USC landed a commitment Thursday from Sam Greene, a three-star defensive lineman from Baltimore, Md. A friend who bought tickets to the Fresno State game said they got a free upgrade this week. That means tickets are readily available. Lane Kiffin’s daughter has transferred to Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. UCLA basketball will host USC on Thursday, Jan. 5, at Pauley Pavilion when … Continue reading If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

Here’s another reason it’s time to get away from the Pac-12. If the Pac-12 Network were not bad enough, the college football punditocracy keeps mentioning the Pac-12 could do a deal with Amazon or Apple. If it is a secondary deal, OK. But what if the Pac-12 makes Amazon its primary partner? Amazon Prime is available in only 42 percent of internet households in the … Continue reading USC Notes: Things Could Get Worse Than Pac-12 Network

I was pretty critical of the USC defense for its performance vs. Stanford. But I stressed the other day no more so than the coaches. “We’re not fans,” defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said Wednesday. “We can’t be in a position where we’ll be fine as long as the offense scores. So we’ve got to be better, much better in the run game and in the … Continue reading Morning Buzz: USC Coaches Can’t Be Fans

Just a follow-up to this morning. When Lane Kiffin coached at USC, one of my main criticisms was that he was not a leader of men. You could talk to the players and they would express their dissatisfaction or lack of respect. Same with Clay Helton. But that is not an issue now. USC has never needed a great coach. It just needs a competent … Continue reading USC Thrives When It Has Leader Of Men

UCLA coach Chip Kelly said it was a mistake for the school’s official football twitter account to call it Transfer U. “When I saw it, I said, ‘That’s a mistake,’ ” Kelly said. Maybe someone was jealous that USC has become Transfer U. Fresno State QB Jake Haener said he grew up a USC fan. ‘I wanted that offer but little Jake Haener wasn’t tall … Continue reading Who Is Transfer U.? USC Or UCLA?

What do I like most about the first two USC games? It’s nothing really about the offensive scheme or the athleticism of Caleb Williams, which were already a given if you watched Oklahoma last season. I just like the consistent competency. USC might make mistakes or do things that go against its game plan but Lincoln Riley’s instilled a miminum level of competence that was … Continue reading Morning Buzz: What Do I Like Most About USC?