Playing to win blurs the line of controversy


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Sometimes, the best way to gauge the public opinion of an event is to ask someone not particularly inundated with its details. You know what I mean? Like, if you were trying to decide whether Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” has become a certifiable hit, you wouldn’t ask a friend who is a popular […]

Discretion is real loser in rivalry


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This one was ugly to the end. Maybe it’s for the best that this showing was relegated to cable in a timeslot that would keep anyone on the East Coast from watching. Those who did tune in probably flipped the channel before the conclusion. Experiencing Saturday’s USC-UCLA game was as much of a struggle as […]

Rivalry means even more this year


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There are three things I’ve come to expect from Thanksgiving: mediocre football, passing out early and inane traditions. Holiday traditions are still fun, but many are of spotty origins. We do them because we’re instructed to do so, and the rituals derive their meaning strictly from history. It’s fitting, then, that the annual battle for […]

Finger-pointing leads nowhere for Trojans


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The shock of last week’s embarrassing 34-point loss to Stanford has had a week to sink in. The Trojan faithful want to forget about that game and move on to a new one. But I’m not talking about UCLA, the Trojans’ next opponent. The Trojans’ biggest opponent right now is the blame game. Because people […]

Playing injured not worth the risks


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The senior had been waiting his whole life for this moment. Ever since his high school football team lost in the state championship last year, the do-it-all quarterback vowed to win this time around. It was his last season to play with many of his best friends that he had been playing with since middle […]

Carroll faces most difficult challenge yet


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Nothing compares to the challenge facing coach Pete Carroll right now. Not preparing for an undefeated Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. Not getting ready to face Vince Young in the Rose Bowl. Not convincing prized recruits to come to USC rather than another school. Not assembling one of the greatest offenses in college football history. […]

Trojans know how to win big and small


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USC men’s water polo is good. Really, really good. That much we know. Since the 2006 season, the Trojans have run up a collective 95-6 record for a robust .940 winning percentage. They went 29-0 in 2008 on their way to a fourth national title and have lost just one match so far this year. […]

Trojans are sorting out an identity crisis


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The horde of recruits had to be confused. Maybe everyone had mistakenly entered the wrong locker room. No, this had to be it. There were USC logos and colors plastered everywhere, but this was a far cry from the fun-loving, raucous atmosphere that they had heard so much about. This subdued scene wasn’t what the […]

USC’s dynasty comes to an end


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Birds circled the Coliseum after the game, but they might as well have been vultures, swooping in to prey on the dying legacy of the once-mighty Trojans. This is really it. It’s over. USC’s claim to the title of college football’s most dominant team officially came crashing down Saturday, when Stanford unabashedly dismantled the Trojans, […]