i hope not, but it does seem like from the outside that SC is trying to get more early commitments than usual. is this because of the ongoing controversy? i hope not because while this Bush issue and Jarrett issue is bad its not the worst we have heard over the years. (i.e. Michigans fab five, Ohio st, Alabama and Albert Means).

scott,

1. and who are you kidding now? in the past few years, carroll and usc considered anyone with fewer that 4 or 5 stars not worth speaking with.

2.this year, only one of the usc verbals has 4 stars. the others are all just one, although the recruiting is ahead of the full evaluation process by those outfits that give out the stars, for whatever they are worth.

3. pete carroll and mike garrett are paying the price for running a very loose ship. it is really up to the usc community to put an end to that.

4. usc can recruit and get commitments from real student athletes, just like the other schools, instead of being blinded by the stars and having commits getting rejected by the ncaa academic clearing house every year.

5. hopefully, the usc community will get the idea and put a leash on extreme double standard for ftbl players. usc does not need a double standard to be competitive every year.

6. as for the huge advantage usc had built up in recruiting, color that gone and look no further than carroll and garrett for those responsible.

keep up the great work and keep in touch with reality,

robert t. gilleran