It’s the battle of the backups tonight at the Coliseum. And when I look at the rosters, I can find plenty of reasons for USC to win this game. Especially when Stanford could not manage a point without K.J. Costello last week against Northwestern. But last week’s USC victory over Fresno State left such a sour taste with its resemblance to 2018, that I am … Continue reading USC-Stanford Pick The Score

It would be a great story tomorrow if Kedon Slovis leads USC to victory over Stanford. But why did Clay Helton put USC in this position? He had a QB who started a game last season (Jack Sears) and made it clear he wanted no part of him by naming Sears the No. 4 quarterback. “There is no way Sears was No. 4,” an NFL … Continue reading Clay Helton’s Pride Puts USC At Risk

Graham Harrell needs to ditch this embarrassing stunt of having the USC starting quarterback show up at the Coliseum in a wrestling belt. It might work at Texas Tech. Or North Texas. But this is USC. Even though Harrell is a huge wrestling fan, USC has won national championships and Heisman Trophies. It has tradition. It doesn’t need this odd display. Continue reading Let’s Ditch A New Tradition

It’s only one game but Saturday’s USC-Stanford sure feels like a critical contest for the Trojans and Clay Helton. If you look at the first six games, it’s hard to imagine USC beating Notre Dame or Washington. If USC plays like it did last week, Utah would win when it comes to the Coliseum. BYU was not great against Utah, but the Cougars like to … Continue reading If It’s Friday, It Must Be Time For A USC Notes Column

Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello will not play against USC, according to Cardinal coach David Shaw. This means USC QB Kedon Slovis will face Stanford QB Davis Mills. Both are making their first college starts. Continue reading K.J. Costello Out For USC Game

Did you see the L.A. Times story on USC mega-donor Wayne Hughes, who the paper reports has donated around $400 million to the university. Many believe Hughes is responsible for Lynn Swann becoming USC athletic director. Some speculate he may even pay some or all of Swann’s salary. Former USC players remember Hughes, Swann, O.J. Simpson and Sam Cunningham being partners in a health club … Continue reading USC’s Mega-Donor In Spotlight