And stay away from Vegas!! Lol
They also can’t believe that Wolf is still the beat writer.
I wonder how many more Quarterback will Steve Sarkisian continue to recruit ? Because the LA Times are reporting that Sarkisian is going after Rancho Santa Margarita’s KJ Costello in next years class. So I would expect a transfer or two out of the Trojan program .
Wow: Scott Wolfe: you are such an idiot ! how can that be? How does a football idiot become a sportswriter for USC? I t is completely perplexing to me… Rose Green
truth in the matter is that’s going to be a good game that we CAN win. the bRUINS did good on signing day, and will remain competitive for a good while. SC has done exceptionally well with gaining new talent and I believe the program is back on course. the 2015 season will say a lot about where we stand going into playing bama. will max be ready? hell, he might not even start. that in itself will be key.
Yet another major troll blog post smh