Open Forum Answers

Q: Any predictions for PAC 10 football final standings for the 2008 season?

A: USC will be favored and Arizona State will be the No. 2 team. After that, it's probably wide open. Oregon will always be in the top four. UCLA and Oregon State have defensive questions because of graduation losses but should be in the upper half while Cal simply needs to prove it can rebound from last year's meltdown. Washington still could be a surprise team because of Jake Locker.

Q: You said in the past week that the sign of a successful offseason for USC, or even a dissent-free regular season, is if no players were arrested. So how do you think the coaches view players that do get arrested? Do they view the players as a distraction to the team or is it an individual matter? Do these off the field issues affect a player's standing among the coaches in the future or do they turn a blind eye to them as long as they can help the team?

A: Arrests are judged on case by case basis but usually they are viewed separately from football. So players are not penalized unless it violates some type of team rule like curfew. When there is a punishment, it usually comes from student affairs and not football. It's never really been considered a distraction by the coaches.

Q: Was Mitch Mustain recruited by Pete Carroll when he was in high school?
A: USC attempted to recruit Mitch Mustain but he was not really interested.

Q: Team unity, camaraderie, guys liking and helping each other, etc. Can you comment on what you observed or felt? Was it as good as usual last season?
A: This year, the comaraderie was very good mainly because most of the veterans were not the type of players who made more of themselves than anyone else or sought extra attention. Players like John David Booty, Sam Baker, Lawrence Jackson and Keith Rivers fit in and did not try to separate themselves from the team. This wasn't the case a few years ago when the team had some of the superstars on the roster.

Q: Mitch Mustain has gotten a lot of very good publicity in the media since coming to SC, but do you not think that he still has a very low profile? Does it not appear as if many people still have not heard of him and don't even know who he is?

A: Mustain's become well-known to the fans, who seek information about him, but he maintains a low profile at USC and is able to go around campus just like any other student, which is what he wanted in the first place. He didn't have that luxury at Arkansas. In fact, I would bet many students don't even know he is a football player when they see him.

Q: Where would you rank and grade Mike Garrett among past USC ADs and among current ADs in the Pac-10? And Why?
A: I can't really rank him to say, a Jess Hill, because I was not around in those days and today's world is completely different. USC won more national championships in the old days but that's because sports like track and field did not have the scholarship limitations like today.
It's hard to argue with Garrett's success if you go by the hires of Pete Carroll and Tim Floyd, or even the women's soccer change that resulted in this year's national title. Now, the question is whether he actually made the decision to hire those people or a subordinate did the research and recommended those coaches.
Everyone takes credit for successful hires and few take the blame for bad hires in the world of athletic administration.
Garrett's blunt style is either a good or bad thing, depending on how you react to it. One coach told me this week he liked it because he knew what Garrett thought about him. Ranking an AD in the Pac-10 is subjective, because USC and UCLA are in the biggest media and population area, so are the ADs better than the Washington State AD if the teams are more successful? No.
Do you judge an AD based on who they hired as the football coach? Maybe. But look at how difficult it was for UCLA to find someone willing to take the job. USC would not have that same dilemma.
USC makes money because of football's six years of BCS bowls and Pete Carroll. So in that sense, the athletic dept. is a success.

Q: Was Chilo Rachal the only underclassman to do so? I heard Fili Moala might but I guess Maualuga and Cushing stuck to their promise to return. What about other players in the PAC-10 that left early, DeSean Jackson, Patrick Chung...?
A: Chilo Rachal is the only USC underclassman to turn pro. If you want to know who else left, here's a link.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/story;jsessionid=9774664E62EC7D18C83FEF36D7B506E6?id=09000d5d80603d33&template=with-video&confirm=true

Q: How long will it before Rick Neuheisel really invades the Trojan back yard for recruits and disenchanted/dishearten Trojans?
A: As I mentioned earlier in the week, I heard from friends of Neuheisel that he believes it is necessary to compete with USC for top recruits without accepting that the Trojans will win most of the big battles because of their reputation. That seems like a good strategy because you might get a few recruits for whatever reason, especially when Neuheisel is considered an excellent recruiter.

Q: I was wondering when that video interview you promised us with Mitch Mustain was going to happen? Another thing, how's "Mitch and Me" progressing? Anything new to report?
A: Our focus on ``Mitch and Me'' caused us to overlook the video interview, but we will try to rectify that. And our progress with the book was recently delayed with the attention on Caesar and the Falcons.
Q: Any chance Nick Holt leaves? If so would Carroll hire Coach O to be DC or will he assume the position himself and hire for another position coach?

A: Lane Kiffin was expected to fire Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator and Nick Holt was a strong candidate to replace him. I hear Pete Carroll already identified at least one or two candidates for replacements and I'll address that in a separate post.

Q: Is there a final BCS poll? USA today continues to show the pre bowl poll with OSU?
A: There is no Harris Poll after the season, so that component is missing from the BCS rankings. The coaches poll does come out, however, and the computer polls come out. So you could do an incomplete version if you wanted.