Morning Buzz: Who Would Not Want To Play USC?

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Here is what College Football Playoff committee chairman Kirby Hocutt said about USC on his weekly teleconference:

Obviously, Nick Saban is not in the Selection Committee room.

37 thoughts on “Morning Buzz: Who Would Not Want To Play USC?”

  1. He is right. As USC stands today, only Alabama would present a strong possibility of a loss. Every other school would be vulnerable, and has been. I would love to see USC plan ANY school who is now rated 1-12. Two weeks to the top 4, FIGHT ON AND FIGHT ON!!!

    • This is almost looking like Pete’s second season where at the end of the year USC was clearly the best team in the country. Two losses kept them out of the National title picture but nobody wanted to face USC.
      This year it’s three losses and still not at Alabama’s level but I like how far we’ve come this season.

      • The close loss to Utah, maybe by the same number of points, set off a long run of 34 or 35 wins – history has a way of rhyming – I don’t Darnold losing another game until he graduates or goes pro or by some act of god – he’s that good!

    • I am more than pleased with the improvement & agree that SC is playing solid football. However, I am not going to get out over my skis just yet. I am going to wait until the season plays out before I will 100% on-board that the ship has been totally righted.

    • steveg, USC’s Injury Report does not look good. Everyone of the injured players is a MUST.

  2. One Win at a time beat ucla then nd..Then worry about bowl game. Stay focused or the rest does not matter

  3. Why would Saban be on the selection committee? Wolf, give it up man, the negativity doesn’t resonate when USC is winning and looking good doing it.

  4. Injury Report:
    DL Josh Fatu (ankle) is still limited by that ankle and was held out on Tuesday. Helton said he was unlikely to practice Wednesday and called him 50/50 for this weekend.
    WR Deontay Burnet (knee) was held out for Tuesday practice. That knee tweak is still bothering him. He was held out one practice last week also. I expect him to play Saturday.
    OLB Porter Gustin debuted on the injury report with a nagging ankle injury that he reaggravted it on Saturday. He was limited.
    RB Ronald Jones was limited with a knee bruise.
    DL Stevie Tu’ikolovatu (knee), coming off one of his best games, was limited today with that PCL strain.
    DB Biggie Marshall still has a tight hamstring but he did practice today in contact drills. He will be monitored.
    DB Jonathan Lockett (hip) is finally progressing a little with that hip, he got a little work today.

    • Well at least they have plenty of time to heal since they don’t play till 7:30 pm Saturday night!

  5. Before the season started I thought playing Alabama the first game of the year was the best scenario (other than that not playing them at all). Haven’t really watched much of Alabama this year other than checking the score so I’m not sure whether or not they’re a markedly better team than the 1st game but it’s evident SC is. Would be interesting to see them match up today.

    • It was valuable to play them because we most likely would not play against that caliber of player in the rest of the games.

      • Yea you can’t find a better measuring stick for your team. But in terms of when that game would be most competitive, later in the year would have been better which I didn’t think would be the case before the season started.

        • Agree wholeheartedly. The truth is that Helton did not have a good read on his team in game one. He was unprepared, didn’t effectively utilize the talent, and seemingly had no game plan. The game was a disgrace for Trojan football…

    • Christian, you should find the time to watch Bama play. They are head and shoulders above every other team in the country. I would think a rematch with Bama would be closer, but they would still win by double digits.

      • I agree that they’re in a class by themselves based upon what I have seen of them as well as the results of their games. Their defense is unbelievable but I’m still not sold on their offense. LSU showed what a mistake free, well executed defensive game plan can do to their offense. That’s why I think a team like OSU could be a problem for them. They actually have an offense capable of moving the ball unlike LSU.

      • I didn’t think Bama’s 10-0 win over LSU was very impressive. They look and play like an NFL team, compared to other college teams, but I think they are beatable.

  6. First let’s beat UCLA, beat Notre Dame and win a Bowl Game against a Top 10-15 Opponent….then we’ll get on a Recruiting Roll after knocking UCLA & Notre Dame out of Bowl Games. Lose either of the next two and the tone will change dramatically.

    • Riding on Sam’s shoulders at the moment – hope we can get another qb to fit this style of play and some linemen

      • Sam will be impossible to duplicate like the great ones always are. I know many aren’t ready to anoint the youngster yet, but I’ve seen and heard enough.

        We desperately need OLs and DLs and DBs. Hope we can pile on here and capitalize on this USC surge, which of course means beating both ucla and ND because without those wins, we look a lot different and are back out of the top 20.

        • We should roll em both and clean the recruiting house!

          That win over washington was more solid than even Pete’s teams since it really wasnt that close as the score suggests – he had a way of losing or barely winning when traveling to the northwest

  7. Motivated top tier players want to play for USC for two reasons:
    1. the best come to USC thus the toughest competition for a potential starter.
    2. USC players are always given a 2nd look by the NFL – scouts, GM’s, media.

    This is the reason bel-air tech is set where they are – they can get 30+ decent players but they can’t recruit in depth i.e. there is no draw to play there as the competition isn’t that tough and the facilities are akin to San Jose State.

  8. Actually, it’s ucla that doesn’t want any part of reborn USC and the Darnold Boys on Saturday. Why else would the Trolls be like mice around here? Not one Troll will even predict a ucla victory. The Trolls all cower before the Trojans now. Funniest thing I’ve ever seen. Woohoo!

    Look for Justin Davis to have a big Saturday. Remember what he did to ucla last year when he set the tone and drove the bruins into the dirt. He’s graduating too and wants to go out big. Bye bye ucla.

  9. With this comment Wolf proves that he only cares about his opinion and not about being fair to the team that he is paid to cover. Everyone in the media is proclaiming the obvious: USC is hot, talented, and, not a team that other coaches would look forward to playing if they had to choose. Simple and true. This is not saying that USC would beat anybody, just what is a fact. They’ve won 6 straight behind a dynamic QB and a stout defense. What is not true? And, yet, instead of just agreeing with the facts, Wolfie has to interject that they would lose to Alabama. What does that have to do with what was said? Nothing! That’s just Wolf’s bitterness coming up, having to interject something that puts the team down. Why? Because not only did USC hire a coach that Wolf did not approve but they didn’t start the QB that he approved, etc., etc., you can go down the line. Hey Wolfie, if you want to be in charge so bad, just quit and start your own Pee Wee flag football team. Although I think a Powder Puff team would be a more appropriate fit for a whiner like you.

  10. Really Hocake…….Err……..Hocutt said that? Jealous much? I wonder if his inclusion in the Selection Committee is like a participation trophy?

    One game at a time.

  11. USC has so many great athletes on their team,that they are tough to beat, but hey have not gotten to the point where they can defeat any big tough, strong physical teams, yet. But once Clay Helton decides to put an EMPHASIS on recruiting, people movers, then the Trojans don’t have to hang their hat on a quarterback to win a national championship. Alabama has won a few under Nick Saban, and he’s done it with average quarterback performance.

  12. This is obviously a homer-bait post, but I’ll take the bait. Reasons why I think a USC-Alabama game would be close if played right now, and could possibly even tilt SC’s way, especially if played in the Coliseum:

    1. It’s week 11, not week 1. Tons of game film, tendencies fully out front, nothing at this point in the season is a mystery. If any week resembles a mystery in the CFB, it is week 1.

    2. Sam Darnold (this would be the next 4 points, so I ‘ll try to condense): the game in September was even through the first 20 mins. The only two decent plays USC pulled off as an offense during that stretch was an amazing catch by D Rogers, and broken play where Browne decided to run it. After the Hawkins-Marshall flub, SC decided they would try and get the pass game going, and Browne was a sitting duck. Seven deep in coverage, nothing to keep them honest. Bama didn’t even need to blitz. With the way that O-Line played on Saturday, and with Darnold now a 3rd king with a legitimate play-action threat fully on board, does anyone think this would play the same way?

    3. Defense: the have an identity now. Nwosu, Green, Tui, and Gustin are hitting their stride. They are aggressive, disciplined, and swarming. Clancy dials up effective blitz packages every series. His system will always leave them vulnerable to the big play because he leaves his DBs in man-press coverage a lot. But I will take that any day over a team that plays on their heels. Even the Hawkins-Marshall flub that opened the flood gates to 3 or 4 other big plays agaisnt Bama was not a man-coverage beat (like Adoree’s slip up on John Ross last week), but miscommunication.

    4. O-Line is set. Wheeler did not play in Week 1 and he is now a big part of that unit meeting it’s early expectations. There are still frustrating flase starts, but they are knocking guys off the line, and Darnold – even with his excellent pocket reaction skills – looks like he has all the time in the world to throw. I have to believe the O Line is stepping up its pass coverage because they know if they can buy an extra second on a play he will turn it into something positive.

    5. Bama’s road record. Every tight game they have played has been on the road, including mediocre Ole Miss which had them on the ropes. I would love to see that team have to play in the Coliseum with the way SC is playing right now.

    6. Special teams edge. Baxter’s addition is clearly paying off these last few weeks. Plus, Bama is without their ace Jackson (I don’t like that aspect, but nonetheless….)

    In sum: Sam Darnold and a confident Clancy Pendergast-coached defense make them a push game at home. If it’s in Tuscaloosa or some Bama-friendly venue (like Dallas or Atlanta) then the additional rucus and ease of game preparations for Bama might make it too difficult to overcome.

    But above all, beat UCLA this week.

    • Alabama is the best team in the country and very few teams could even give them a close game. USC is not one of them. This is not to take away from USC’s resurgence, but the two teams aren’t even in the same conversation for best team.

      I’m not even sure Ohio State or Michigan could give them much of a game. The Tide are just at another level.

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