Mitch Mustain's work ethic is just great.

Mitch Mustain is starting to feel more comfortable and joke around with his teammates after being fairly quiet. He also is earning their respect on the scout team.

Mitch Mustain throws an excellent deep ball, has a nice fast release and poise. Anything else?

Mustain is meeting expectations. He started as a true freshman for an SEC team. Of course he's talented.

I have copyrighted Mitch And Me to fend off the parasites. But no release date is scheduled. We're thinking about early 2009 after Mitch wins the Heisman Trophy and announces he will start riding a bike again. It is annoying the way other media jumped on the bandwagon but Mitch assures me I will always be his personal biographer.

USC is still talking to the Coliseum about running the stadium and/or upgrading the facilities but obviously nothing's been decided. The Coliseum's also considering selling its naming rights to raise money.

The football complex, which also includes a weightroom and locker rooms, is supposed to be completed by 2009 but we all know how deadlines go at USC.

The team charters its flights to all road games.

Hershel Dennis' recovery is still an on-going process but he might get some playing time against Stanford with all the injuries.

Kyle Moore's shown the greatest improvement from a year ago, which is not a surprise because he always seemed like a big-time player if he just got the time on the field.

The referees are evaluated every game by the coaches and the supervisor of officials. Reprimands are usually written and in private unless there is an egregious error like the Oklahoma-Oregon game.

The intensity of practices remained the same this week.

Arizona State's played one road game so far this year, and it was at horrendous Stanford. Let's see a little more before we reward them for a favorable schedule. By the way, I picked them as a sleeper team so don't accuse me of being against them.

As I stated many times before, USC would want a coach with head-coaching experience if Pete Carroll ever leaves.

If you want to report inappropriate commenters, you can email josh.kleinbaum@dailynews.com. That would be for profanity, however, not someone who you disagree with.

John David Booty is a solid quarterback and bears a big responsibility in the offense. I would not rank him ahead of Tebow however. And I haven't seen enough of Matt Flynn to compare them yet.

I don't see any change at quarterback right now. I would say the leash is extremely long. So barring three or four more performances like Washington, no change.

The Scott Wolf Fan Club will meet soon but we need a facility large enough, perhaps the Galen Center or Pete Carroll's back yard.

I think every coach in the nation would like to win a Super Bowl and national title. Caesar is no different if given the option.

I don't consider Booty's Heisman chances officially over but let's say they are on life support.

USC does practice deep balls but it is simply not Booty's strength. He throws a low ball which makes deep balls harder to complete.

I have a photo of the Texas game to anger readers. Actually, it's just the picture the web designer picked. And it's a good reminder for Caesar. Remember, thou art mortal.
Joe McKnight is going to get a lot of playing time against Stanford. It's a crummy team at home. The perfect situation. I expect he'll have a few nice plays but will people still making Reggie Bush comparisons?

Do I like USC? No, I live for USC.

Charlie Weis will not get fired. It would be too embarassing for AD Kevin White to admit a mistake. But Ty Willingham sure must be laughing.

I agree USC tends to play awful against inferior teams on the road, at least early in the year. But let's not forget the Washington and Arizona State games at the Coliseum last year. It's also happened at home, though not as often. I attribute this more to human nature than Peter Caesar Carroll. But I do believe he's been outcoached by Willingham the past two years and Mike Riley and DeWayne Walker last year.

There's a long list of poster children for not leaving early, including Winston Justice. But there's also a case where staying hurt: Tom Malone.

Marc Tyler is redshirting.

Mustain must sit out a season. He is eligible for the season opener next year.

Fred Davis has opened the coaches' eyes. But he did it in part because of Booty, because several plays Davis was not the intended option and Booty found him anyways. So let's not bow to the playcalling completely on this issue.

I agree, Vic the Brick is a homer.

Avram Grant will be fired before Dave Wannstedt.

USC is recruiting Patrick Johnson very hard but it will be a tough sell to get him to leave Miami.

Sometimes on this blog, I make observations, such as the disappearance of carries for C.J. Gable. My question is why does it bother you? If he averaged 11 yards a carry, it's a legitimate issue. Pete Carroll insisted it was just a matter of the playing rotation and playcalling hurting Gable. But even within the program, there was a feeling Gable got screwed. If a lot of people within the program talk about it, then it's an issue. If that bothers you, there's really nothing to say.

Allen Bradford does not want to play linebacker. He think his NFL future is at safety or running back. And he's tired of position changes. So he's staying running back -- for now.

Caesar believes he can win a national title even with the injuries because he thinks his recruiting provided great depth this season. I think the road schedule could catch up to the Trojans.

Michigan also beat Penn State and Mike Hart is one of the top players in the nation.

USC will have a top four recruiting class.

LenDale or Reggie for fantasy football? Neither. I'd choose Robin Van Persie.

I think it's too simple to say if Booty threw less he would be better. That means the running game is working very well. But a balanced attack works best.

There is no real option right now besides Booty. And he's the quarterback this season. He was excellent against Washington State but very average against Idaho and awful against Washington. But a change is not in the winds.

I believe USC should play a more aggressive pass defense than the soft coverages preferred by Pete Carroll. But that means you have to trust your cornerbacks.

Moody would definitely be playing right now if he were here. He had breakaway speed. But he also might be hurt, imagine that?

I believe Matt Grootegoed could play in the NFL if a team gave him an honest chance and used a system suited to his style.

What, no Carmen Trutanich questions? You guys are slipping.