There was a meeting of two high-profile USC players on Friday night in Calabasas: Former USC All-American linebacker Chris Claiborne coached his first game at Calabasas High School. The opponent was JSerra, coached by former USC offensive lineman Pat Harlow. JSerra won, 49-21. USC will hold a 40-play mock game today. It’s not like a scrimmage so there won’t be any earth-shattering events to shake … Continue reading USC Saturday Buzz

Sam Darnold is making it easy to be the Week 1 starter for the New York Jets tonight. He started the game completing 7 of 12 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. He led the Jets to two touchdowns in the first four drives. He also completed two passes on third down on the opening touchdown drive. Sam Darnold scrambles for the first down on … Continue reading Sam Darnold Keeps Being Sam Darnold

USC safety Ykili Ross is taking time off from the team for personal reasons, according to Clay Helton. An update on Ross will come next week, Helton said. Should the Pac-12 just admit BYU as a member? Pac-12 teams play BYU 22 times between 2018-27. USC plays the Cougars in 2019, 2021 and 2023. Here are the others:  Arizona: 2018, 26, 27; Arizona State: 2020, … Continue reading If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

If you choose (wisely) to avoid the heat and watch the USC-UNLV game on TV, but do not get the Pac-12 Network, the logical option is a sports bar. But . . . how many sports bars carry the Pac-12 Network. Most sports bars need to carry NFL Sunday Ticket, which is only available through DirecTV. I’ve already heard of one sports bar that said … Continue reading USC Quick Thought

CBS Sports made its Pac-12 predictions and only Jerry Palm did not pick USC to win the Pac-12 South. He picked Utah. College football writer Dennis Dodd said USC was the most overrated team: “You don’t lose Ronald Jones Jr., Sam Darnold and a handful of talented defenders and return as a playoff contender. Throw in a promising — but still freshman — quarterback (J.T. … Continue reading USC Afternoon Notes

A trend has emerged in the past week regarding USC and fan interest: Last Friday the Salute to Troy kickoff dinner got a noticeably smaller crowd according to several people who attended the event. USC announced this week field-level seats are available for the first five home games. And yesterday, USC invited students to attend football practice. That is the type of thing you would … Continue reading USC Thursday Buzz: More On Fan Interest