The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams, ESPN reports. The corks must be popping in Lincoln Riley’s office. Will teams like USC ever play meaningful non-conference games again? Jen Cohen has promised to play Power 4 teams but has yet to deliver and she’s probably referring to bad Power 4 teams like Stanford. We already know Riley doesn’t want … Continue reading Will USC Play Anyone With 24-Team College Football Playoff?

It’s pretty amazing that Lincoln Riley, during his post-game victory lap at Penn State, tried to stick it to anyone who questioned his program. Why? Because USC plastered billboards all over Southern California in the offseason that said, “The Time Is Now.” That wasn’t the fans or media making unrealistic claims. It was USC. So why get defensive when USC plays poorly against Rutgers and … Continue reading Morning Buzz: Let’s Remember USC Created The Expectations For This Season

It looks like it will take some heavy lifting for the athletic dept. to call the Ohio State game a psedo-sellout. Plenty of seats left! The athletic dept. is probably blaming the Ohio State fans for not buying more tickets. But until recently, USC was not allowing fans to buy tickets for this game, unless it was part of a package deal that no Ohio … Continue reading Did USC Commit Own Goal On Ohio State Game?

Has USC played a good team yet? Oregon is unranked and has two losses. Do the Ducks still qualify as a good team? Do they have to win the rest of their games? Penn State is 3-3. Rutgers is 1-4. Washington is an unmitigated disaster at 3-3 and sinking fast. Then there were the three Tomato Cans that USC played in nonconference games. Remember, I … Continue reading Morning Buzz: Has USC Played A Good Team?

USC flew to Penn State on Thursday and it’s not an easy trip. The Trojans landed in in the capital city of Harrisburg and it’s still a 90-mile drive to State College. Large planes cannot land or take off at State College Airport because the runway is too short. I’ve been to State College several times and most people fly to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh or even … Continue reading If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column