This column will be Gary Patterson free, for better or worse.

The Big Ten and Fox Sports are pushing for a 24-team College Football Playoff. That’s grotesque but if it happens, will Lincoln Riley agree to play Notre Dame again?

• Class of 2027 defensive end Mekai Brown committed to USC over Ohio State, Mississippi and Notre Dame.

• USC forward Ezra Ausar has declared for the NBA Draft. He averaged 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds last season. When does Alijah Arenas decide what to do?

• Did you know USC beach volleyball has lost to UCLA four times this season? But Jen Cohen has rejuvenated the athletic dept.!
• If that sounds negative, just know I’m glad UCLA baseball’s 27-game winning streak ended this week. I was getting tired hearing about it.
• About 150,000 people are expected at USC on Saturday and Sunday for the Festival of Books. Will Max Nikias make an appearance to hawk his book? He doesn’t show up on the official schedule but that doesn’t mean he won’t get the university to shoehorn him in somewhere if he desires.

The Festival of Books is one of his coups after he stole the event from long-time host, UCLA.

• Lynn Swann was at the Masters in his green jacket last week. Of course.
• The USC women’s flag football team is competing this weekend at the Fiesta Bowl tournament in Arizona.
• Do you remember when I ran this photo last August?

• And now for some history:

• How many USC “experts” even know who Artimus Parker was? The 1973 All-American. Parker is definitely underappreciated because he is USC’s all-time interceptions leader with 20.

Think about that. Not Ronnie Lott. Not Mark Carrier. Not Troy Polamalu. Not Dennis Thurman.

Parker was remarkably consistent with six interceptions in 1971; six in 1972 and eight in 1973. And he didn’t get to play four years because freshmen were inelibigle when he played.

• Here’s a picture that is worth 1,000 words.

I originally decided to run this photo because I thought it was a great picture and I liked the USC helmets. But then I found story after story to be told about it.

First, USC defeated Notre Dame, 28-20, in Jess Hill’s final game as the Trojans’ coach on Dec. 1, 1956.

Fullback C. R. Roberts follows the blocking of Don Hoffman (34), Laird Willott (68) and Bob Voiles (83) against the Irish. Roberts is best remembered for a game earlier in the season when USC went to face Texas and was told its African-American players could not stay at its Austin hotel.

Hill refused to stay and found another hotel for the entire team. Roberts gained 251 yards in 12 carries with 3 TDs in USC’s 44-20 victory over an all-white Texas team. Roberts scored on runs of 73, 50 and 74 yards.

Hill was Mr. USC. He was a running back on USC’s national championship team in 1928, played pro baseball, became USC’s football coach from 1951-56 and athletic director from 1957-72, when USC won 29 national titles.

USC wore jersey numbers on its helmets, one of only three seasons in school history when this happened (1956, 1957, 1963 Rose Bowl).

And in an accidental footnote, I wondered who No. 19 was in this photo. It turned out to be James Conroy, who was Canadian. This raises the question of whether he was the first Canadian player in USC history? Conroy returned to Canada after college and played for the Ottawa Rough Riders from 1960-67 and Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1968. He was an all-star three times.

Other notes: Willott was a senator-at-large in the USC student senate in 1956-57. Voiles won the javelin at the 1957 USA track and field championships and still has one of USC’s top 10 all-time marks with the old implements.

• USC coach Jeff Cravath and the Trojans enjoy the closing moments of a 32-0 victory over Ohio State in Columbus in 1947. Check out the visors the players wore on the sideline.

WHAT IS A GREAT STAFF?

It’s funny how some pundits praise the current USC coaching staff, when outside of Gary Patterson (or maybe Rex Ryan) they have few accomplishments.

Let’s see how they might measure up to the 1972 USC staff: There was Ray George, who was an actual member of the Thundering Herd teams of 1937-39 and one of the greatest linemen in USC history. He played on the 1938 team that upset top-ranked Notre Dame and previously unbeaten and unscored-upon Duke in the 1939 Rose Bowl. He later became the head coach at Texas A&M and beat coaching legends Bud Wilkinson (Oklahoma), Red Sanders (UCLA) and Bear Bryant (Kentucky).

Then there was wide receivers coach Wayne Fontes, who was the Detroit Lions head coach from 1988-96. He is the only Lions coach to lead the team to the NFC championship game (1991) and he drafted Hall of Fame tailback Barry Sanders over some objections.

Offensive coordinator John Robinson succeeded John McKay at USC, where he won a national title, and also coached the Los Angeles Rams, where he reached two NFC title games.

Willie Brown was a former star player who starred on offense and defense. Craig Fertig became the head coach at Oregon State (1976-79). Dave Levy was inducted into the USC Hall of Fame and can stand next to anyone in coaching acumen. Marv Goux is Mr. USC, the most inspirational assistant coach or coach in school history.

Don Lindsey later became USC’s defensive coordinator under Robinson and worked as an assistant for Bear Bryant, Frank Broyles, Lou Holtz, Bill Curry and Jim Sweeney among others.

Also: The 1972 team went undefeated.

PICTURES OF THE WEEK

Barbara Bouchet

Jenny Hu