Lincoln Riley downplayed the significance of Oregon and Washington moving into the Big Ten. “Our university and leadership made the decision to go into the future with the Big Ten after this season because it was the best thing for USC,” he said. “It was not contingent on any other schools, on anything else.” The reality is there are enough recruits to go around in … Continue reading Saturday Buzz: USC And Oregon Forever Together

If USC does not play Michigan in 2024 and Ohio State in 2025 when the Big Ten schedules get revamped, I’m going to be pretty frustrated. The addition of Washington and Oregon should mean USC doesn’t have to play Rutgers or Maryland. But Michigan and Ohio State need to remain on the schedule. The Big Ten can’t be that dumb. The Pac-12 would be. Doll … Continue reading The USC Friday Notes Column Supplement

After putting out a message all week that it didn’t want to be the conference that destroyed the Pac-12, the Big Ten is adding Oregon and Washington. So this means USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington will remain the same conference. Not quite what Coach Bohn had in mind with the Big Ten but USC saw the writing on the wall and knew there was nothing … Continue reading Looks Like USC’s Schedule Won’t Change As Much

Let’s take a break from the endless conference realignment talk. Oh wait, just as we said that, we get pulled back in with this development. Multiples sources tell @DanWetzel and me that the tides are turning: The Pac-12 meeting this morning to sign a Grant of Rights, which @YahooSports reported last night, remains on schedule & expectation is all presidents will show.https://t.co/hW0RYiddZs https://t.co/F1BTl2R6c5 — Ross … Continue reading If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

Keep an eye on cornerback Dakoda Fields, who committed to USC in June. I think he was the prize commit of June for the Trojans. I wrote right after he committed that a Serra coach said he wanted to go to Oregon but his family wanted him at USC. Fields visited Oregon last weekend. He’s still committed to USC but he needs to be monitored … Continue reading Two USC Commits To Closely Monitor

One crazy byproduct of all this conference realignment is the way college athletic dept.’s have convinced fans that making money is all that matters. You can’t compete unless you are in a conference that makes more money, according to the spin. Think about it from USC’s perspective: It has an endowment of more than $8 billion. But $15-20 million more for the athletic dept. is … Continue reading USC Notes: Making Money Is All That Matters