February 2009 Archives

USC's flight back from San Francisco was delayed tonight.

Maybe this is the website USC basketball fans should be monitoring for the postseason.

Another chance to ask questions if you did not in the Open Forum. One per person please.

Oregon State coach Craig Robinson inherited a program in shambles . . . and in Corvallis, Ore. But tonight he is a half-game ahead of USC in the Pac-10 standings. Like I've said before, it's a good thing no one really cares about basketball.

USC collapsed in the second half against Stanford tonight. After leading 46-38 with 13:21 remaining, the Trojans are outscored 37-17 the rest of the way and lose 75-63 to the Cardinal. Unless USC wins the Pac-10 Tournament its NCAA Tournament hopes are gone.
Time to look at the NIT or the CBI for postseason play.
USC is currently in eighth place in the Pac-10 standings.

USC overcomes an early deficit to beat Western Carolina 6-4 today and improve its record 3-3 overall.

Washington State beat Arizona State this afternoon to temporarily move into sixth place ahead of USC prior to tonight's game at Stanford. The Cougars are 8-9 while the Trojans are 7-8. If USC wins, the Trojans could be tied for fifth. If they lose, they could be in danger of falling into eighth place.

That's right, today's USC-Stanford basketball game will not be televised.

Fairfax center Renardo Sidney, who committed to USC earlier this week, is playing today at 2 p.m. in the City Section basketball semifinals at the Galen Center.

If you are a USC fan who sometimes wishes you knew a little more about the history of athletics, the autobiography of legendary men's tennis coach George Toley was just published.Toley won 10 national titles at USC. The book was written by USC graduate Joe Jares, who worked for Sports Illustrated and Daily News, among other publications. Copies of the book can obtained by emailing the publisher: hrmg@mac.com.

Former USC QB Matt Cassel gets traded to Kansas City.

Former USC fullback Arthur Hemingway, a fullback on the 1978 National Championship team, died Thursday. He was 49.

Western Carolina beat USC 3-2 on Friday night at Dedeaux Field. For the second straight game, the Trojans had more errors (3) than runs.

Would you rather USC played Oregon in the Pac-10 Tournament play-in game or finish sixth?

What will you Tivo if USC plays a basketball game opposite Hot Girls in Scary Places?

How is it that Cal will make the NCAA Tournament with a team that lost Ryan Anderson and Devon Hardin and is actually better than a year ago? Why can't USC make a similar statement?
Here's one reason: Mike Montgomery adapted his offense to his talent, which means lots of 3-point shots, instead of forcing them to run what he used at Stanford.

Former USC basketball player and assistant coach Damaine Powell, now coaching at Cal State Dominguez Hills, won a share of the conference title last night and can it outright with a victory tonight at Humboldt State. His is 21-5, the most victories in school history.

What do you consider the turning point of the basketball season? The trip to Arizona? The three straight losses on the road? Or my personal choice, the failure to sign an adequate point guard last year?

A well-known member of the football team recently was prevented from attending winter workouts as punishment for missing several team workouts without an excuse.

We'll be figuring out our first DVD giveaway contest very soon.

For any of you wondering what the Ting twins are up these days, here you go.

There's been quite a stir from the NFL combine over the fact USC safety Kevin Ellison ran the 40 in 4.8 seconds. But looking back, Ellison ran 4.75 at USC in 2006 and a 4.63 in 2005. He was officially timed in 2007 or 2008.

Here's the disappearing answers from Thursday that for some reason never appeared. I call a conspiracy!

The chat was moved inside the entry.

If USC loses to Cal tonight, it would play Oregon in the first-round in the Pac-10 Tournament. As it stands right now, the Trojans would play UCLA in the quarterfinals.

Will USC's game against Cal tonight be a close shave? OK, we just wanted a reason to run the barber pole again.

Do you believe USC really must win the rest of its Pac-10 regular-season games to have a chance at the NCAA Tournament?

Here's a question we forgot to answer. By the way, anyone donating that podium yet? Preferably with a Win Forever logo.

I can report that these questions (and answers) are once again being scrutinized by those who do not approve of either.

So many things to ask about these days, including where not to get a haircut off campus.

USC's best-known lawyer, Carmen Trutanich, is endorsed by the Daily News for Los Angeles City Attorney.

We almost forgot baseball started but Chad Kreuter's Trojans committed six errors last night in a 10-1 loss to Pepperdine.

Would Tennessee negative recruit against USC in its quest for Orson Charles?

Here's another take on Sanchez from SI.
``Mark Sanchez/QB/USC: Sanchez struggled most of the day and may have pushed himself out of the draft's first 10 selections. He was accurate throwing between the numbers, but Sanchez sprayed the outs and was very inaccurate with his deep outs. Most worrisome is Sanchez showed marginal arm strength and on a number of occasions receivers were slowing up in their deep patterns as his passes were underthrown.''

Here's a negative review of Mark Sanchez's combine performance from Sports Illustrated.
``Southern Cal's Sanchez did nothing to make anyone believe he's top 10 material at this point. He struggled quite a bit on passes he threw outside the numbers, near the sidelines, and only looked great on slant patterns. I expect any potential chatter about Sanchez being a real option for the Lions at No. 1 to all but evaporate unless he has a boffo pro day workout next month.''

Based on what we heard from recruits, one player who looks very strong for USC right now is defensive end Ronald Powell from Rancho Verde High School, the same school as Trojans offensive tackle Tyron Smith.

There's been criticism this season about USC's offense. I ran Tim Floyd's response a couple weeks ago, when he mentioned the offense was second in the Pac-10 the previous two years.
One thing to note is that Floyd's mentor is the late UTEP coach Don Haskins. A mentor to Haskins was the late Oklahoma State coach Henry ``Hank'' Iba. They both used a slow, methodical offense and many blame the USA's controversial loss to the Soviet Union in the 1972 Olympics on Iba's slow-down approach.
So that at least explains where USC's offense originates in its roots.

Remember to follow us on twitter.com/InsideUSC, where we write our own updates.

Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin will start spring practice on March 10. The only SEC coach to start sooner is South Carolina's Steve Spurrier, who starts March 3.

I'm leaning toward giving the first Rose Bowl DVD to whoever provides a podium for Caesar.

Depending on how the final four games turn out, USC might play Oregon in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament. And we all know what that means.

No more basketball distractions, the Open Forum must be finished.

One of the mysteries of Saturday's post-game altercation is why it started in the first place? Several sources revealed the reason and it's so strange, it will be revealed after the jump.

Here's a column from the NFL combine on linebacker Brian Cushing and the issue of steroids.

Here's a couple excerpts: ``I don't understand where it is coming from," Cushing said. "I was tested last December at USC and passed, one of several tests I have passed.

``An NFL general manager, requesting anonymity, said: "We've been warned it is an issue and might have been one since high school. We are considering that. As unpleasant as it is, this is an issue with this player that only a negative test here is going to clear up right now. It's unfortunate, because no one wants to kill the kid, but the issue is a reality.''

Here's DeMar DeRozan following today's practice:
``One thing they stressed was just don't let this tear us apart, just let this bring us closer together and we keep moving on from that. Adversity can either make you or break you and in this instance we could tell by today's practice it really made us. We came out here hard like it was the first day of practice.''

Yesterday we wrote about an obscene gesture Dwight Lewis made toward Leonard Washington during the Washington game and the players' arguing during a timeout. Apparently since this was an in-game transgression, it did not warrant any type of punishment.

The answers continue!

More recruiting questions in this segment.

Quite often in the Open Forum, readers ask about football players playing two sports. Apparently they do and no one knows it.
Here's an excerpt from PeteCarroll.com

``After two years of double-duty, Travon Patterson is going to have a one-track mind now.
A rising redshirt junior, Patterson has played wideout for the Trojans in the fall and sprinted for the track team in the spring for the last few years. But he's decided to hang up the track spikes this year in favor of devoting more time to football and being able to fully participate in Spring Practice.''

For the record, Patterson's never run a race for the USC track team. Two years ago, he pulled his hamstring running a 40-yard dash for football at the end of spring practice and did not compete. Last year, he came out for two weeks but never competed because he showed up injured.

Ann Arbor, Mich., leads Forbes magazine's Top 10 College Sports Cities in a recent report based on competitive success of university teams, the NACDA Director's Cup standings, real estate value, and quality of life.
The rest of the Top 10 cities Palo Alto, Calif., Madison, Wis., Columbia, Mo., Durham, N.C., Chapel Hill, N.C., Cambridge, Mass., Austin, Texas, San Francisco, Calif., and Bloomington, Ind.

I'm not sure how Palo Alto and San Francisco were considered seperately in this study, but I guess they didn't take into account that few people really seem to care about college sports in the Bay Area, especially compared to the 49ers and Raiders.

Round 4, so far, no clear-cut winner.

And here's Round 3, live from the basketball court at the Galen Center, or rather, this blog.

It's Round 2.

At least when Orson Charles visited USC last weekend, he did not do this.

A couple recruiting questions in this segment.

Time for the wordsmiths to produce their incisive questions.

Here's more on Monday's mea culpa from Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis.

USC goes to the Bay Area this weekend and Cal is 15-1 at home while Stanford is 11-3.

USC coach Tim Floyd made Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis spend more than hour on the court tonight and do physical activities as punishment for Saturday's altercation.

Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis spoke tonight after practice.
``It's something that's history,'' Hackett said. ``It was a big misunderstanding. It's something we're ashamed of. We misrepresented the university, the team and our family and it shoudn't be allowed,'' Hackett said.
The players denied shoving each other after the game. Witnesses at the Galen Center on Saturday night said they had shoved each other.
``We're friends,'' Lewis said. ``(Media reports) made it seem like we're not but we really are.''
Hackett said the argument revolved around, ``a small disagreement with a friend of ours that should have been handled.''

USC coach Tim Floyd spoke today on the Daniel Hackett-Dwight Lewis situation.
``I'm going to deal with it internally,'' Floyd said. ``I think it's a product of two guys not processing their performances individually and the complications of losing.
``It just happened in the wrong setting . . . All I know is we hadn't had a guy get in trouble i four years and we had an exchange between players that was juvenile behavior. I think they will get along.''

Here's what Renardo Sidney said about the idea of playing next season in Europe.
``I think it's a good idea. Brandon Jennings is my friend. But I wouldn't think I'd make the jump from America to over there. I'm sure it's a great place, but I wouldn't see myself down there.
``I want to go to college and get a taste of college and the fans.''

This was the picture sent out today by the USC alumni association for it's Oregon State game tailgate. I'll let the readers write their own captions.

Here's video from the NFL combine on Rey Maualuga after he pulled his hamstring.

Here's some video of the quarterbacks at the NFL combine.

What do USC and Oregon have in common? Each is 1-4 in their past five Pac-10 games.

The game at the Galen Center, which suddenly seems to have significance for Pac-10 Tournament seedings, will tip off at 5 p.m. at March 7.

A reader suggested that the Galen Center play "Why Can't We Be Friends" instead of "You Had a Bad Day'' following losses.

We've received an amazing number of creative contest requests for the official Rose Bowl DVD giveaway. In case you were away this weekend, you can still offer a suggestion here for how we give out the DVDs.

Should the basketball box scores now include a line for arguments, altercations and obscene gestures?

And without further adieu, away we go!

Sometime last week as tailback Bryce Brown continually delayed his decision to visit USC, the Trojans informed Brown that they were no longer interested.

With so much happening over the weekend, here's another chance to ask questions if you did not in the first forum. One question per person.

Here's the most-detailed look yet at all the drama that unfolded during and after Saturday's basketball game against Washington.

Here's Ramona Shelburne's column on the Sidney announcement.

Here's a quote from Renardo Sidney's father, Renardo Sr., on his son's recruitment courtesy of Ramona Shelburne.
``I don't know where the (UCLA) pulling out part came from, we never committed to UCLA,'' he said. ``People are blowing that out of proportion. UCLA has to do what's best for UCLA and we have to do what's best for Renardo.
``No, not to my knowledge. We never committed to them, so why would they have to pull out.''

There is a contrarian view to the events leading up to the announcement of Renardo Sidney: Once it became apparent Sidney would go to USC, UCLA leaked to the media that it was no longer interested before he officially dropped them.

One of the people who delivered opening remarks at Renardo Sidney's college announcement today was Chris Rivers, who is Reebok's director of basketball sports marketing. More than 200 people attended a catered banquet in the Fairfax High School gym.

Washington Huskies point guard Venoy Overton, originally a USC commitment, was screaming at Coach Tim Floyd during Saturday's game. Apparently, he's still mad about his recruitment.

My colleague Ramona Shelburne says Renardo Sidney just pulled out a USC hat and will become a Trojan.

If Renardo Sidney commits (as expected) in about an hour, will USC flourish with another one-and-done player? And what will team chemistry, currently in tatters, be next season?

It's looking like the Daniel Hackett-Dwight Lewis altercation was just one of several incidents yesterday. Two Trojans also got into an argument during a timeout and one USC player made a vulgar gesture to another during the game.

The post-game altercation between Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis apparently started when a friend of Lewis yelled at Hackett after the Trojans' loss to Washington on Saturday night, according to sources. Hackett returned to the court about 20 minutes after the game and sought the fan. That led to Lewis returning to the court and the ensuing altercation.

Here's the names of some more juniors who visited USC on Saturday.

Trashuan Nixon, FS-RB, Hueneme
Tajuan Bradley, RB, Birmingham Lake Balboa
Davon Dunn, RB-CB, Lincoln High San Diego
Leslie Rogers RB Point Loma San Diego
Tevin McDonald S Edison Fresno
Dak Smith OL Westchester

And a few we already mentioned after the jump.

USC offered a scholarship to Oaks Christian tailback-linebacker Malcolm Jones, the younger brother of Trojans safety Marshall Jones, on Friday. The Trojans are now recruiting Jones as a tailback, like most colleges.

When your starting guards are getting into a fight on the court 20 minutes after the game, is it a sign that the season is pretty much over?

About 20 minutes after the USC-Washington game ended, witnesses said Trojan guards Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis got into a shoving match on the court and arena security needed to break up the altercation.
According to witnesses, Hackett originally became agitated toward a group of college-age students. Lewis then appeared on the court and appeared to defend the students. That led to words between he and Hackett and the pair began shoving each other until security intervened.
Witnesses said Hackett was escorted back toward the locker room by a member of the basketball staff but that he reappeared a few minutes later in agitated state.

One player we did not see at the game was Robert Woods of Serra. We'll have some more names later tonight.

Malcolm Jones, Nick Montana and Cassius Marsh of Oaks Christian, Dillon Baxter of San Diego, Dietrich Riley of St. Francis, Chris Ward of Mater Dei, D.J. Morgan of Taft are a few of the junior recruits at the basketball game.

We'll have a chat during today's Washington basketball game plus a game forum for you to post comments on today's contest.

Is USC the leader for Renardo Sidney because UCLA had concerns over an issue?

I'm going to be receiving some copies of the USC-Penn State Rose Bowl DVD from Genius Products next week. Now the question is to think of a contest where we can choose winners. So here's the chance to offer suggestions.

USC's offered a scholarship to Narbonne wide receiver-defensive back Sean Parker, who was also offered by Penn State and Georgia this week.

So if UCLA is out of the picture with Renardo Sidney, is it a lock he goes to USC?

Both soft-serve machines worked at the Galen Center last night.

It's a long process answer all these questions.

Here's a site sent to me from the The Wiz of Odds that maps where recruits from USC and other schools are from.

We're hearing Mark Sanchez might throw Sunday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

Roughly 30 high school juniors will be at USC on Saturday for an orientation session and to attend the Washington basketball game. Among those scheduled to attend is defensive end Ronald Powell of Moreno Valley, Calif.

Wide receiver-tight end Orson Charles is scheduled to arrive today from Tampa, Fla., for his official visit. Tailback Bryce Brown of Wichita, Kan., is not scheduled to arrive.

When I left the Galen Center on Wednesday night, who should show up? Fairfax center Renardo Sidney and his parents. Sidney met with USC coach Tim Floyd, athletic director Mike Garrett and university counsel Steve Yamaguchi.
Sidney did not commit but with reports UCLA might be backing out of the picture, USC seems the favorite.
Mississippi State and Virginia remain possibilities but it looks like it's USC's commitment to lose if UCLA is dropping out (and it's not a smokescreen).

USC coach Tim Floyd waited until the end of the post-game press conference to offer his take on the ESPN package deal story, which alluded to guard Daniel Hackett not being on a basketball scholarship because his father, Rudy, is on the basketball staff.
``All I can tell you is that bridge was crossed three years ago. We checked with the NCAA, Pac-10 and our compliance office.
``We did nothing wrong. Rudy Hackett is more qualified than 95 percent of the assistant coaches in the country.''
Floyd also mentioned he hired Rudy Hackett at the recommendation of club coach Pat Barrett, which I'm not sure was the wisest admission, but there you go.

Here's where you can post comments on the game.

Here's where you can chat about the basketball game.

We will also set a post-game forum tonight if you want to comment about the USC-Washington State game and unable to use the chat.

The readers are challenged here to write their own lyrics for a song regarding the latest controversy.

Back to the serious matters.

Looks like the NCAA is looking into those package deals that Tim Floyd loves so much.

Here's an article on the Bears and Mark Sanchez, with this quote from ESPN's Todd McShay.
"He doesn't have a bad arm. He's not Chad Pennington. But you'd probably like to see a guy with a stronger arm. It would be a great value, but I just don't know if Chicago is the best place for him."

A slimmer Anthony McCoy is one player who looks improved during the winter passing drills.

Just a reminder. With Oregon woeful in basketball, the Ducks are liable to make a brief Wednesday night appearance at the Pac-10 Tournament.

Time to ask questions. One per person please.

We heard from a Notre Dame source that the Irish considered turning down a bowl bid until learning they would go to the Hawaii Bowl, which meant a chance to recruit linebacker Manti Te'o, who attended at least one ND practice.

We'll set up the chat later for tonight's basketball game for those of you want to comment.

Bryce Brown did not contact USC on Wednesday to set up a recruiting visit for the weekend and it looks like USC is currently fading in the sweepstakes for the nation's No. 1 ranked tailback.

On Tuesday, we said Fairfax High School forward Renardo Sidney could change his mind at any time before his Sunday college announcement. We currently rate things as a toss up, a slight change from our original post.

Forward Leonard Washington scored eight or more points in nine of his first 10 games before suffering a sprained ankle. He's scored eight or more points just once in the eight games since his return.

Tim Floyd said tonight that USC's appealed to the NCAA to get Marcus Johnson another year of eligibility because Johnson was forced to sit out the entire 2007-08 season after playing in one exhibition game for UConn.

Forward Marcus Johnson showed up to practice but did not participate. Tim Floyd said Johnson (strained rotator cuff) is out for the Washington games. Johnson said he did not know when he would return.
He is officially listed day-to-day because no one knows when he will be healthy. Floyd said USC will explore if Johnson qualifiies for a redshirt year if he does not play again this season.

If you participated in Monday's live chat, a reader asked whether USC was interested in Westchester point guard Dominique O'Connor, who is probably his team's top player this season. USC has not offered O'Connor but they have seen him play. I would describe the situation as ``monitoring his progress.''
Of course, another issue is whether the Trojans believe an incoming point guard would help more than transfer Mike Gerrity, who becomes eligible at the fall semester break.

Rolling through the song girl forum!

Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen just issued a statement supporting the officiating crew for the USC-Arizona State game and dismissed the notion that an official considered calling a blocking foul instead of a charge on Daniel Hackett.

USC assistant coach Gib Arnold returned home after spending 10 days watching basketball in Croatia, Serbia, Russia and France.

Freshman forward DeMar DeRozan has 17 offensive rebounds in the past three games.

Finally polishing all those football questions!

After talking to a lot of different sources, here's a consensus of opinion on how linebacker Manti Te'o chose Notre Dame.
USC offered a marquee program in a desired location. But there was no guarantee for playing time with Chris Galippo expected to start.
UCLA offered a desired location and the likelihood of playing time. But the Bruins would be overshadowed in Los Angeles and nationally by USC.
Notre Dame offered a marquee program and Coach Charlie Weis promised a starting position. Throw in a scholarship for your close friend and it's the best situation possible, except for the cold climate.

Bryce Brown, the No. 1-ranked tailback in the nation, still had not informed USC if he would visit this weekend. He was supposed to let USC know on Monday.

With so much talk of package deals, let's address the issue regarding USC basketball.

Washington State guard Klay Thompson, who leads the Cougars in scoring (13.3 points) and is a perfect 24 for 24 on free throws this season, was interested in USC but the Trojans did not reciprocate because they already received a commitment from Artesia guard Malik Story.
``We had a commitment at that position from a player since his freshman year, and it's important for us not to back out,'' USC coach Tim Floyd said. ``As it turned out, the commitment we had could not get into school. We missed out on a terrific player. Klay is a poised, skilled player.''
Story, who did not get into USC, instead went to Indiana.

Fairfax center Renardo Sidney will announce his college choice Sunday. I would never predict where he would go because it seems possible to change on a daily basis. But the buzz as of this second is that UCLA is the leader.

Marcus Johnson did not practice Tuesday and is scheduled to see a specialist tomorrow. He is considered doubtful for this week's games. Tim Floyd said Dwight Lewis was bothered by a sprained ankle but Lewis said he was OK.

Miami (Fla.) is saving its budget $140,000 by chartering buses to two in-state games next season.

The RPI is not being kind to the Pac-10 right now. The conference's top team is Washington at No. 22. The Big East has six teams while the ACC has five.

Enough with the package-deal talk, time for a picture break.

A question involving those controversial package deals that seem to be growing in popularity.

Back to the answers!

Which coaches are on the hot seat?

A question about Jeremy Bates/Karl Dorrell.

This segment asks a question about Orson Charles.

Remember you can follow us on twitter.com/InsideUSC.

We are answering questions from the Weekend Forum. If you did not ask one in the Open Forum or Weekend Forum already, you can still ask away.

And now on to pressing matters. One question per person please.

Last week I did a radio show in Hawaii. One of those who listened was Larry Hilliard, the father of UCLA's incoming freshman tailback, Dalton Hilliard.
Dalton plays for Punahou, the same school as linebacker Manti Te'o and wide receiver Roby Toma. Larry wanted to touch base after my interview and said his son was contacted by UCLA last week following the whole package deal controversy involving Te'o and Toma.
Here is what Hilliard told me:
``Norm Chow gives Dalton a call (last week) and says there's a lot going on with Roby (Toma). Chow said, `Manti said we attacked Roby in regards to Manti not coming.'
``Chow said, `We were aggressive because a deal was struck.'
``Based on what Coach Chow said, Manti called them up and said, `I have a buddy.' He told them if they gave (Toma) a scholarship, he would come. The caveat is he said, `I want to keep it under the table and on signing date I'll make it public.' It's coming from Norm Chow. He did tell Dalton to ease Dalton's mind that they didn't do anything other than offering a friend a scholarship in hopes of Manti's coming to UCLA.''

The basketball team did not practice today after that long trip to Arizona. So we'll see tomorrow if Marcus Johnson is any closer to returning.

Answers, answers, answers.

I can relax now that the Mitch Mustain mystery got solved.

I said earlier today I would find out why Mitch Mustain missed passing drills last week. Mustain underwent laser eye surgery and it takes several weeks to recover so that is why he was not passing.

One of the longest questions in history in this segment.

Back to the rainy answer session.

``We cannot discuss those things. We don't have freedom of speech as coaches. Maybe Obama will change that rule, and we can talk."
-- Tim Floyd on the controversial charge/block call at the end of the USC-ASU game.

USC assistant coach Gib Arnold remained out of the country recruiting and missed both Arizona games. For USC's sake, hopefully he saw some point guards.

Remember you can follow us on twitter.com/InsideUSC.

Our first Manti Te'o question appears in this segment.

Yes, it's time to answer questions, find a podium, fix the soft-serve machine and solve whatever song-girl crisis needs solving.

With today a holiday, here's an extra chance to ask questions, if you did not already in the Open Forum. One per person please.

Notre Dame recruits Manti Te'o and Roby Toma still need to take the SAT and will probably take it next month in order to gain admission.

Tim Floyd gets ejected from the game after a controversial charge call on Daniel Hackett during the Trojans' loss. Floyd thought referee Dick Cartmell signaled a blocking foul and made basket on the play.

NFL analyst Mike Mayock makes a good point with those 40 times everyone will be focused on this week at the combine in Indianapolis. How many cornerbacks ever line up in a 3-point stance? If a player runs a 4.6, they could learn from a track coach how to run from the 3-point stance and lower their time to 4.48. Does that help for football?
It would be better to time a defensive back backpedaling if you really care about a clock measurement.

Pete Carroll said there is a 62 percent failure rate for quarterbacks who leave early for the NFL. Draft analyst Mike Mayock said the top senior quarterback in the draft, Rhett Bomar, is only the fifth-best QB in the draft.
Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman is the third-best QB behind Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez, Mayock said.

Here's NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock's top three draft picks.

1. Matthew Stafford, Georgia QB (Detroit)
2. Jason Smith, Baylor OT (St. Louis)
3. Aaron Curry, Wake Forest LB (Kansas City)

NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock said he thinks Mark Sanchez might go as high as the No. 3 pick in the draft.
``(Matthew) Stafford's probably going to be going to Detriot at No. 1. Sanchez is potentially going to Kansas City at No. 3 or Jacksonville at No. 8. If you're sitting at No. 10 (like the 49ers), you have to look at (Sanchez). He's only played 16 games, but has the ability, arm strength and toughness to be a starter.''

The USC women's basketball team lost to Arizona 74-61 today at the Galen Center. The Women of Troy are 12-11 overall and 6-6 in the Pac-10. It's starting to get dicey for Coach Mark Trakh.

USC enters tonight's game against Arizona State with an RPI ranking of 45. Arizona is currently 44th.

When looking for an honest opinion in recruiting, it's always good to speak to a college coach not involved with a recruit. So I contacted a coach at an ACC school for an evaluation of Bryce Brown, the No. 1-ranked player in the country.
``Well, he isn't Adrian Peterson at the same age,'' the coach said.

We might have another late-night chat tonight.

It's also true that the two schools are trying to become tailback Bryce Brown's school of choice. I wonder if Ed Orgeron will impress Brown by punching a dry-erase board, something he once did during a coaches' meeting under Paul Hackett.

Nikola Vucevic practiced today in Tempe and is available for tomorrow's game against Arizona State. He missed the Arizona game with a sore back.

I'm hearing that recruit Orson Charles would be an H-back in college, which sounds a lot like what another recruit is expected to play in college. That recruit would be Morrell Presley, who committed to USC before signing with UCLA.

With Tennessee and USC both interested in tight end-wide receiver Orson Charles, who do you think is ``competing'' more? Pete Carroll or Lane Kiffin. You already saw Kiffin's quote in Sports Illustrated about Wednesdays being the same as Sundays because he works every day.

Tim Floyd said he believe five Pac-10 teams will make the NCAA Tournament. If that's true, Arizona is one of USC's biggest rivals for an NCAA spot and the Wildcats just upset UCLA, 84-72.
That makes the Wildcats the weekend's big winner, unless the Trojans can pick off a victory in Tempe. Arizona (8-5) is currently a game ahead in the loss column over the Trojans (6-6).

When Manti Te'o visited Notre Dame last fall, he told friends he watched the first half of the Irish's game in South Bend but went inside and played video games because it snowed and was too cold.

Forward Nicola Vucevic did not practice Friday in Tempe and is still day-to-day with a strained lower back.

Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin committed his third recruiting gaffe and this one involves a recruit that USC is pursuing.

I spoke to an NBA scout who watched last night's USC-Arizona game.
``They relied a lot on 3s and the game changed when they stopped hitting them. But the real problem is they are soft in the frontcourt.''

An intrepid reader found a link with pictures of ``Hot Girls in Scary Places.'' And yes, it's the song girls.

Three USC cheer members in a show called, ``Hot Girls in Scary Places.''

Although guard-forward Lance Stephenson of Brooklyn, N.Y., is listed by recruiting services as considering USC, there is virtually no chance he will sign with the Trojans. In fact, USC is no longer recruiting him.

A former member of the USC basketball program emailed about the foolishness of Fox Sports/Prime Ticket or whatever it's called these days for using Dave Miller as a basketball analyst.

I already like Steve Sarkisian's twitter more than Caesar's. Why? Because whoever is writing it has some in-for-ma-tion. Such as this entry: ``Had a great visit with Mark Sanchez today. We worked on some Pre-Combine stuff.''

Yesterday we gave you the special one, er, Mel Kiper's view of Mark Sanchez. Here's what the ESPN analyst said about his competition, Georgia QB Matthew Stafford.
``You look at Stafford with the big arm. He's got the great arm. You can put him in the same class with any of the others that have come out. I'm not going to say anybody has a John Elway or Bert Jones arm.
``Their arm was in a class all by itself. Cutler's arm isn't as strong as Elway's or Bert Jones, and Stafford is in the Cutler mold. He's inconsistent like Cutler was at Vanderbilt and still is with the Denver Broncos.
``The inconsistency sometimes doesn't leave you. It was there with Cutler and is still there. ....Stafford had it at Georgia and if he still has that inconsistency in the NFL he'll be an up-and-down quarterback.  People will be raving about him one week and criticizing him the next. Stafford has great upside. ... Inconsistency reigns supreme with some quarterbacks and that's something he's going to have to prove otherwise.''

Former USC offensive lineman Lenny Vandermade is back as an administrative assistant for the offense. Vandermade's hiring means the previous administrative assistant, Al Dorsey, moves to the defense.

Well, the people have spoken and resoundingly voted to return to the old chat format. However, my laptop is currently in the sick bay, so until it recovers sometime next week, we will have to remain in the new format.

Former USC assistant Sam Anno's been hired as linebackers coach at the University of San Diego. Anno spent last season at Central Connecticut State.

Tailback Bryce Brown, the No. 1 prep prospect in the nation according to some services, will let USC know Monday if he will actually visit on Feb. 20. Brown is supposed to visit with wide receiver Orson Charles of Tampa, Fla.

Sports Illiustrated wrote a feature this week about the ``brazen'' Lane Kiffin. Here's one passage:

``Kiffin has shown no more sympathy for the rest of the support staff he inherited from Fulmer. "You can't count the number of people we've run off because they couldn't keep up, and I'm including secretaries," he says. `They had to go because they weren't going to make it, and they knew it.' ''

Is this part of the Win Forever handbook?

USC is now 0-2 in its yellow uniforms on the road. Something tells me we might see the black uniforms against Arizona State on Sunday.

Former USC volleyball player Taylor Carico's picture on a pillar at the Galen Center's been replaced by current player Kendall Bateman.

It took a couple days, but we finally polished off the forum. An interesting little tidbit in here if you are a regular reader of this portion of the blog.

USC is expected to wear its gold uniforms tonight against Arizona. The Trojans will wear either gold or black against Arizona State on Sunday. Either way, no cardinal uniforms on this trip.

Alabama Athletics has asked the university's board of trustees to approve the addition of more than 9,000 seats and 36 luxury boxes to the south end zone of Bryant-Denny Stadium to increase stadium capacity to approximately 101,000.
Speaking of the recession, we hear memberships renewals for Cardinal and Gold and noticeably down from a year ago.

More Keli Snyder questions dominate the forum.

Byron Moore's father emailed to say that Sean Parker, a junior defensive back-wide receiver, received an offer from the Washington Huskies this week. We thought Washington waited for recruits to commit elsewhere before they seriously pursued them?

Here's ESPN's early college football matchups for next season, with a surprising choice of the Civil War on Dec. 3.

USC's game at Notre Dame will kick off at 3:30 p.m. Eastern (in South Bend), 12:30 p.m. Pacific and it will air nationally on NBC-TV.

Time to answer more questions about Keligate.

Here's more from Mel Kiper on Mark Sanchez's draft situation and how he compares to Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford.
``Stafford's not quite as instinctive as Sanchez, but Sanchez doesn't have the arm that Stafford does.
``Both have qualities that you like and they have something that bothers you a bit. Someone is going to roll the dice on these quarterbacks, whether it's the Lions at No. 1, Kansas City at No. 3 or San Francisco at No. 10.
``And the Jets might be looking at a quarterback unless they like Brett Ratliff enough. In terms of Stafford and Sanchez, they are going to have high grades. Hopefully both of them turn out to be good quarterbacks. Both are going to end up going to teams that aren't very good probably and be asked to be very good early in their career. Can they handle it? We will see."

The one and only Mel Kiper of ESPN spoke about Mark Sanchez and his draft prospects.
``Sanchez only played and started one year plus, 15 or 16 games. He had the knee injury when the season began and played with that brace. He had a whole new supporting cast, so he had a lot of things going against him early on, but he really played well late.
``He had a great game against Penn State in the Rose Bowl. He's got skills. He doesn't have the (Matthew) Stafford arm, but he throws very accurately on the move. He's a tremendously passionate football player. Loves the study of the game, has great work ethic, very diligent to the studying of the game and putting in the time.''

USC basketball assistant coach Gib Arnold was out of the country this recruiting.

Here's a pretty good poll of voters for the major awards in college basketball and how they would vote today.

We asked a Pac-10 coach which USC recruit they liked who was not already hyped to mammoth proportions by the recruiting services, etc.
``We liked (offensive John Martinez),'' the coach. ``He's got a mean streak in him.''

USC brings in wide receiver-tight end Orson Charles of Tampa on Feb. 20 for his official visit. And the Trojans will try to bring in offensive tackle Chaz Green of Tamapa in on an official visit next year. USC's offered Green (6-6, 290 pounds) along with Lane Kiffin, Urban Meyer and Charlie Weis, among others.

I bumped into former USC song Keli Snyder tonight, which gave me a chance to tell her how popular she's become on this blog. She's doing quite well working at at Channel 2 and recently interviewed for a job with ESPN.com. Since many of you have asked, she said she has no idea why she was not selected for the new squad.
It's probably for the best, since she seems to be moving on to bigger and better things.
An interesting side note. Keli said she met Tricia Pillsbury during the homecoming weekend and said Tricia told her that Keli reminded her of herself when she was song girl in the 1980's.

USC will be in Arizona for parts of six days because the Trojans leave today and do not return until Monday morning. After playing Arizona on Thursday night, USC does not play Arizona State until Sunday night, which meant the team must wait until the next day to fly home.
That Sunday night game (10 p.m. on the East Coast) is another one of those quirks unique to the Versus Conference.

In response the USC-UCLA jersey issue last season, the NCAA football rules committee approved a provision allowing both teams to wear colored jerseys in games when there is a clear contrast in color and only if both teams agree.
The agreement is also subject to conference approval. If there is not an agreement, the visiting team would wear white jerseys.
The proposal does not become official until it is passed by the NCAA's oversight committee next month.

I know Pete Carroll already knew Trey Henderson would take a medical redshirt. But I don't know if his scholarship was one of the two held over following signing day for Orson Charles and Bryce Brown (Not to mention the one for Chris Metcalf). Or if this now counts as a fourth extra scholarship.

And now, another coach discovers twitter.

More questions on the pressing issues of the day.

Defensive lineman Trey Henderson's football career is over following two knee operations.
``After the second operation, the doctors said it doesn't look too good for football,'' Henderson said. ``If I kept playing football, it would make it worse.''
His first operation was for a torn meniscus and the second one was to clean up some problems in the joint.
Henderson will remain at USC and compete as a hammer thrower on the track team.
``I'm excited,'' Henderson said.

The readers seem to have found a topic of interest.

It's time to ask questions again. One per person please.

The Los Angeles police dept. is expected to announce today they arrested two suspects in the shooting of USC sprinter Bryshon Nellum last fall. Nellum was shot three times in the legs at a club a few blocks from campus.

Some fans criticized USC Tim Floyd this season for the Trojans' offense, which ranks eighth in the Pac-10 at 68.9 points per game. But Floyd said nothing's changed from previous years, except the roster.
``It's the same offense that was second in the league in scoring the last two years,'' Floyd said. ``Our players are different. We don't have perimeter shooters. We don't have the amount of shooters and scorers we once did. Oregon's offense doesn't look the same now either.''

Here's a New York Times article on the new Lucas Building, which is sort of the anti-Galen Center in terms of construction.

USC forward Marcus Johnson did not practice today because he was sick. He is considered likely to make the Arizona road trip. He remains bothered by a strained rotator cuff but if he makes progress the next two days, he might be available to play.

You always hear a lot of wild stories regarding recruiting. But a high school coach said this week that if defensive James Boyd committed to Washington, he was told he would play quarterback and Jake Locker could switch to linebacker.

Will Jeremy Bates adapt to USC's offense or will USC's offense adapt to Jeremy Bates?

OK, after the picture break, time for more questions. And more answers. Remember you can follow us at twitter.com/InsideUSC.

It's another picture of former USC song girl Keli Snyder.

More, more, more.

The recruiting questions continue. And continue.

More questions in this segment about the legions signed by Caesar.

O.J. Mayo will face off against Kevin Durant and Joe Johnson in a game of H-O-R-S-E on All-Star Saturday night.

In this segment we take a look at the linebacker corps.

We spoke to a coach who recruited Byron Moore about USC's intention to play the safety at cornerback next season. He didn't sound impressed.
``I never thought of it. He's a safety,'' the coach said.

Here's my column on what a massive failure David Beckham's been in Los Angeles.

Don't expect to find this Gregg Doyel column on Pete Carroll's twitter feed.

``Rural Kiffin has no status, no standing, no résumé. He was born sucking on Daddy's silver spoon, the son of longtime NFL assistant Monte Kiffin using his DNA to get a job with Pete Carroll at Southern California. Rural Kiffin then tapped into the charisma of Carroll and the tradition of USC and the glamour of Los Angeles, and used all of that to become known, by knuckleheads, as a recruiting whiz. Sure he is. You, too, could be a recruiting whiz for Pete Carroll at USC. So could I.''

Why is USC not getting its defensive target players?

In this segment, i get to weigh in on the crosstown rivalry in recruiting.

Wonder if Washington athletic director Scott Woodward could possibly be having any second thoughts? The Huskies already committed a couple minor recruiting violations, put-together a recruiting class rated worse than Washington State and lost two assistant coaches hired by Steve Sarkisian.

Who participated in our Sunday marathon chat session? Remember you can follow us on twitter.com/InsideUSC.

Chelsea fired its manager Phil Scolari today after a little more than half a season in the Premier League. By that basis Pete Carroll should have been fired after his 1-4 start.

Which defensive recruits will play offense next season?

As you probably know, we've changed the chat software. I'm still not sure which one I will use on a regular basis. The new format allows me to answer questions quicker. The drawback is that it does not save the conversation. Because of this, I've been doing more chats recently, so if you have questions, you have more opportunities.

In this segment, we tackle the recruiting needs for next season. And a cheerleader question (of course).

You will be shocked, shocked, to know there is a Manti Te'o question in this segment.

And without further adieu, it's Answer Monday.

It's that time of the week again, for questions and comments. One per person please.

Today is Answer Monday! If you did not ask a question in the Open Forum, you can ask here. One question per person. Some of you have been asking two. You know who you are.

We spoke to three different players over the weekend who said linebacker whManti Te'o told them he said he would commit to USC during his official visit.

We're baaaaack.

We hear tailback Bryce Brown will probably visit USC on Feb. 20 to coincide with the visit of wide receiver Orson Charles of Tampa, Fla. Brown, ranked the No. 1 tailback in the nation, committed to Miami but then wanted to consider other schools.
His visit date is not official USC is in the process of getting him to visit on that date.

We hear freshman quarterback Matt Barkley is faithfully attending 6 a.m. workouts that are predominantly attended by the offensive line.

USC defeats UCLA 87-76 at the Galen Center to prevent all those Gauntlet points going to the Bruins in basketball.

I've just jumped into the chat room if you're usually not around at night for these talks.

Here's another picture of former USC song girl Keli Snyder.

If the USC women's basketball team does not beat UCLA today, the Bruins will sweep all those valuable Lexus Gauntlet points in men's and women's basketball.

Here's some more answers to the Song Girls Forum focusing on Keli-gate.

At least Wednesday's signing date held down the comments over the embarassing loss to UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. Or do people not care anyways?
We heard quite a few boosters expressed their displeasure, however, during the fat-cat recruiting dinner at the Galen Center.

Some of the things Pete Carroll told me about the defense this week reminded back to the end of the 2001 season, when he marveled at national champ Miami's team speed and sought speed over size.
USC might return to that next year in some form with Frankie Telfort, who is 5-11, playing weakside linebacker and Malcolm Smith spending time at middle linebacker. Telfort is supposed to run a 4.4 in the 40 (hand-timed).
In its heyday, players like Matt Grootegoed and Lofa Tatupu excelled at linebacker despite being undersized.

ESPN is picking a Mt. Rushmore of sports figures for each of the 50 states. Fans selected four for each. Not a single USC athlete made it, however Brent Musberger, Brock Lesnar and a horse were among those who did make it.

A reader found this photo and sent it in for this week's photo contribution.

We hear that at USC's recruiting dinner, coaches admitted they were most surprised to obtain a commitment from linebacker Jarvis Jones of Columbus, Ga., and did not suspect his true interest until he made his official campus visit in October.

Now that signing day is over, it's time to focus on answering the pressing issues of the day.

OK, here's the Chris Galippo quotes that didn't link over from yesterday.

X-rays on USC forward Taj Gibson's pinky finger were negative. He officially has a ``jammed finger.'' He is expected to play next week.

Here's a photo of that much-discussed Hawaii signing day ceremony, with Jordon Pu'u Robinson (left, signed with Washington State), Roby Toma (center, eventually signed with Notre Dame) and Simione Vehikite (right, USC).

Several readers emailed me today that in Honolulu, Robert Kekaula, the sportscaster from the ABC affiliate (KITV) weighed in on the Manti Te'o-Robby Toma controversy with some interesting comments. I don't live in Hawaii, obviously, so I spoke to Kekaula just now.
``I said the story is Manti Te'o called UCLA to tell them he wasn't coming and that Roby got a phone call and they ripped into him for not getting Manti to come. It seemed obvious that was what happened after he decided he wasn't going to go to UCLA.
``It reeks of a 2 for 1 deal. I was told Roby tore up his UCLA paperwork at the signing ceremony.''

I already knew USC had one of the worst deals with Nike but I did not realize it is so bad that players have to share jerseys. Forward Kasey Cunningham was last seen wearing No. 43 in Puerto Rico before he tore knee ligaments. Less than two months later, forward Jordan Cameron is wearing the same uniform after joining the team following football season.
Can't USC afford more than 18 uniforms? It's pretty bad when Mater Dei probably gets more gear from Nike than the University of Southern California.

We'll probably have another post-signing day chat late tonight.

Here's another picture of former USC song girl Keli Snyder.

We hear Rey Maualuga has still not officially hired an agent.

USC's Sept. 12 road football game against Ohio State in Columbus will
kick off at 5 p.m. (Pacific time) and will be shown live nationally on ESPN.

I read an item in the Press-Enterprise blog last night that said when Manti Te'o informed UCLA he was going to play for the Bruins, Norm Chow allegedly said it was OK as long as he did not go to USC. The item seems to be gone now. Did anyone else see it?

We hear the crowd was smaller than usual for last night's recruiting dinner. With a recession, it's not surprising that less people could spend $175.

Linebacker Brian Cushing's agent is Tom Condon, who represents Peyton and Eli Manning. And Matt Leinart.

Chris Galippo talks about Manti Te'o and Vontaze Burfict signing elsewhere.

Robby Toma, close friend of Manti Te'o, said he will sign with Notre Dame.

Here's my column on the new coaching staff and it's effect on next season.

USC held one of its first position meetings of the offseason for the linebackers this afternoon.
``It is different,'' Chris Galippo said. ``I was looking around the room and seeing faces were missing from the past. It's a new opportunity for us. It's a challenge.''

Forward Taj Gibson underwent x-rays on his injured pinky finger but doctors will not see them until tomorrow to determine if he broke the finger.

Wide receiver Orson Charles' visit has been postponed. He still intends to visit USC but will not come this weekend. He is still scheduled to visit USC before he selects a college.

Middle linebacker Chris Galippo becomes an even more valuable member of the team with Manti Te'o and Vontaze Burfict headed elsewhere. Galippo said his back feels fine during offseason workouts.
``I can tell the difference the workouts are making,'' Galippo said. ``It's night and day for me how explosive I am. It's fun.''

Compton linebacker Chris Metcalf can still attend USC but he needs to become academically admissable first. So even though he did not sign, he should still be considered part of the recruiting class.

The Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports Henry Bibby will be hired as an assistant coach with the Grizzlies.

Time for questions on recruiting or other football issues. One per person please.

Some interesting stories are emerging from Hawaii. Here's a passage from the Honolulu Advertiser, regarding Manti Te'o's best friend and neighbor, wide receiver Robby Toma.

``But after phone conversations with UCLA coaches Tuesday night and yesterday morning, Toma felt uneasy as he entered the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall's Pikake Room for a Signing Day ceremony with about 50 other recruits.
"When I sat down, I didn't feel like signing," said Toma, who lives in La'ie nearby Punahou linebacker and close friend Manti Te'o, the nation's top linebacker prospect who signed with Notre Dame. "I didn't fax it (to UCLA)."
``Notre Dame complicated matters by recently offering Toma a scholarship . . . ''

This coincides with what we've heard from various sources that said UCLA and Toma had an unpleasant conversation after Te'o informed them Monday night he would not come to Westwood.
That was followed by a sudden scholarship offer from Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis. Did Te'o secure an offer for his best friend? Or did Weis tell Te'o he would take his best friend if Te'o committed to the Irish? Questions, questions?

Jawanza Starling faxed his letter of intent from his high school this morning. So that means only Chris Metcalf remains unsigned because of his academic issues.

Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin gets reprimanded by the SEC.

The son of former USC All-American safety Tim McDonald, T.J. McDonald played safety, linebacker, defensive end, fullback, tight end and wide receiver in high school. He made 87 tackles and intercepted three passes last season. He will be groomed as heir apparent to Taylor Mays in 2010.
``This kid is the prototype safety,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``He's 218 pounds and is already everything you're looking for. (He and his dad) are like the spitting image of each other.''
 

The top defensive end in the nation, Kennard played in only three games before he tore knee ligame nts. He had 111 tackles and 24 sacks his junior year. His father, Derek, was an All-American offensive lineman at Nevada before spending 11 seasons in the NFL.
``He's an extraordinary football player,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``He can cover, he can rush. He can shadow receivers. He can help us right away.''
 

Perhaps little known here, Jones can play inside or outside linebacker and might even try defensive end if necessary. He also could play basketball at USC after named an all-state player in Georgia. Jones recorded 77 tackles with 4 interceptions last season led his team to the AAA state title in 2007.[EP
``He is an amazing football player,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``He's an excellent blitzer and cover guy. He can play and contribute immediately.''

There is little that Hall did not do at St. Bonaventure, where he played linebacker, cornerback, safety, wide receiver and tailback. He also returned kickoffs, a role he could fill next season for the Trojans. Hall intercepted four passes, rushed for 784 yards, had 155 yards receiving and scored 13 touchdowns.
``He is one of the most diversified atheletes we have ever seen,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said.

Although he just enrolled at USC last month, Pete Carroll said he intends to give Barkley a long look as he decides who succeeds Mark Sanchez. Barkley was the Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year following his junior season at Mater Dei. He threw 18 interceptions as a senior but is still considered the nation's top quarterback prospect.
``It'll put heat on the other guys,'' Carroll said of Barkley's chances of starting as a true freshman. ``Any time you get the top quarterback in the country that's a pretty good way to start a recruiting class.''

One of the more interesting comments yesterday from Pete Carroll was that five recruits' decisions were based on the wishes of their parents, ``in both directions,'' meaning some who chose USC and some who did not. We'll let you speculate who they were.

Tonight is the football recruiting dinner at the Galen Center, where tickets remain available for $175. Does the price come down because Manti Te'o highlights will not be shown?
Here's a better idea: Charge $10 a ticket and get 10,000 fans at the Galen Center.

Compton linebacker Chris Metcalf did not sign a letter of intent Wednesday because of academic issues.

Here's the wrapup on Wednesday's recruiting class.

Jawanza Starling's letter still has not arrived at the football office. Not a good sign. Jarvis Jones can play middle linebacker next season, to offset the losses of Manti Te'o and Vontaze Burfict, Carroll said. Malcolm Smith can also play middle linebacker.
Cornerback Josh Pinkard obtained his sixth year of eligibility.

Jawanza Starling's letter of intent has not arrived at USC. He committed earlier in the day. We might have some drama here and it will interesting to see when (and if) his letter actually arrives.

There is some increasing buzz that Randall Carroll will commit to UCLA. It is not confirmed but everyone is asking for the latest feeling, so that's it for now.

Wouldn't you know it comes down to mercurial recruit Randall Carroll today? We hear he's kept a low profile and has not spoken to USC or UCLA.

Quick, ask a question for Pete Carroll today. Deadline is 3 p.m.

USC's recruiting class? No, we're talking about the chat room! It's got 700 people in there right now, so scroll down and jump in.

USC was strong in the South with Jarvis Jones from Georgia and pulling Frankie Telfort out of Miami. But will that be remembered more than losing Manti Te'o? Or Vontaze Burfict?
Is Ken Norton to blame? Or Caesar? He always gets the credit, after all.

Jarvis Jones, the final silent commit, announced he would attend USC. He is a defensive end from Georgia. The Trojans lost out on offensive lineman Xavier Su'a-Filo to UCLA.

Safety Jawanza Starling of Tallahassee, another silent commit, made it official and said he will attend USC.

Suddenly, Luthur Brown and Uona Kavienga are extremely important for USC as the backup middle linebackers since USC struck out with Manti Te'o and Vontaze Burfict.
Brown and Kavienga (and Chris Galippo) are my candidates for winners of the day.

The big day comes to a screeching halt, with All-American linebacker Manti Te'o committing to the Irish. He was the No. 1 player on USC's board.

There are still two more silent commitments out there. Patrick Hall's letter arrived at Heritage Hall. Scroll down and jump into the chat for the latest information.

Linebacker Frankie Telfort of Miami just committed to USC on ESPNU. He was one of the two silent commitments everyone asked us about.

Devon Kennard, Torin Harris, Kevin Greene, John Martinez and Devon Flournoy's letters are in.

We've been chatting for more nearly nine hours. So scroll down and jump in to participate and ask a recruiting question.

Byron Moore just pulled a turnaround and announced he will attend USC after all. Thank God we got that settled.
``I went and decommitted from USC so I could look around,'' Moore told ESPNU.

Wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey, who committed to USC, is going to South Carolina instead.

But we're still holding our chat if you scroll down.

Can you believe there's a program to announce the signings today in Hawaii, with Manti Te'o on the cover? Neither can we.

Here's our exclusive photo of Manti Te'o's national letter of intent for this morning's ceremony in Honolulu. Photo by Barry Markowitz.

OK, we're going to try a new chat format for tonight.

We hear USC watched film of Oaks Christian tailback Malcolm Jones today. The Trojans still have not offered Jones (unlike Brutus), but we can report progress. USC is now looking at him as a tailback instead of a linebacker.

No one here is talking about linebacker Jelani Jenkins, who will probably sign with Penn State.

With a few breaks tomorrow, USC could be ranked No. 1 by some recruiting services. Many services already assume Vontaze Burfict to Arizona State and Randall Carroll to UCLA. The key will be where Jawanza Sterling, Jarvis Jones and Xavier Sua-Filo end up announcing tomorrow.

The buzz right now is that Randall Carroll is headed to UCLA.

Assistant coaches Ken Norton and Jethro Franklin went home about 30 minutes ago so not everyone is pulling an all-nighter tonight.

USC forward Marcus Johnson is not practicing right now because of a strained right rotator cuff. He is officially listed as questionable for the UCLA game.

We'll have a live chat late tonight and it will continue as long as the readers want it to go considering how big signing date is to everyone.

If Randall Carroll goes to UCLA, Vontaze Burfict goes to Arizona State and Byron Moore goes to Notre Dame, will it matter if USC signs Manti Te'o, Jawanza Starling and perhaps Jarvis Jones?

Here's what Bobby Burton said about defensive end Jarvis Jones of Georgia.
``I think I'd have to say USC is the odds-on favorite,'' Burton said.

Here's what Bobby Burton of Rivals.com said regarding safety Jawanza Starling of Tallahassee, Fla.
``USC has the inside track,'' Burton said. ``He is a real good possibility.''

Time to wrap up the Open Forum answers. But the Song Girl Forum remains.

For what it's worth, I've yet to talk to anyone today who thinks Manti Te'o will not sign with USC tomorrow.

Here's what's it's like to be the drum major of the USC band. It sounds like a great job, as long as you know your place behind Art Bartner.

Here's how to keep track of Florida's signings tomorrow since the Gators are USC's biggest rival in terms in national prestige.

Still an hour to get that free loaf of Roman Meal bread (podium not included).

In honor of today's answers and Caesar, Roman Meal is providing free bread between 6 a.m.-2 p.m. today. Take that, Denny's!

Somehow we let the Song Girls Forum slip through the cracks. Ask away here!

Remember to follow us on twitter.com/InsideUSC.

It's our pre-signing day edition of questions and answers. I'm jacked, pumped and excited about all this. Oops, Pete Carroll just hijacked that sentence.

From the Salt Lake Tribine:
``Timpview's Xavier Su'a-Filo and Manti Te'o of Punahou High in Hawaii are among the uncommitted high school players who will make their announcements on signing day on ESPN, according to a news release from the network.
``Utah coach Kyle Whiittingham will make a guest appearance (along with several other coaches), which is one of the reasons why many recruiting experts believe Su'a-Filo is headed to Utah.''

Here's the Long Beach Press-Telegram's Best in the West team. At one time, USC originally had commitments from the top seven players.

Clay Matthews and Patrick Turner joined Mark Sanchez as clients of agent David Dunn, who also represents Carson Palmer.

A question about signing date here.

More questions and more answers.

In this segment we discuss one difference at USC between 2003-05 and 2006-08.

Back to answer mode.

Here's USC's spring practice dates.

This is a little better than paying $175 at the Galen Center.

``Georgia Tech's Football Signing Day Celebration will be held this Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m. in Atlantic Station's Twelve Hotel.
``The Yellow Jacket football coaching staff, led by head coach Paul Johnson, will discuss and preview the newest additions to the roster at the event. Signing Day is the first day football prospects can sign letters of intent and the entire recruiting class should be complete prior to the Celebration.
``Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with the program beginning at 6:00 p.m. Light appetizers and a cash bar will be available. Admission is $10. Atlantic Station offers two hours of free parking in its underground lots.''

Did Pete Carroll root for the Cardinals to win the Super Bowl because a Steeler victory meant his beloved 49ers are no longer tied for the most Super Bowl victories?

I volunteered to write Pete Carroll's twitter updates but I don't know enough songs from the 1970's. Hey, maybe this is the perfect job for Art Bartner!

Which freshmen did not redshirt this season?

Surprise, surprise, another question about Vontaze Burfict.

I went to McKay's the other night after a basketball game, which is across the street from USC and next to the Radisson Hotel. The best part was the atmosphere and the service. The food was OK. The menu was extremely limited (how bout a $12 hamburger!). The main problem is the dining area is trying to be an upscale restaurant instead of just being a casual sports bar, which is what students seek.

It's Oregon cheerleader Katelynn for a Girls of the Pac-10 calendar by campususagirls.com.

It's a busy week with signing date and we're ready to answer questions, with or without a freakin' podium. This segment is sponsored by Brutus U., the official home of the NCAA secondary violation.

Here's some Josh Pinkard reaction on the NFL combine invitation.

Linebackers Manti Te'o, Frankie Telfort and Jarvis Jones, safety Jawanza Starling and offensive lineman Xavier Su'a Filo will not make their college announcements until signing date.
We think Te'o and Telford are likely commits to the Trojans, there is a good chance Su'a Filo will commit while Jones and Starling fall into the long shot category.

We'll probably do a chat somewhere around 10 p.m. tonight.

Which recruit would you like to see come to USC outside of the usual suspects, like Manti Te'o or Randall Carroll?

Mark Sanchez headlines the group of players invited to the NFL combine in Indianapolis. Josh Pinkard was also invited in case he does not receive a sixth-year of eligibility.
Here's the list of USC players invited and the full camp list.

A reader who participated in Friday night's chat sent in this picture of former USC song girl Keli Snyder.

Another person who interacted with Manti Te'o reported he was polite and positive during his visit and spoke of what it would be like to face certain players in practices. Does this mean he will commit to USC? No. It's just another snapshot of his official visit that you might like to know.