It might be time for a coaching change


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PASADENA, Calif. — It was almost exactly a year ago to the day that USC took down No. 4 Oregon on the road at Autzen Stadium, improving its record to 9-2 en route to a 10-win season and a No. 6 final ranking in the Associated Press poll. The Trojans were riding high. Lane Kiffin […]

Lessons on rivalries from a Red Sox fan


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As a diehard Boston Red Sox fan, I’ve been spoiled with a great sports rivalry. In 2003, I witnessed rocket-armed ace Pedro Martinez head-lock 72-year-old Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer during a benches-clearing scrum and toss him to the ground in the same way Patriots tight end Rob “Yo soy fiesta” Gronkowski spikes a football. […]

Crosstown rivalry has produced epic clashes


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Now this is more like it. USC and UCLA will square off on Saturday in college sports’ greatest crosstown rivalry, and provided the college football fans can wake up early enough to catch the noon kickoff time, more eyes will be on this game than in recent years because of what’s at stake. The Pac-12 […]

Has UCLA emerged as USC’s top Pac-12 South competition?


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Point: UCLA’s high-powered recruiting and budding star quarterback Brett Hundley make the Bruins USC’s stiffest challenge going forward.  The week leading up to the annual USC-UCLA football game is always chock-full of (mostly) friendly banter between the two schools. In recent seasons, the pregame narrative has involved the Trojans’ win streak against the Bruins and […]

USC playing unfamiliar role in BCS title hunt


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It’s safe to say that, at this point in the season No. 18 USC was expected to be a major player in the Bowl Championship Series national championship race. And guess what? They are, still. Not in the way people expected the Trojans to be, though. Not an undefeated team on a collision course with […]

Bruin football gathers steam


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Think about it for a moment. In all sincerity, do you, at present, feel comfortable with the state of USC’s football program? Are you confident its trajectory points upward? Do its best days, in fact, lie ahead? Are you absolutely confident in a head coach that flirts with the ethical line for the sake of […]

Trojans need to order up blitzes


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It’s been a couple of weeks since I could write that USC won, but Saturday’s 38-17 beatdown of Arizona State finally allows me to be optimistic. The Trojans now sit at 7-3 and can win the Pac-12 South with a victory against UCLA next weekend at the Rose Bowl. Yeah, USC put up 38 points. […]

Troubled Trojans have chance at redemption


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Few athletic programs earn dual acclaim for their football and men’s basketball teams. To wit, Florida, Ohio State, Texas and Notre Dame are the only universities that really qualify. Without question, USC’s path to improving its basketball program and joining their ranks is littered with obstacles — some endemic, most brought on by poor management […]

Lee’s Heisman campaign takes off


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Once Matt Barkley announced last December that he would be returning to USC for his senior season, he immediately became the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. But on the first play of scrimmage during the Trojans’ season, sophomore wide receiver Marqise Lee gave a sign of what was to come, catching a screen pass, […]

Kiffin is USC’s most valuable prospect


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When Lane Kiffin took over as head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2007, he was 31. One of the stars of his defensive unit, defensive tackle Warren Sapp, was more than two years his senior. Kiffin’s stint at Oakland was far from a success — the youngest head coach in NFL history crashed and […]